Diesel Bug

delicagirl

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i read elsewhere about this.... its said that stored diesel in a tank that is not full can get "diesel bug" which can create blocked pipes and other problems once the vehicle is restarted

does anyone here know anything about this please ?
 
Yep me,soltron, quicksilver fuel conditioner or fuelset which is used in boats which are stored over winter,remember to always fill tank before long term storage.
Get it online or any boat chandelery shop.
 
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After a quick Google

It seems to be more of a problem with boats.
I guess because of more water/humidity
and maybe infrequent usage especially in winter ?

Has any diesel car or truck engine ever suffered ?

Answers on a postcard ....No seriously anyone had a problem ?
 
The yachting and boating people talk about it but as long as you are using your bus within three months I would not worry.

But petrol IS a problem, small petrol engines are better drained down if they are not being used for a long time.

:boat::boat::boat:
 
harrow said:
The yachting and boating people talk about it but as long as you are using your bus within three months I would not worry.

But petrol IS a problem, small petrol engines are better drained down if they are not being used for a long time.

:boat::boat::boat:
Click to expand...

i move it every few weeks and leave it running for quite a while to get the oil circulating etc
 
harrow said:
The yachting and boating people talk about it but as long as you are using your bus within three months I would not worry.

But petrol IS a problem, small petrol engines are better drained down if they are not being used for a long time.

:boat::boat::boat:
Click to expand...

Or use this in all your petrol equipment. I use it in my 2 x Honda generators, lawnmower, hedge trimmer, chainsaw etc, etc and can safely leave them for months on end and they always start.
Briggs and Stratton Fuel Fit 100ml product code 992380
 
there was a few years ago alot of merc cars getting it and iveco cargo trucks used to get it .
might have been a fault by a fuel station that importers used or something .
very often can be caused by using veg oil as fuel as this as water content.
esso used to sell a diesel bug killer from our local depot but it seems they have stopped now .
usually meand dropping fuel tank giving it a good clean out and blowing through pipe work changing or cleaning filters . refill with fuel set or similar.
many add a gallon of fuel to fuel tanks but hope you have a biggish tank.
i had it once i always tought it might have been using fuel from abroad in uk . wondered if uk fuel companies added anything to the fuel they sell .
i just add fuel set now and smile .
 
I normally put a dose of bug killer in the tank and then fill it with fresh diesel. I forgot this Winter (trust me to forget when we have had a really cold one for a change) but it should be OK.
 
delicagirl said:
i move it every few weeks and leave it running for quite a while to get the oil circulating etc
Click to expand...

Not a good idea to start and leave running as more wear happens in the first few mins of start up from cold.
Oil esp the type we use these days requires to be stinking hot to clean and remove acids/water carbon etc.
Better to take for a good drive every mth,as for the fuel just keep tank full to stop condensation forming and running to bottom of fuel tank then finding its way to filter,most diesel engines do not draw from bottom but from a pipe going down from top but stopning short by a inch or so as to stop this prob,years back all tanks had a drain bung to help.
 
vwalan said:
there was a few years ago alot of merc cars getting it and iveco cargo trucks used to get it .
might have been a fault by a fuel station that importers used or something .
very often can be caused by using veg oil as fuel as this as water content.
esso used to sell a diesel bug killer from our local depot but it seems they have stopped now .
usually meand dropping fuel tank giving it a good clean out and blowing through pipe work changing or cleaning filters . refill with fuel set or similar.
many add a gallon of fuel to fuel tanks but hope you have a biggish tank.
i had it once i always tought it might have been using fuel from abroad in uk . wondered if uk fuel companies added anything to the fuel they sell .
i just add fuel set now and smile .
Click to expand...

Think you ment add a gallon of petrol to full tank of derv,that waas in the old days to stop fuel waxing in winter,mind it does clean the injectors also,a pint every now and again wont hurt.
 
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Chainsaw Charlie said:
Diesel is highly hygroscopic ,so better to leave with a full tank than empty or half full as helps prevent The condensation forming inside the tank and then being absorbed by the fuel .
Click to expand...

Correct charlie its the cold at top of tank also forms the condensation which runs down to bottom,it can be a curse and if left then the bug starts to grow blocking the filters.
 
jagmanx said:
It seems to be more of a problem with boats.
I guess because of more water/humidity
and maybe infrequent usage especially in winter ?

Has any diesel car or truck engine ever suffered ?

Answers on a postcard ....No seriously anyone had a problem ?
Click to expand...

