I have a humble, down-at-heel 1990 Hilux Surf 2.4D EFI Turbo. It would take winning the lotto to get it up to spec, but I'm interested in all this LPG fumigation stuff.
Firstly, I thought fumigation was about killing bugs....
Propane fumigation sounds all very well (until you consider driving your old truck around with an intake manifold and red-hot turbo full of gas). Got me thinking though. I read some articles on propane fumigation and it appears that you can also fumigate with petrol and alcohol, although LPG apparently works better.
There are some diesel fuel additives available (thems that comes in expensive-looking cans and smell like kerosene). There are also some newer, high-techer additives - ones that contain catalysts. These catalysts are generally made from the sorts of metals that women like (e.g. platinum) and seem to do a fairly feeble job of enhancing performance.
So why shouldn't we just chuck a litre of petrol in the tank with the diesel? Seems to be much the same deal as fumigation. I am mindful of the fact that diesel motors do NOT run well on petrol - generally faster and faster and then bang......
I've chucked cooking oil and chainsaw bar lube in my tank when I've run out, and the truck still runs fine. What about other DIY additives - anyone?
Otherwise I'll just stick to buying shiny tins of additive from Mobil (kaching go the tills).
Fuel additives for Diesels
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mike
- Last minute Mike
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While I was in Germany, I believe they were putting petrol in the diesel to stop it freezing. If you couldnt get winter diesel you put 5l of petrol in with every tank otherwise the diesel would freeze and cause lots of damage. Don't quote me on this though because I owned a diesel and never had to do it as there was always winter diesel around. But saying that, it did get to -27 one morning and my winter diesel froze and I couldnt get to work 
Mike
Mike
One percent or less Petrol will lower the flash point of a Petrol/diesel fuel blend below the specification minimum for diesel fuel. This will not affect the fuel's engine performance, but it will make the fuel more hazardous to handle. Larger amounts of gasoline will lower the viscosity and/or cetane number of the blend below the specification minimums for diesel fuel. These changes can degrade combustion and increase wear.
Cetane Number is a measure of the ignition quality of a diesel fuel. It is often mistaken as a measure of fuel quality. Cetane number is actually a measure of a fuel's ignition delay. This is the time period between the start of injection and start of combustion (ignition) of the fuel. In a particular diesel engine, higher cetane fuels will have shorter ignition delay periods than lower cetane fuels
The octane rating of gasoline tells you how much the fuel can be compressed before it spontaneously ignites.
So basically, adding Petrol to Diesel means it becomes harder to ignite in the combustion chamber due to the increase in Octane rating, making the fuel able to be compressed to higher pressure before it will spontaniously combust.
Definatly not what you be hoping to acheive!!!!
Cetane Number is a measure of the ignition quality of a diesel fuel. It is often mistaken as a measure of fuel quality. Cetane number is actually a measure of a fuel's ignition delay. This is the time period between the start of injection and start of combustion (ignition) of the fuel. In a particular diesel engine, higher cetane fuels will have shorter ignition delay periods than lower cetane fuels
The octane rating of gasoline tells you how much the fuel can be compressed before it spontaneously ignites.
So basically, adding Petrol to Diesel means it becomes harder to ignite in the combustion chamber due to the increase in Octane rating, making the fuel able to be compressed to higher pressure before it will spontaniously combust.
Definatly not what you be hoping to acheive!!!!
Technically you should produce more smoke with petrol mix due to the incomplete combustion!!!
Try Moreys diesel fuel conditioner.
Another bit of usless info:
The deposits that form in a diesel engine are non combustable, unlike in a petrol engine, in which you can burn them of or out with hotter combustion temperatures created by the injector cleaner additives.
Thats partly the reason the oil in a diesel engine is always very black, the oil keeps the sooty particles in suspension as opposed to letting it coat the internals.
Once your injectors are coated with sooty deposits, thats it, they either need to be pulled and cleaned (not recommended due to the fragile glass tips) or the nozzles replaced. You can usually get injectors overhauled for around the $60 to $100 per injector mark.
