# Why does this diesel have orange separation?



## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

I wonder if Kerosene got mixed in somehow? I'm not sure if it'd turn orange or brown, as US kerosene should be red.


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## 15cruzediesel (Sep 30, 2019)

TurboDieselCruze2014 said:


> View attachment 286129
> Recently I got some bad diesel fuel from a station and here is the 5 gallon sample the dealer collected for me as I plan on sending it to a lab for compensation reasons. But I would like to know your guys thoughts on what that stuff is and why it would make my 14 Cruze Diesel not want to idle without bogging out. All is fixed now but I can’t help but think about the unnecessary abuse my DPF went through filtering that stuff off when it bellowed smoke that burned eyes and throat for a half hour till it was all gone and the new diesel made its way into the system.


I suspect your ULSD has been contaminated with water and bacteria or microbes are growing quicker then the corona virus and making it smell bad and perform worse.


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## TurboDieselCruze2014 (Jan 23, 2020)

15cruzediesel said:


> I suspect your ULSD has been contaminated with water and bacteria or microbes are growing quicker then the corona virus and making it smell bad and perform worse.


Thanks for the reply I submitted all my paperwork and have noticed they shut those pumps down as of now. Not sure but hopefully soon they’ll tell me some good news and reimburse my costs. I even shot for unnecessary abuse for my DPF filter trying to burn off that garbage and requested my filter be professionally cleaned.


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## Eddy Cruze (Jan 10, 2014)

15cruzediesel said:


> I suspect your ULSD has been contaminated with water and bacteria or microbes are growing quicker then the corona virus and making it smell bad and perform worse.


The Corona Virus in Fuel? We need to get to the Oranges of this!


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## DmaxMaverick (Jun 29, 2014)

MP81 said:


> I wonder if Kerosene got mixed in somehow? I'm not sure if it'd turn orange or brown, as US kerosene should be red.


Not kerosene. If it were, you'd never know it. Any Diesel engine will run fine on straight kerosene. It has slightly lower BTU than #2, but will run any Diesel engine.

Sounds like gasoline contamination. Very common, and in most cases, it goes unnoticed. In all likelihood, you filled a near empty vehicle fuel tank from a nearly empty storage tank, that was filled with gas.

If it were water or a biological contamination, it would show in the sample, without any doubt. Water will separate very quickly, and algae will be very dark and cloudy.

A very simple test is to light it. Place a small amount in a container (like a bottle cap) and hold a flame next to it. If it lights off quickly, it's gas. (Normal safety precautions highly recommended)

On the downside, enough gas run through can damage the DPF significantly. It won't typically harm an engine or a modern fuel injection system (they're a designed to handle very low lubricity, as in ULSD).

On the upside, all of this will be covered by your comprehensive insurance, if you have it, if another responsible party doesn't step up. Let them deal with it, and subrogate their losses. It doesn't ding your insurance rates negatively, at all.


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## 15cruzediesel (Sep 30, 2019)

TurboDieselCruze2014 said:


> Thanks for the reply I submitted all my paperwork and have noticed they shut those pumps down as of now. Not sure but hopefully soon they’ll tell me some good news and reimburse my costs. I even shot for unnecessary abuse for my DPF filter trying to burn off that garbage and requested my filter be professionally cleaned.


Did this ever get figured out?


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