If you are gonna run "off road" or "dyed" diesel in your Benz....don't forget that little clear or translucent fuel pre-filter......mine shows it has a bunch of lime green fuel in it at the moment......would be an easy way to do a quick check.....

I also have never heard of anyone getting a spot check for non taxed diesel while driving a car.....they do it with commercial vehicles regularly tho, so it would not be a stretch to suppose that it would happen sooner or later.....I have never considered running the off road diesel because of the possible fines if caught.....

SB

__________________

Diesels:
'85 300D, "Max, Blue Benz", 155K, 27.0 MPG
'84 190D 2.2, "Eva, Brown Benz", 142K, 40.2 MPG
'77 240D (parts car)
'67 Eicher ES 202 Tractor "Otto" (2cyl, Air Cooled, 30HP)
Gassers:
'94 Ford F-150, "Henry", 170K (300 Six) 17.5 MPG
'85 190E 2.3, 148K....Parts Car
'58 Dodge W300M Powerwagon (Flat Fenders) Less than 10 MPG

Back in the 80's I had a buddy whose dad ran three diesel vehicles. Cadillac, Pontiac and a VW. He had the "heating oil tank" in the garage with a gravity feed fuel nozzle on it. He ran vehicles for years like this without issue.

If you had a tank and were on a delivery schedule likely no one would ever figure out what you were up to. Savings of maybe 40% or so over taxed fuel here in NE.

I buy off-road fuel for my sailboat. I'm not supposed to use it as a sailboat is considered a "luxury" and while not subject to road tax the fuel at marinas is usually more than road fuel. The fishing boats and savvy sportfish owners get a heating oil truck to deliver to the docks. Most of the fuel trucks don't like to deliver less than 1000gallons to the docks so often 2-4 smaller boats will get together for one truck. I fuel the sailboat with jerry cars and tell them the off-road fuel is for an excavator!

Gotta beat the tax man! RT

__________________
When all else fails, vote from the rooftops!
84' Mercedes Benz 300D Anthracite/black, 171K
03' Volkswagen Jetta TDI blue/black, 93K
93' Chevrolet C2500HD ExCab 6.5TD, Two-tone blue, 252K

Absence of a red color will get you off. An explanation for the red color won't go very far when they test the fuel for the marker. I agree, though, that you're highly unlikely to be checked with a car.

Up here in "Off Road" country, the fuel oil is the same as diesel, except much higher sulfur content and of course, color. Once a Cummins Dodge had a wreck, where the fuel leaked out on the white snow. Was red. Guy was fined $1,000 per gallon to avoid tax, based on the capacity of his fuel tanks. State Police took pix., got Feds involved. (PA State Police and Feds work together on fuel issues) Ouch. Ain't worth the trouble. Anyway, your engine oil will last longer with less sulfur in the fuel and the TBN won't disappear as fast wouldn't it?

__________________
71 220D 169K wrecked
83 240D 118K sweet 4 speed
91 350SDL (one of the 60% good engines) 156K
84 300d (loaner to my sister) 189K
79 300SD (partswagen)
86 420SEL partswagen
70 220d (partswagen)
68 280s GASSER!!! under construction now
85 300sd 310K miles winter beater car retired
93 300d 2.5 turbo 168K wife's car
83 280SL euro 5 speed 155K
69 250S newest project 54K

How do you know the sulfur content in heating oil is different from diesel fuel?
The red color indicates untaxed diesel fuel, not heating oil.

Yes, it is dyed diesel fuel, but the refiners, jobbers and dealers would not purchase LSDF or ULSD for use in home furnaces. I talked to my dealer the other day. He told me the sulfur content is 500 ppm. I take that as regular Diesel or fuel oil.

Also, your home heating oil is blended to resist jelling at cold temps., as the dealer knows whether your tank(s) are outside, inside or buried (which is still legal--grandfathered) and thus you receive the proper mix.

__________________
71 220D 169K wrecked
83 240D 118K sweet 4 speed
91 350SDL (one of the 60% good engines) 156K
84 300d (loaner to my sister) 189K
79 300SD (partswagen)
86 420SEL partswagen
70 220d (partswagen)
68 280s GASSER!!! under construction now
85 300sd 310K miles winter beater car retired
93 300d 2.5 turbo 168K wife's car
83 280SL euro 5 speed 155K
69 250S newest project 54K

If only we could go back to the good 'ol days of 1500ppm sulfur......

