Diesel fuel is often used by truckers, construction workers and farmers for power generation, heating and cooking. So, you’d expect it to be pretty clean.
Unfortunately, that’s not the case. Bad diesel fuel is the term given to contaminated fuel with water and other impurities.
When this happens, it can lead to a variety of diesel fuel contamination symptoms. This is why it’s important to check your diesel fuel regularly and know to recognise when it’s contaminated as contaminated diesel fuel symptoms can be tricky to spot.
8 Common Signs that Your Diesel Fuel is Contaminated
How do you know your diesel fuel is contaminated? Well, fuel contamination is a common thing, and you may have encountered it once in your life. Here are some common signs that help you spot contaminated diesel fuel symptoms.
1. Unsteady Idling and Speed Fluctuations
Are you experiencing more fluctuations while your car is idle? Well, this mostly happens after starting the engine or standing at the traffic lights on the road. It may also happen when your foot is not on the accelerator. If this issue is recurrent, your fuel could be contaminated.
2. Engine Vibrating and Stuttering
Your car’s engine could also give away vibrations and stuttering depending on the contamination level. This is because the contaminated fuel disrupts the fuel injection and air intake systems. As such, the engine begins to stutter and hugely vibrate in extremities.
3. Reduced Vehicle Performance
Generally, if you are using adulterated fuel, your car will have reduced performance. It depends on the degree of contamination as you could experience huge losses. It means that the combustion is incomplete, and this becomes more noticeable when the car accelerates.
4. Cloudy Diesel Fuel
Some impurities like water and dirt can result in your diesel fuel becoming hazy and cloudy. If you ever notice that your diesel fuel has turned into a milky white colour, then it’s definitely contaminated. Another sign that this is the case is if you notice particles floating around in the diesel fuel.
5. Low Fuel Flow
You may begin to notice that your engine is taking longer to start. This is because contaminated diesel fuel results in lower power output. You might also find that your vehicle doesn’t have as much power when accelerating, especially on uphill climbs. Furthermore, you’ll probably notice clunkiness to the engine too.
6. Diesel Fuel Discolouration
Contaminated diesel fuel can turn your fuel black, brown or even green. One sign of this is if you notice an oily substance floating on top of your diesel tank. Another sign is if you find the smell of exhaust fumes has changed drastically.
7. Foul Smell
Diesel fuel doesn’t normally smell. However, when it does start to smell bad, there’s a high chance that it has traces of water in it. You might also notice the scent is pungent and foul. The odour of exhaust fumes will be more noticeable too.
8. High Fuel Consumption
You’ll notice that your vehicle is using up more diesel fuel than usual. This is because the contaminants in the diesel reduce the efficiency of your engine’s performance, resulting in it having to use more diesel to produce less power.
How to Prevent Diesel Fuel Contamination
Now that you have known the signs of diesel fuel contamination, you must protect your fuel tank and your beloved vehicle. Fuel contamination comes in different forms; it could be soil, contaminated fuel, or fuel mix. These are simple steps to help you prevent diesel contamination.
Monitor Diesel Quality
It’s important to monitor the quality of diesel fuel that you’re using in your engine. This is because it could be producing contaminants, which will lead to these dirty diesel symptoms. If so, you may need to use a high-quality additive like PRI-G® Bio-Diesel Additive.
This additive is certified to reduce contaminants in your diesel fuel by up to 90%. It also helps get rid of the dirty diesel symptoms caused by water and other harmful impurities. So, it’s worth checking out!
Refuel Regularly
It sounds like common sense, but it’s important to refuel your vehicle regularly. This reduces the amount of time that diesel remains in the tank and any potential contaminants.
Drain Your Tank Regularly
You should drain out your fuel tank every now and then. Just like refuelling your car regularly, it helps to reduce the time your diesel fuel is left in the tank. This reduces the chances of getting a contaminant-induced dirty fuel syndrome, so it’s definitely worth doing.
Contaminated Diesel Fuel Symptoms Final Thoughts
So, there you have it – everything you need to know about dirty diesel symptoms and what to do if your diesel fuel has turned bad. You must follow these steps in order to avoid causing more damage to your engine. Otherwise, you could face a drop in performance and higher repair costs later down the line. Remember that the effects of diesel fuel contamination can be detrimental in the long run; protect your vehicles.