Field-expedient fuel quality test?

[panshark]

It looks like the kid might have put some watery fuel into the tank this week, the duece only made it 2 blocks after being refueled before it died, and refused to start. It runs as good as new after a complete fuel system drain and refill.

Here's the question: does anyone have a qood method to quickly test a fuel to determine it's potential for use as a fuel?

(Disclaimer: he drafted off the bottom of the barrel, what was left in it. He knows what he did was wrong, and has promised to only draft off the top from now on.)

 

[4x4 Forever]

Grab a sample and shake vigorously.

Clear, fuel only - Good to GO
Milky or Questionable - Not Good to Go

Always worked for me in a bind...

 

[gimpyrobb]

Q-tip test!

Dip a q-tip in the "fuel"and see if it will light.

 

[panshark]

will the q-tip test even work on diesel? Seems like I always have a bear of a time getting diesel to light off...

 

[PsycoBob]

I've used a 1" square stick of scrap as a flame-test before, with good results. A blowtorch lights diesel nicely, oil fairly well, silicone (DOT-5) barely & paint thinner vigorously. Experiment with known liquids you've got on hand- more things burn than you expect, like pure antifreeze.

I got a tube of water-detection paste for gasoline/ethanol/diesel/biodiesel that I use with an old aluminum arrow as a dipstick. Works well to warn me if a unfiltered drum has water in it, or of my 'clean' fuel has been contaminated. It's bright-red/pink indication color is even visible in uncleaned diesel-oil. Took a few tests before I hit enough water to be sure.

Poll may be inaccurate- I'd have voted for the second & fourth options. My heated centrifuge system tends to boil out any water & I have a water seperator in place of my truck's primary filter.

 

[rolling18]

get a tube of "Kolor-Kut" apply a thin bead to long stick/ rod,
dip in potential source, if it contains water/ anti-freeze/ it will turn pinkish-red at the level where the oil/water seperate.

I do this to all places I pick up WMO from.. its cheap, fast, and easy!!

 

[Beyond Biodiesel]

I depend upon close visual inspection of a sample of the fuel, if it is thin, translucent, amber colored, then I know all I have to do is blend, settle for 1-7 days, then filter. If it is thick, milky, or black, then it will need a month or more of settling to get the thin, translucent, amber colored oil off the top.

No matter what, ALL of my waste oils go through the same process of blend, settle for 1-7 days, then filter through 2 y-traps, with progressively finer screens, which trap water and particles, then through a 1-micron bag filter, then a centrifuge. If I do that process my 6.2L Detroit Diesel engine runs just like pump diesel on my fuel blends.

 

[Dodge man]

Grab a sample and shake vigorously.

Clear, fuel only - Good to GO
Milky or Questionable - Not Good to Go

Always worked for me in a bind...

That's what they do in airplanes and it seems to work well for them. It's one of the standard pre-flight checks. Just drain a bit of fuel from the bottom of the tank and into a clear glass jar. Look for water settled out then shake it up and look again. Not sure if it would work for diesel or WMO but it's worth a try. I'd also give it a sniff, you should be able to tell if there are other things in it such as anti-freeze or fungus.

 

[gimpyrobb]

will the q-tip test even work on diesel? Seems like I always have a bear of a time getting diesel to light off...

So far, it has always lit when use-able fuel was there. The only time it wouldn't light was when there was water there.