Date:         Thu, 6 Jun 96 10:26:18 +0200
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         verbeek@the-hague.stbv.slb.com (brian verbeek)
Subject:      Re: more Q's on the TDI

Hi Martha,
 
> 1.  If I run out of diesel, what happens if I get stuck and put
>     regular gas into the car?  Explosion?

You have to use diesel again and the air that entered the fuel system
must be bled (sp?) out of it, just like a brake system, some cars
have a handpump on the fuel filter to do that. Putting normal gas in a
diesel will give a lot of power and will destroy the engine in a
few minutes, the diesel has a very high compression ratio compared
to a gas engine (2 to 3 times as high) it will constantltly detonate,
pre-ignite etc, ytou may even find that the only thing that will stop
a diesel running on gas is blocking the air inlet.

> 2.  And just for theoretical fun, what about the reverse - if my
>     regular gas cars runs out, and I put in diesel, what will happen?

Heavy smoke, car drives like a drunken mule :) , that's what my mom said
when it happened to her.

> 3.  Theoretically speaking, if I can't find a diesel station, and am
>     about to run out of fuel, what happens if I use home heating oil
>     in the car (apart from it being illegal).  Is it EXACTLY the
>     same substance?

>From what i know is that it's technically OK to do so, here in Holland
both versions of the fuel have their own color, sometimes the douane
takes samples of diesel from diesel powered cars and trucks to check
if nobody is cheating. I know that some people use the home heating
oil regularly in their cars, there seems to be no difference in performance.

I know a guy who is building a boat, he has three 500 tanks in it connected
to eachother and the several Diesel consuming engines by a hidden three way
valve. He has a diesel heater and a diesel generator, both may legally
use the home heating oil, the engine that drives the propellor may only use
the higher taxed (more than ten times higher than home heating oil) "car"
diesel fuel, so he has his "expensive" tank about half full (cause how
would you explain that you traveled a certain distance on little or no
fuel?) and he uses the home heating oil, when he sees someone or something
that may want to inspect his boat he switches the three way valve, so
even if they would go to the extend of disconnecting an injector line they
would find the taxed diesel. the same can be done in a car, only you would
need you have something to justify the home heating oil tank, a generator
or a heater or something.

Hope it helps,

Brian