Your not likly to cause seriouse harm to the engine by running tired injectors, just make the oil dirty quicker. If they are quite bad, you might want to consider a oil and filter change around the 3-4000 k mark instead of 5000k.
Hope that helps.
Pete.
Try Moreys diesel fuel conditioner.
Another bit of usless info:
The deposits that form in a diesel engine are non combustable, unlike in a petrol engine, in which you can burn them of or out with hotter combustion temperatures created by the injector cleaner additives.
Thats partly the reason the oil in a diesel engine is always very black, the oil keeps the sooty particles in suspension as opposed to letting it coat the internals.
Once your injectors are coated with sooty deposits, thats it, they either need to be pulled and cleaned (not recommended due to the fragile glass tips) or the nozzles replaced. You can usually get injectors overhauled for around the $60 to $100 per injector mark.
Your not likly to cause seriouse harm to the engine by running tired injectors, just make the oil dirty quicker. If they are quite bad, you might want to consider a oil and filter change around the 3-4000 k mark instead of 5000k.
Hope that helps.
Pete.
The addition of lpg is quite well discussed on a number of overseas sites http://www.mrsharkey.com/lpg.htm has quite a good overiew, the yanks are using it in everything from competition vehicles to mobile homes.
Its not as dangerous as it sounds apparently, as lpg ignites at 500 deg c, diesel goes off at 385 deg C.
Would love to hear if anyone here has tried it.
Be carefull of the pile of black smoke out the back from overfueling, from what I have read it is an indicator that the EGT (exhaust gas temperature) is getting high enough to cause engine damage, esp to the turbo.
Its not as dangerous as it sounds apparently, as lpg ignites at 500 deg c, diesel goes off at 385 deg C.
Would love to hear if anyone here has tried it.
Be carefull of the pile of black smoke out the back from overfueling, from what I have read it is an indicator that the EGT (exhaust gas temperature) is getting high enough to cause engine damage, esp to the turbo.
Cheers,
Mathew - 021 441 043
Mathew - 021 441 043
smokey ole diesels
Thank you gents for your guru-like knowledge.
Of COURSE my injectors need doing over - but when the whole vehicle is reaching trade-in value, I kinda question whether major outlay is justified.
Diesel motors are wonderful things - no other machine seems to arouse such fear and dread amongst mechanics! Speak to anyone about a diesel engine and they say things like "that's the dreaded Toyota death-knock" in the same tone of voice that undertakers use.....or variations on the theme of "that's gonna cost you BIG, mate!"
So let me share a story. Having heard at length how Surfs "do their heads" I managed to overheat mine on Muriwai beach (because there wasn't enough coolant in it) and then heat siezed it. To say I feared the worst was understating it. But after an agonising wait, when the engine was cool enough, I started the truck up and drove it off the beach!
Still running several thousand kilos later, so I'm beginning to believe that this motor can deal with more abuse than most would have me believe, and no sign of oil in the cooling water either.... Oh yeah, I omitted to mention the trip all around South Island too.
I can hear you choking on yer hot cross buns already.
Thanks, I will get my injectors done, and I will try the fuel additive.
Of COURSE my injectors need doing over - but when the whole vehicle is reaching trade-in value, I kinda question whether major outlay is justified.
Diesel motors are wonderful things - no other machine seems to arouse such fear and dread amongst mechanics! Speak to anyone about a diesel engine and they say things like "that's the dreaded Toyota death-knock" in the same tone of voice that undertakers use.....or variations on the theme of "that's gonna cost you BIG, mate!"
So let me share a story. Having heard at length how Surfs "do their heads" I managed to overheat mine on Muriwai beach (because there wasn't enough coolant in it) and then heat siezed it. To say I feared the worst was understating it. But after an agonising wait, when the engine was cool enough, I started the truck up and drove it off the beach!
