Dirty Diesel Fuel Pumps

TaylorU

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Oct 24, 2020
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Why is it that when I fill up with diesel, fuel pumps at the station always seem to caked with diesel fuel on the pump handles and residual diesel around the pump?
 
I've been driving a diesel since 06, and it's always been like that.. maybe us diesel folk are nasty? I don't know, but I carry some Nitrile gloves with me and I just pop one on real quick before filling up so I don't smell like diesel the rest of the day.. :cool:
 
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Why is it that when I fill up with diesel, fuel pumps at the station always seem to caked with diesel fuel on the pump handles and residual diesel around the pump?
I know this is an old post, but it's raining and I can't plant. So thought I'd share my thoughts on this.

Gas pumps would be a whole lot dirtier than diesel pumps, since they are used ALOT more.

Diesel, by nature, does not evaporate like a gasoline/ethanol. It has more lubricity. Which will wick into/onto places it never initially touched and never dry up. Then the wind blows and dust will stick, making a cake like substance on it.

Never seen a quick stop cashier clean the hand nozzles, maybe empty the trash cans when they get overfilled and blow around the parking lot.

In the old school days we would use a field sprayer and spray diesel fuel on the roads, in front of our farmhouses to cut down on the dust. That was when diesel was under 30cents and epa was not a thing.

But even today the chemicals we spray on fields, 60% of the ingredients, are petroleum distilants. To this day, the label of 2,4-d, (which the label is the law by the epa), says you can mix diesel with it at over 50-50% mixture.

You all ever remember the old saying "gasoline is for washing parts, nitro-methane is for racing, and diesel is for getting you to the strip"?
 

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Just thought of this, last week I was getting the little honda engines serviced for the seed tender and the sprayer tender trailer. I drained out last years gas from the tanks. Wiped my hands and continued servicing. 10 minutes later I looked at my hand and it was all white from the gas, cleaning the skin oil off, just like parts cleaning solvent.

Don't remember that 20, 30 or 40 years ago, rebuilding carburetors. Maybe my skin has changed.

On my bulk gasoline storage tanks, I only have unleaded delivered. So there shouldn't be ethanol in the gasoline.
 
Just thought of this, last week I was getting the little honda engines serviced for the seed tender and the sprayer tender trailer. I drained out last years gas from the tanks. Wiped my hands and continued servicing. 10 minutes later I looked at my hand and it was all white from the gas, cleaning the skin oil off, just like parts cleaning solvent.

Don't remember that 20, 30 or 40 years ago, rebuilding carburetors. Maybe my skin has changed.

On my bulk gasoline storage tanks, I only have unleaded delivered. So there shouldn't be ethanol in the gasoline.
Here in NJ they can put up to 14.99% ethanol without advertising it, but you bet your dollar it has 14.99% at least and only 14.99% if your lucky, as its cheaper, than pure gasoline so many times it's a higher %
 
Here in corn country, we have E10, E30 and E85. Along with just regular unleaded.

I believe what you've typed, I just can't believe it would be legal to not have it labeled.
 
Here in corn country, we have E10, E30 and E85. Along with just regular unleaded.

I believe what you've typed, I just can't believe it would be legal to not have it labeled.
It is labeled someplace on the pump in small letters. But if its any percentage over 14.99% it must be labeled gasohol, under 14.99% it's still called gasoline. Believe me, I have found up to 40% in some winter months, and know right away by the lower fuel mileage. Can give some cars some drivability headaches and wreck older cars injectors and fuel pump, but I can't say I have seen any of that, but have experienced drivability complaints and lower fuel mileage complaints, No need ever to add dry gas here in NJ as all cars get a dose every fill up like it or not.
There are a few stations that sell and advertise ethanol-free gas but is approx 70 cents more a gallon at least/ est. many landscape companies will only use ethanol-free especially if they have some older equipment, and don't want the hassle of water in fuel after extended sitting here in NJ without running.
 
Just thought of this, last week I was getting the little honda engines serviced for the seed tender and the sprayer tender trailer. I drained out last years gas from the tanks. Wiped my hands and continued servicing. 10 minutes later I looked at my hand and it was all white from the gas, cleaning the skin oil off, just like parts cleaning solvent.

Don't remember that 20, 30 or 40 years ago, rebuilding carburetors. Maybe my skin has changed.

On my bulk gasoline storage tanks, I only have unleaded delivered. So there shouldn't be ethanol in the gasoline.
Ethenol is alcohol and alcohol will remove the oils from your skin and dry it out to boot.
 
Yea alcohol in the fuel but been in the auto industry for 40 years and even when I use to clean many parts with gas my skin turned white. but I would recommend not doing it nowadays as fuels are not the fuels of 40 years ago, many hazardous chemicals in gas. use soapy water to clean auto parts and or steam clean
 
Yea alcohol in the fuel but been in the auto industry for 40 years and even when I use to clean many parts with gas my skin turned white. but I would recommend not doing it nowadays as fuels are not the fuels of 40 years ago, many hazardous chemicals in gas. use soapy water to clean auto parts and or steam clean
I agree, gasoline is never a good thing to use to clean anything at all. I do remember using it as solvent when I was a kid many years ago. I have been in aviation maintenance now for almost 30 years. When I first started out, we would use methyl Ethyl Ketone as a cleaner/solvent/hand cleaner, that stuff absorbed through the skin will do the same damage to your liver that cocaine does, but about tan times faster.
 
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