red diesel

[kblaise]

has anyone ran red diesel in there duramax. I was told by GM that the red does not have the same lubricants as the #2 and will void the MFR warranty. anyone have any personal experience?
thanks
ken

[More Power]

Odds are if you drive your truck to the dealership with off-road fuel in the tank, the dealership will void your warranty. On the other hand, if you trailer your truck in, and can prove it is strictly an off-road vehicle, your warranty should be fine.

MP

[kblaise]

I have yet to run this fuel. I was simply looking for a way to save a buck, but don't want to risk any engine damage.

[More Power]

I can certainly understand.... I drove into town this afternoon, and saw diesel was up to $2.38. This is getting to be ridiculous..... :eek:

Here in Montana as in other states, I've heard the fine for running red diesel is somewhere in the $500 range, and MT tests for red diesel occasionally on the highway.

MP

[joe hatfield]

I wouldn't worry about the warranty issues near As much as getting caught by the local constable. In some states the fine for running high sulpher off road diesel can be as high as $1000.00 per gallon (they use your tank size to determine the fine regardles of what the gauge reads!) and the federal IRS as well as your state IRS can go back and tax you. It is up to you to prove that you haven

[kblaise]

WOW,
thanks for the fine info. I thnk I will check the fines for CA before going any further. would anyone know the fines for CA?

thanks again

[Kennedy]

It's a Federal thing I believe. Word is, they often come home with you and check other vehicles on the premesis, or at least that's whatthey say around here.

Point is, the tax has not been applied, and it is not legal for on road use. Sulphur content mas vary, but frequently, it is same just dyed....

[woodwhttler]

I was told by a GM truck service mgr. that the Duramax didn't know the diff. The 6.2 and 6.5 use an optical sensor and it could cause problems with them. I don't know and live near weight sta. and it isn't worth the chance of getting caught. I run it in tractors dozer and trackhoe.

[fishman]

Use of Red Diesel Fuel in 6.5L or 6.6L Diesel Engines - kw hard INJ INT LB7 LLY L49 L56 L57 L65 miss P3 pump stall start #PIP3207 - (Oct 28, 2004)
The Use of Red Diesel Fuel in 6.5L or 6.6L Diesel Engines.
.

The following diagnosis might be helpful if the vehicle exhibits the symptom described in the PI.

Condition/Concern:
Dealer notices red diesel fuel being used in vehicles equipped with a GM 6.5L or 6.6L diesel engine.

Recommendation/Instructions:
Red diesel fuel will not cause any problems when used in the fuel system of vehicles equipped with the GM 6.5L or 6.6L Diesel engine. Red fuel will not induce trouble codes. Accordingly, warranty decisions should not be based on the discovery of red fuel in the fuel system or the injection pump of a GM 6.5L or 6.6L diesel engine.

Federal regulations require certain diesel fuels be colored with dye for tax purposes. Diesel fuel injection pumps have been tested with various dyed fuels and have been found to operate satisfactorily with such fuels. Water or other fuel contamination is not covered under the Stanadyne and Bosch warranty regardless of whether the fuel is dyed or not. All GM vehicle owners manuals state to use a #2 diesel fuel. A change is being made to the service policies and procedures manual, section 4.6.6 to reflect this information. With regards to legality if a customer requests to know what fuel is legal for them to use, refer them to their local government agency for handling. Please refer all inquiries to this document.

This is from a gm bulletin

[carco]

We repair one companies trucks and the off road and on road fuel is the same fuel except the driver adds dye to the offroad fuel and does not charge tax. They deliver to farms, excavation companies, trucking co's, homes etc. Do not get caught useing dyed fuel on highway, $1000, plus IRS is irritated. Do not get in an accident and spill red fuel, fire depts and police around here know the difference and report. bob...........

[joe hatfield]

Sulfur content mas vary, but frequently, it is same just dyed....