Hello there,

I had it in 1999 whilst running a FSO Caro with the Citroen XUD9 diesel engine; think I picked up the bug at a small filling station in Wales.
Within a fortnight the engine stopped; examination showed a mass of black slime in the fuel filter, which was cleaned out, the engine reprimed and all was well for another week and then it happened again. After the third stoppage I spoke to a colleague whose family ran a transport business and used some additive to ensure that their trucks did not get the problem. He duly obtained a litre of foul smelling chemical for me which went into the car's fuel tank, the car was run for a few days and then I changed the fuel filter element. No problem ever after.

The microbes apparently thrive at the interface between the hydrocarbon fuel and the water that condenses in the bottom of the tank.
As others have said it occurs during storage, and maintaining a full tank is also a good policy.

Regards,
Martlet.
 
Here you go ebay.
 

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Nasty looking stuff I had it in the boat I bought last year.The reason the engine wouldn't start.Which was good for me as I haggled the price well down because of it.Tank drained then cleaned along with pipes flushed filters changed and away it went.I used the same or similar additive afterwards from ebay.
I also had it in stored filtered waste veggie oil which had been premixed with diesel 50/50 a few years back in 25ltr drums.
I filtered that out and used it straight away on my '94 1.9 td dethleffs.
 
Marine 16 Diesel Bug Treatment

Have used Marine 16 Diesel Bug Treatment after being advised that the bug might be the cause of a problem I had with an XUD9 PSA diesel engine. The chemical is not expensive as a very small amount is used. £8.75 for 100 ml which treats several top ups with diesel. May cost a little more now.
Diesel Bug Treatment
Available from many boat chandlers, I bought mine from a canal side chandler as we are near the middle of England. Has a good reputation and used by well known nautical enterprises.
There is a test kit (£15) which will tell if you have it and how severely.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Marine-16...208356?hash=item238e1e56e4:g:41EAAOxyYSdTA3ph

I actually doubt that Diesel Bug was the problem as the treatment did not fix the problem but it was worth a try, would have been a cheap fix if it had worked.
I subsequently had an expensive overhaul of the diesel system but was never completely happy with it. Now have a newer van!

Hope that helps
 
trevskoda said:
Think you ment add a gallon of petrol to full tank of derv,that waas in the old days to stop fuel waxing in winter,mind it does clean the injectors also,a pint every now and again wont hurt.
Click to expand...

yes thats it a gallon of petrol to a tank full of derv . yes it cleaned and stopped waxing . i,m also told it stopped diesel bug as well.
can say i used petrol for years and never had the bug problem . only had it when staying abroad all winter and coming back with full tanks of spanish diesel. that hung around as i use a m,bike alot in uk. untill end of last year havnt bought diesel in uk for years . only done 3 winters in uk in the last 20 yrs . have used a few litres this last winter by staying in uk. havnt filled my tanks here though .
but that fuel set is in my cab ready for adding to the tank . great stuff.
 
vwalan said:
yes thats it a gallon of petrol to a tank full of derv . yes it cleaned and stopped waxing . i,m also told it stopped diesel bug as well.
can say i used petrol for years and never had the bug problem . only had it when staying abroad all winter and coming back with full tanks of spanish diesel. that hung around as i use a m,bike alot in uk. untill end of last year havnt bought diesel in uk for years . only done 3 winters in uk in the last 20 yrs . have used a few litres this last winter by staying in uk. havnt filled my tanks here though .
but that fuel set is in my cab ready for adding to the tank . great stuff.
Click to expand...

Winter derv has anti wax additives where as summer spanish etc will not have,i have seen red derv in dumpers froze like a lolypop in winters here.
 
Dowel said:
Have used Marine 16 Diesel Bug Treatment after being advised that the bug might be the cause of a problem I had with an XUD9 PSA diesel engine. The chemical is not expensive as a very small amount is used. £8.75 for 100 ml which treats several top ups with diesel. May cost a little more now.
Diesel Bug Treatment
Available from many boat chandlers, I bought mine from a canal side chandler as we are near the middle of England. Has a good reputation and used by well known nautical enterprises.
There is a test kit (£15) which will tell if you have it and how severely.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Marine-16...208356?hash=item238e1e56e4:g:41EAAOxyYSdTA3ph

I actually doubt that Diesel Bug was the problem as the treatment did not fix the problem but it was worth a try, would have been a cheap fix if it had worked.
I subsequently had an expensive overhaul of the diesel system but was never completely happy with it. Now have a newer van!

Hope that helps
Click to expand...
The marine company I work for use this, we recently has a bad case of contaminated fuel which had turned black it was so bad, treated with this left to stand for 3 days and fuel was good again
 
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