Diesel going off
 

Does diesel go off like petrol does?

No not really because diesel is less refined and more oily, it can last quite happily for a couple of years.
Mick

I heard something was added to all road fuels to give it useable lifespan, to prevent people stockpiling. Mabey not true but it wouldn't surprise me to find it was.

I heard something similar. But I dont think it's so much of an additive but as to what rubbish they "water" fuel down with now.

I'm very new to the diesel scene, so I cant really comment on that at the moment, but I own a classic Mini, and I have to either find some super unleaded which hasn't been "doctored" yet by current CFR ( NAUGHTY WORD-NAUGHTY WORD-NAUGHTY WORD-NAUGHTY WORD- FUEL REGULATION ) or buy something called "Star tron" to put in my tank during winter months when the car doesn't get used. The reason for this is that ethanol is now added to most unleaded fuels, and will be added to super undleaded in the very near future.
This is supposed to reduce emissions, I wont get into that yet on this post.
But, it " phase shifts" out of emulsion and separates if left a few months into water! Ethanol is a basic alcohol base liquid which will separate in time into its base compounds, one of which is H20. So, if you have a metal fuel tank, bad news, if you have any plastic in the fuel system, a lot of petrol fuel injectors are plastic, bad news. Classic cars with plastic floats in the carburetors, bad news as the solution also works as an acid on plastic.

Years ago when I first started working on cars, diesel had a blue-ish tinge to it.
Now it's sort of corn oil colour, because ( especially city diesel ) it does contain a certain amount of "other" product.
If left for long periods, or if you tend to run your fuel tank high and dont run it low, so you have a certain amount of "static" fuel in your tank, it can form a black death sort of sludge in the bottom of the tank.
I have seen this quite a few times when changing in tank lift pumps on diesels.

Obviously fuel tanks draw from almost the lowest point of the tank, but I have seen the inside of diesel tanks with a "flow path" that the fuel follows through the black death sludge.

But if the fuel level gets to a certain point it will start to suck on the thicker black death sludge which has formed over time and that will really mess things up!

wow! I got my first " naughty word" big brother sensorship!

CFR

Current
Fuel
Regualtion

except, the first word isnt Current
It starts with the letter C
but also has only 4 letters ending in P

I'm sure you get my drift!

( sorry if that word offends )

Please dont ban me, I'm looking forward to my first Nano meet with the club this coming Sunday!!!

You will be fine with that, I've said much worse and I'm still here :D

Thank goodness for that!!!

carp

macafee2

I used to have to use 4 star in my mini ... And i couldn't leave my Rascal idle for more than 4 weeks or so without having to drop the modern petrol out the carb and replace with new or she wouldn't fire. I hear the ethanol corrodes old rubber pipes too and that would make sense as I carried self amalgamating tape in my glove box because I sprung that many leaks! Anyway I've never had an issue with diesel