Sure they would, having seperate refining lines and storage tanks is not only expensive but can make for some very costly mistakes.
Years ago diesel and heating oil *were* different. Not today.
Diesel fuel sees waaay more time outside than home heating oil. I've had tanks out side and the problem is not gelling, it's condensation. What keeps the fuel warm on an over the road 18 wheeler?

I am about to take delivery of 1995 E300 w/ the OM606 and have been researching the heating oil vs. pump diesel issue. I've come to a few conclusions:

1. The odds of getting fuel checked in a car are about as good as getting struck by lightning. To be concerned about a $1000 (not $10000) fine with odds being as remote as they are seems overstated at best.

2. The odds of getting into an accident that causes a fuel spill on snow where dye can be readily identified seems about as unlikely as #1.

3. Pump diesel is now 15 ppm and heating oil is still 500 ppm (for now). Heating oil is not "hydrotreated" so it has better oxidiation and lubricity qualities than pump diesel and thus could actually be better for an auto engine than the current ULSD pump diesel (albeit with higher emissions).

4. Because of the better (lesser) oxidation qualities of heating oil, it would seem to be better for the o-ring injector seals in the OM606, provided said seals are made from nitrile rubber vs a more inert composition (of flurocarbon elastomers). Btw, I am trying to determine if 1994 / 1995 vintage OM606 o-ring injector seals were in fact made from nitrile rubber or if they were some other material. Does anyone know?

5. Aside from the obvious taxing and dying differences, I have found credible information that says that heating oil is NOT refined to any particular cetane rating. It is my understanding that a minimum cetane rating of 38-40 is necessary to ensure good ignition and reasonable cold weather starts. This difference in cetane is the only difference I can find between "#2" and pump diesel. It seems like if you planning on running #2, you should include a cetane booster in the winter. This may have been the cause of the problem in the original post in this thread (if it was cold enough outside). A buildup of fuel in the engine from the excessive cranking would also explain the brief surge in idle speed.

Thoughts on any of this?

-Frank

The fine is per gallon of tank capacity. It's a lot more than $1000. Unless you have a very small tank, the fine will exceed 10K.

I understand that, but if the fine is $1k per gallon, I would imagine you have to actually have the x gallons of the offending fuel in the vehicle to be levied a fine of x*gallons. if you get into an accident causing a spill, I suppose your fine could theoretically be 0. If you get randomly checked and only have 1/4 tank at the time, your fine could $3000-4000 versus $10000 or more.

The fact that this even is being discussed at this length is surprising to me. I have never heard of this happening to anyone in my personal experience. What is more of a concern is whether or not the #2 fuel is really chemically different and is worse -- or maybe actually better -- for a diesel engine than commercially available pump diesel. The potential for fines is so remote that it should only slightly factor into an analysis, I would think anyway.

I did just note that you said "per gallon of capacity", so I apologize. I need to research this law in the US code since I am now getting pretty fascinated by it, though I still think the potential good or harm the fuel would do to engine is really the only relevant factor and thus I hoped it was what we would be discussing here. An answer about the injector o-ring composition, for example, would be much more helpful.

It's not per gallon of fuel. It's per gallon of tank.

Lubricity is the other issue, although if you're burning LSD #2 it won't be as bad. Once ULSD #2 is delivered (and soon enough you won't be able to get anything else), you probably want to keep it out of your system.

I would think lubricity concerns could be overcome with additives such as Stanadyne's Performance Additive, no?

Also, according to this 500 ppm fuel will still be available at some pumps (probably mostly truck stops until 2010):
http://www.exxon.com/USA-English/GFM/Products_Services/Fuels/Diesel_Fuels_FAQ.asp

To save you some scrolling:

Is all diesel fuel sold at gas stations and truck stops in the U.s. now ULSD?
No. At present the EPA requires only 80% of the highway diesel fuel manufactured in the U.S. to be ULSD. Consumers may still find some LSD at services stations and truck stops until December 1, 2010 when EPA regulations will require all highway diesel fuel to be ULSD.