That may be the case now days, however not too many years back the EPA had different regs for off-road/on-road fuel use, allowing heavy equipment to use the higher sulfur content fuel and that was the reason for the dyed fuel (along with the fact it eliminated the road use tax). In Oregon at the pac pride stations that I use for my heavy equipment it is still listed on the pump as high sulfur diesel fuel. I don't know about other states. I think that Cat convinced them that the new low sulfur diesel didn

[MIKE WIENER]

JUST MY TWO CENTS.

I would not even think of getting any red near your tank. As you know you are in a veary large farming comunity. This is some thing that is watched very closely. It is not uncomine to get stopped for a tank check. As stated buy others it could prove to be a verry costly ordeal.

MIKE

[2dogs]

It is legal to run red dye fuel - in certain cases - and don't let anybody tell you otherwise! For example let's assume you have a pickup that is on a ranch, farm, construction site, logging operation - etc., you can run red dye fuel as you are not on the road! Now what are you suppose to do if you go to town - empty the tank? All you have to do is put in say 5 gallons of regular taxed fuel and say that's the fuel you were running on! This has been fought successfully but you had better have a real story not a made up one....... The idea that red dye stayed in for a long time and is therefore proof of a longtime tax evasion scheme is largly not an urban legend....but in this case a rural legend.

[Andy Chesek]

A. Can you be pulled over just to have your fuel checked? Randomly?

B. Can your fuel be checked while your truck is parked somewhere, like in front of a store, without prior consent from yourself?


If I saw anyone poking around my fuel cap, I don't care who it is, they better get ready to feel a size 15 foot... I hear about pranksters dumping sugar and who knows whatever else into gas tanks, seems to happen a bit around this way. Just can't see how someone would have the right to tamper with your property, period.

[chipper]

93_BURRITO,
A. YES in Arizona

[More Power]

Here in MT, they do perform random fuel checks. I've never been checked, and I've not spoken to anyone who has, but I've seen the checks being performed on the TV news.

Red diesel & warranties...... You are required to run #2 diesel to satisfy your warranty. If the fuel is red, and you drive your truck to the dealership for warranty service, they can make one of two guesses.... 1- You have some sort of non authorized fuel treatment. 2- You're violating the law by using non-taxed fuel on the highway.

So, you have two choices. 1- Prove it is red dyed #2 - in which case you're admitting being in violation of the law, or. 2- Argue the point of using a non authorized fuel treatment. You're screwed either way.

Lastly, not many people like paying the asinine road tax, but.... highways cost money.

MP

[summit889]

in canada it is legal to run dyed fuel in farm registered vehicles on hiways. we have 2 duramax's that have run nothing but dyed for 3 year with no problems. no chance of it being a warranty issue. all it is is dye in normal deisel.

[crafty]

My understanding of the "fuel laws" in Canada or at least Ontario is that ANY vehicle that is run on the road, farm plated or otherwise cannot legally run dyed fuel. A truck that might be used to haul manure or silage and is not road plated but has a slow moving vehicle plate can use the dyed fuel. It's all about collecting the road tax on the fuel. :D :D :D

[royalglen]

Farm fuel (dyed red)in Province of Alberta, Canada is legal to use on roads even to and from work(off farm employment) but the difference in price is not an item so not too many would take any risks of using it without being legal.Dealer always likes to make a note of dyed(red)fuel but if it was an issue there sales would disappear. Most Farmers that use large volumes of fuel want one product for all vehicles.

[Hoghunter]

Most of my family live in Idaho and operate farms and ranches. However, it's illegal for them to run red diesel on the road. My brother has an extra 70 gal tank that he put in the back of his pickup. He regularly fills both his tanks with red diesel. About 3 months ago he was pulled over the State Patrol when he was driving down one of the state highways. They checked his diesel and then ticketd him from running red. The fine cost him $7,000. He was told they can fine up to $10,000.

[J T]

I was told the red-diesel is the exact same as on-road, only plus the dye. Just make sure you have a fuel additive on-board your truck that turns your fuel the same color.

I wouldnt recommed it for cutting business costs though. A trucking company here in Washington just went Bankrupt because one of there trucks was caught using the untaxed red-diesel. Which then prompted the SP to have all the trucks checked, which revealed all were running the red diesel. Total fine was something like $400,000. Maybe more?