diesel exhaust fluid in diesel

[Blitz Omenz]

I work at autonation and the service department has lots of drums of gas and diesel mix from people putting the wrong fuels in. My newest is someone putting Diesel exhaust fluid in their Diesel tank. Any way I can filter this with a centrifuge or something and run it in my deuce?

I've never posted on forums before. Forgive me if I'm not doing something right.

 

[dmetalmiki]

Welcome to the site, Hobby, Friendships, and events to come. Why not post up some pictures of your truck.Cars don't take that much additive. And if you have access to 'plenty' of contam, (nice clean diesel petrol mix) Why bother?. In any case, If they, (the people at your depot) have chucked diesel petrol and additive into the waste cans, Fine. Run on it. I just wish we had such a source. If the fuel is dirty. Just filter it with a sock filter. (readily available anywhere.). From a 'high' can to a 'low' can.

 

[Blitz Omenz]

Okay. Sounds good. I've been trying to upload a picture of it for my profile but haven't figured out how. It acts like I'm viewing it as somebody else or something.

 

[fsearls92]

I’m not sure running fuel with DEF in it would be a good idea. It destroys the fuel systems on new trucks, I would think it does the same thing on the old motors too as it crystallizes. I’m not an expert on it, just my two cents.

 

[Blitz Omenz]

The mechanic who removed it told me That when def dries it crystallizes. It had me worried that my 30 micron, 5 micron, and fuel water separator might not clean that bit out. I was thinking maybe after those filters I would run it through a centrifuge for a while to clean it to something like .01 microns. Or so I heard.

The mechanic at the building I work in says it's probably 2 gallons of def to almost 50 gallons of diesel and it might not matter. I'm just trying to get as many opinions as possible of how it should be handled.

 

[snowtrac nome]

As a large percentage of def is water I would suggest a centerfuge to recycle it. I would not run it as the effects on your fuel system will be the same as water plus the corrosive effects of urea.

 

[Blitz Omenz]

I'm also reading that diesel floats on top of def. If you pour diesel in you def tank.

Maybe leave it sit and then just take the fuel from it down to the last 6 inches or so and dispose of the rest. Centrifuge what I take out. Seems like such a waste of almost 100 dollars of diesel if it can be cleaned safely.

 

[pigpen60]

Go get a gallon glass jar and pour some diesel in it and add some DEF and let it sit a bit. Look and see if the DEF settles. What would diesel do if heated to 160°? 160° is the temp we heat our waste oil to get rid of water.

 

[Blitz Omenz]

I thought about that too. Doing a test but then I found a video on YouTube called DEF in Your fuel tank. Oops.
He shakes it around at about the one minute mark and it clouds up the diesel but within seconds is settles to the bottom and the diesel is see through again.
This 55 gallon drum is almost at 50 gallons of fuel. It looks like diesel. Hard to see the very bottom I'm wondering if all that's in def settles. Looks like the cloudy looking crystal stuff does. May have to buy some Def and test it in a diesel sample. Nothing I own uses def. My stuff is all old but cool.

 

[pigpen60]

If it does settle come up with a way to tap off the bottom. I agree 50 gallons of free-ish fuel is worth working on.

 

[Blitz Omenz]

To tempting not to save it. Use whatever is near the bottom as a fire pit starter. Looks like mostly fuel to me. I think he did a good job just putting Diesel in the drum.

 

[Squirt-Truck]

Most DEF is 70% water, it is for the SCR system NOT for the engine. Water and diesel do not play well together.
If you have a good water separator then possibly. Some of it may decant also.

 

[Blitz Omenz]

That's the plan.
They have some barrels that have been sitting there for 4 years or more that are gas and diesel mix. My dad thinks I should mix this one in slowly with some fuel from the others in case my filtration system misses a little. So it's diluted more. Plus I always add plenty of cleaned used oil to the mix to lube stuff. Plus the additives and cetane booster.

 

[pigpen60]

Keep us informed and pics if you can.

 

[matt444]

Don't even try it!
Not worth it in the long run DEF is highly corrosive to steel, copper and brass


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[Blitz Omenz]

I really need to test this. I've read that def settles on the bottom. Does any of it mix into the diesel?
I'm going to get a piece of (bare) metal and suspend it in the middle of that contaminated drum and see if it eats the metal up tomorrow.
I have to wait for my centrifuge to come in the mail before I can do much with it anyway. I don't trust my current filter setup with this task.
I also need to buy a gallon of def and mix it with some diesel and see if there is a change to the diesels color or a reaction.

 

[Blitz Omenz]

Will post some pics of the drum and the metal I suspend when I get to work and have some time.
the drum is still at work because my deuce is down. It was making oil. I think it's been doing it for a while. Real slow. Fdc is bypassed. I'm almost done fixing that. Just have to put the fender back on. Then an oil change. I haul the fuels home in my deuce.

 

[matt444]

Will post some pics of the drum and the metal I suspend when I get to work and have some time.
the drum is still at work because my deuce is down. It was making oil. I think it's been doing it for a while. Real slow. Fdc is bypassed. I'm almost done fixing that. Just have to put the fender back on. Then an oil change. I haul the fuels home in my deuce.

DEF will mix with diesel fuel, DEF is a mixture of water and urea. So it will mix with diesel just like water will

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[sue]

Def is anywhere from 70-85% distilled water with
isopropyl or sometimes glycol ( depending on
geographic location and time of year).
so there would not be any mechanics that know
anything about diesel injection pumps that
would do that.

 

[Blitz Omenz]

I have some pictures of my findings but can't upload them with my phone. Have to wait until I get home. So far it's like oil and water. Diesel on top and def on the bottom. I'll get into detail when I upload the pics.