Still running several thousand kilos later, so I'm beginning to believe that this motor can deal with more abuse than most would have me believe, and no sign of oil in the cooling water either.... Oh yeah, I omitted to mention the trip all around South Island too.
I can hear you choking on yer hot cross buns already.
Thanks, I will get my injectors done, and I will try the fuel additive.
Is that the 2lt motor??
Mine was fine for 250,000K'S!!!!
In the end it was the blow-by that got it, when 4wheeling, going down a hill on engine braking it would start to blow clouds of blue smoke and accelerate by its self, running on the oil vapour i was told
I dissconected the breather hose from the intake for a while, but got sick of the oily smell
Like you say, as the vehicles gettin old, perhaps you should get the head checked, it doesn't cost bugger all, they just put a gas analiser thing on the top of the radiator and check for the presense of Co.
A new/recond head is $2000, a second hand engine, with new rings bearings and a crack tested and plained head is $4500 with a warranty. I looked into this seriously about two years ago before getting rid of the vehicle for a Terrano.
You can also get the later modle engine swapped in for $5500, the non EFI one i mean.
There is a place in Tauranga that does it all.
Mine was fine for 250,000K'S!!!!
In the end it was the blow-by that got it, when 4wheeling, going down a hill on engine braking it would start to blow clouds of blue smoke and accelerate by its self, running on the oil vapour i was told
I dissconected the breather hose from the intake for a while, but got sick of the oily smell
Like you say, as the vehicles gettin old, perhaps you should get the head checked, it doesn't cost bugger all, they just put a gas analiser thing on the top of the radiator and check for the presense of Co.
A new/recond head is $2000, a second hand engine, with new rings bearings and a crack tested and plained head is $4500 with a warranty. I looked into this seriously about two years ago before getting rid of the vehicle for a Terrano.
You can also get the later modle engine swapped in for $5500, the non EFI one i mean.
There is a place in Tauranga that does it all.
Yep DB it's a 2L
The difficult thing at this stage of the truck's life is that I can probably get more for a trade-in (with a buggered engine too) than it would cost me to fix it. In my opinion it's the engine ancillaries (e.g. alternator, pumps etc) that seem to let you down before the engine is finally poked.
Some hard choices on the way.....
Meanwhile, in the words of my Polish diesel mechanic "Hyew jus draaiv it huntil it die!"
The difficult thing at this stage of the truck's life is that I can probably get more for a trade-in (with a buggered engine too) than it would cost me to fix it. In my opinion it's the engine ancillaries (e.g. alternator, pumps etc) that seem to let you down before the engine is finally poked.
Some hard choices on the way.....
Meanwhile, in the words of my Polish diesel mechanic "Hyew jus draaiv it huntil it die!"
I have the infamous 2LT in my Surf which has done 257ks !!
Basic Rules I was told: Warm it up, let it warm down (turbo timer). Keep coolant clean and full, Oil and filter at 5k, Air filter at 10k, Drive like hell!!
I have fitted new injectors since I got it and a few other mods under the bonnet. Some of the guys in Aus are getting 300k+ from the 2LT so some of them clearly go the distance.
Moreys diesel additive is really good as it helps the diesel burn cleaner.
I did a very nasty injector/manifold clean a few weeks ago using straight injector cleaner down the air intake at 2500rpm. It certainly cleaned a lot of crap out of the system and now blows less smoke.
Basic Rules I was told: Warm it up, let it warm down (turbo timer). Keep coolant clean and full, Oil and filter at 5k, Air filter at 10k, Drive like hell!!
I have fitted new injectors since I got it and a few other mods under the bonnet. Some of the guys in Aus are getting 300k+ from the 2LT so some of them clearly go the distance.
Moreys diesel additive is really good as it helps the diesel burn cleaner.
I did a very nasty injector/manifold clean a few weeks ago using straight injector cleaner down the air intake at 2500rpm. It certainly cleaned a lot of crap out of the system and now blows less smoke.