Engine/Transmission (1994 - 1998) kerosene

[supeerman4422]

hey i just bought my frist diesel, and i gotta say the cummins motor is awesome... but i have a question about kerosene, is it bad to mix kerosene with the diesel? my dads friend did it with his duramax by accident and he said the truck ran excellent. i was thinking about trying this but i wanted to make sure it wasnt bad for the engine before i did.

 

[lil red cummins]

hi supeerman - welcome to the TDR.



you will get varying opinions on this issue. my take is that there is no advantage to doing this.

first off, kerosene has less lubricating value than diesel fuel and could shorten the life of the metal to metal components of the pump and such. obviously this is relative to the percentage of kerosene you put in.



depending on where you are located (please fill out your profile and signature), if it is really cold, like 0 degrees F, you could thin with kerosene about 10% (in an emergency) just to keep the fuel flowing. otherwise there are specific purpose additives to help low temp flow.



if you do a search on "fuel additives" you will probably find many threads on this issue.



in conclussion, don't add kerosene - save it for the torpedo heater.



once again, welcome aboard and let us know what you are driving!



jim

 

[JLEONARD]

I agree with lil red... . except...

Several years ago I had an old VW diesel. The first winter when it was forcast to go to zero and below, I added kerosene to my winter diesel to make an approx 15% mix.

My fuel gelled the next morning. It could idle but it was gelled too much to flow with any throttle... so at least I was stranded in my driveway. The only time it ever gelled was that time I added kerosene.

I used additive after that and never again had an issue.

So there's a bit of my experience to go along with the theory.

I was running fine in the CTD last winter at temps down to minus 12 F with winter diesel and anti-gel additive.

Hope this helps.

Jay

 

[dodge cummins]

winter fuel right now is 50 percent diesel and 50 percent kerosene according to my local pump station. you do not need to add any more kerosene cause your fuel already has alot already in it.

 

[supeerman4422]

hey thanks for the info! and i did fill out my information i just have to get some pics of my truck up on the site now!

 

[LHartman]

winter fuel right now is 50 percent diesel and 50 percent kerosene according to my local pump station. you do not need to add any more kerosene cause your fuel already has alot already in it.

What stations use is #1 diesel fuel which is K2 Kerosene essentially. Not sure if I'd put K1 Kero in diesel.

 

[mjs]

As far as i know theirs less btu's in kero less power less milage

 

[keimmmo]

Kero IS thinner! You WILL lose power and economy! It has less oil in it to lube the pump. You can deal with the lack of lubrication by adding a quart of oil to every 5 gallons of Kero.



I have run Kero many times when I could get it CHEAP. However, if you pay for new motor oil to add to it to deal with the lack of lubrication, you will pay more to run Kero than #2. Personally, I add filtered used motor oil to every tank of fuel. When I run Kero, I just add more oil.



Bottom line is if you have to buy Kero and the price is close to diesel, don't bother. If you can get it super cheap, it might be an option... you will have to decide.



Steve