Diesel Sat for 4 Years - What to do?
Discussion
Recently purchased a VW t25 camper that has been sat for four years.
Been doing some work on it, which obviously included changing the oil and filters before it went anywhere.
The diesel in the tank has been there for at least four years, maybe 5...so my question is, can diesel go off?
Been doing a bit of googling and came up with all sorts of conflicting information, even some info on something called "diesel bug" which seems to occur when there is condensation in the tank.
The engine runs fine however it takes ages to fire up, I'm also putting this down to the old fuel as all the glowplugs are new and iv re wired the connection
So does diesel go off? It seems as though it does, but how much should I worry?
MOT is on Monday so I was planning to brim the tank with some fresh diesel and maybe chuck some injector type cleaner in...once its MOT'd, keep it brimmed on fresh diesel and then after a few hundred miles change the fuel filter again.
Or should I be concerned enough to drop the tank and inspect inside of it and try and get it cleaned/treated somehow?
Any advice and experiences greatly welcomed.
Been doing some work on it, which obviously included changing the oil and filters before it went anywhere.
The diesel in the tank has been there for at least four years, maybe 5...so my question is, can diesel go off?
Been doing a bit of googling and came up with all sorts of conflicting information, even some info on something called "diesel bug" which seems to occur when there is condensation in the tank.
The engine runs fine however it takes ages to fire up, I'm also putting this down to the old fuel as all the glowplugs are new and iv re wired the connection
So does diesel go off? It seems as though it does, but how much should I worry?
MOT is on Monday so I was planning to brim the tank with some fresh diesel and maybe chuck some injector type cleaner in...once its MOT'd, keep it brimmed on fresh diesel and then after a few hundred miles change the fuel filter again.
Or should I be concerned enough to drop the tank and inspect inside of it and try and get it cleaned/treated somehow?
Any advice and experiences greatly welcomed.
TheEnd said:
Engine runs, all is good.
Just get some more diesel through it and it should be fine.
Agreed. I doubt you could go wrong to use the same advice as for when people have mistakenly put £5 of the wrong fuel into their car: dilute it with the correct stuff and keep topping off.Just get some more diesel through it and it should be fine.
Plus, if it's in good shape, actually driving it a bit! Give it a good chance to warm up and liberate/burn away any gunk.
GTIAlex said:
...planning to brim the tank with some fresh diesel and maybe chuck some injector type cleaner in...once its MOT'd, keep it brimmed on fresh diesel and then after a few hundred miles change the fuel filter again.
Never had one sit for that long but I would suggest this approach is a good start and see what else happens.Forte Diesel Treatment has always kept mine smooth - I've heard good reports about BG244 too.
I used to use the predecessor to this stuff (Diesel Power Plus) in old XUD engines before MoT - http://www.halfords.com/motoring/engine-oils-fluid... - definitely adds a bit of poke & always got them through the smoke tests.
As others have said, lots of fresh fuel, maybe treat it to some V-Power diesel or BP Ultimate & give it a decent run.
As others have said, lots of fresh fuel, maybe treat it to some V-Power diesel or BP Ultimate & give it a decent run.
Give it a good visual check over and make sure fluid / air pressures are good.
Then take it for a really long drive. Use the fuel in. Cruise to get it hot, make it do some work by extending it through the gears, hold it in 3rd at high revs for a mile or two, do some increasingly hard stops as well.
Then put in a fresh tank of fuel and drive home knowing if anything needs attentions (ie stuttering, brake judder etc).
I will never nanny a car that has stood for a while. My Caterham often stands for too long. I'd rather put an increasing work-load through it and force a weakness to reveal itself, than for it to cause me an issue when I'm far from home.
Then take it for a really long drive. Use the fuel in. Cruise to get it hot, make it do some work by extending it through the gears, hold it in 3rd at high revs for a mile or two, do some increasingly hard stops as well.
Then put in a fresh tank of fuel and drive home knowing if anything needs attentions (ie stuttering, brake judder etc).
I will never nanny a car that has stood for a while. My Caterham often stands for too long. I'd rather put an increasing work-load through it and force a weakness to reveal itself, than for it to cause me an issue when I'm far from home.
Matt UK said:
Give it a good visual check over and make sure fluid / air pressures are good.
Then take it for a really long drive. Use the fuel in. Cruise to get it hot, make it do some work by extending it through the gears, hold it in 3rd at high revs for a mile or two, do some increasingly hard stops as well.
Then put in a fresh tank of fuel and drive home knowing if anything needs attentions (ie stuttering, brake judder etc).
I will never nanny a car that has stood for a while. My Caterham often stands for too long. I'd rather put an increasing work-load through it and force a weakness to reveal itself, than for it to cause me an issue when I'm far from home.
this is probably why i have car issues as i 'nanny' all cars so instead of breaking it it gradually fails and i dont notice untill its too late Then take it for a really long drive. Use the fuel in. Cruise to get it hot, make it do some work by extending it through the gears, hold it in 3rd at high revs for a mile or two, do some increasingly hard stops as well.
Then put in a fresh tank of fuel and drive home knowing if anything needs attentions (ie stuttering, brake judder etc).
I will never nanny a car that has stood for a while. My Caterham often stands for too long. I'd rather put an increasing work-load through it and force a weakness to reveal itself, than for it to cause me an issue when I'm far from home.
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