Water in diesel ??

[Paul1977]

Hi, would water in the diesel tank contribute to a engine running smokey ? Just I've had a very smoky engine lately and drained of the diesel into a jar and its very dark (red) and cloudy. I added a good drop of marine 16 a few wks ago so I don't think is the dreaded bug.

Cheers

Paul

[churchward]

Hi, would water in the diesel tank contribute to a engine running smokey ? Just I've had a very smoky engine lately and drained of the diesel into a jar and its very dark (red) and cloudy. I added a good drop of marine 16 a few wks ago so I don't think is the dreaded bug.

Cheers

Paul

It sounds more like bug than water. If there was water in the jar it would drop to the bottom quite quickly and form a separate noticeable layer of a creamy colour. It could be just dirty fuel. I am not saying you don't have water in the tank though you need to get a sample from the bottom of the tank. The bug grows at the boundary layer between water and fuel.

 

Dirty or contaminated fuel will burn less efficiently so could be making your exhaust smokey. What colour is the smoke?

[Paul1977]

Hi, the smoke is white. There's no blobs in the fuel I drained off just very dark and cloudy.

[Grace and Favour]

What concerns me is that all the diesel I've looked at is clear - - - -- and not cloudy!!!!

 

If water hasn't separated out from the fuel in your glass jar - I would suggest you've something nasty in the fuel

[Boat&Bikes]

Hi, the smoke is white. There's no blobs in the fuel I drained off just very dark and cloudy.

 

 

Head gasket? How does the water in your rad look?

[luctor et emergo]

So, before the keyboard experts way in... , what engine is it? Water or air cooled?

[Paul1977]

Yes, the cloudiness is a bit worrying. I'm draining the tank tomorrow flushing with new garage diesel. As for the head gasket, the water in the heat exchanger is clean and upto the filler mark

 

It's a bmc 2.2 with a bowman heat exchanger setup

[Boat&Bikes]

So, before the keyboard experts way in... , what engine is it? Water or air cooled?

 

 

Whats a keyboard expert?

[Grace and Favour]

Whats a keyboard expert?

 

I think it's someone that has a keyboard, but doesn't have a boat-based pump-out business. . . .

 

 

 

[Dalslandia]

Un burned diesel from the engine will smoke white, I am not sure why it can happend, but I have seen it. but changes in pump or injectors? maybe from dirt in the fuel, a paper filter will stop the fuel from passing if it become wet from water, but can still be looking clean.

diesel can contain invisible water.

I know you can test that in gasoline by adding etanol, and shake it, let it stand for some time and you can see if you see it at the bottom. never tested with diesel.

you can also by adding water, wash out the etanal, the total amount will increase, ad 10% and mark the leavel on the jar, (olive glass jar?)

and as suggested cooling water in the exhaust.

to much burned diesel, well thats smooky black, as we know.

is it a single coling system keel tank cooling, or a excange sustem with "sea" water in and out?

Edited March 7, 2013 by Dalslandia

[Tony Brooks]

Hi, the smoke is white. There's no blobs in the fuel I drained off just very dark and cloudy.

 

If it starts from cold easily and seems to run well enough then at the risk of being called a keyboard expert I would check the valve clearances and then pull the injectors for overhaul - especially if they have been in there for years. I do not like the sound of the fuel but if the filter or strainer in the lift pump was being blocked you may well find a loss of high speed/power.

 

Typically white smoke (as opposed to steam) is unburned fuel and that may mean poorly atomised.

[RobinJ]

Hi, would water in the diesel tank contribute to a engine running smokey ? Just I've had a very smoky engine lately and drained of the diesel into a jar and its very dark (red) and cloudy. I added a good drop of marine 16 a few wks ago so I don't think is the dreaded bug.

Marine 16 treats the diesel bug, but also affects the water!

The red colour is a good sign, the cloudy indicates there is quite a large amount of emulsified water in the fuel. This will burn with a lot of whitish smoke and will probably produce sluggish performance and slightly lower power. Also leaving it in the engine for a long time could damage the fuel pump!

 

You could do to find a way of flushing your fuel system out (how much is in there?). A small amount you may be able to mix with some good clean fuel, a large amount you may have to remove or treat further?

[richardf]

I had something similar just last week when I pumped out from the bottom of my tank - dark red with a few slimy black deposits. I will be adding Marine 16 bug killer tomorrow. I have also bought some water paste (http://www.petrochemsuppliesgs.com/paste.html)which goes bright red in the presence of water - you simply smear it on a wooden dowel and place it vertically in the tank.

It's something I heard of on here, I haven't tried it, but it looks good.

[Guest]

Marine 16 treats the diesel bug, but also affects the water!

The red colour is a good sign, the cloudy indicates there is quite a large amount of emulsified water in the fuel. This will burn with a lot of whitish smoke and will probably produce sluggish performance and slightly lower power. Also leaving it in the engine for a long time could damage the fuel pump!

 

You could do to find a way of flushing your fuel system out (how much is in there?). A small amount you may be able to mix with some good clean fuel, a large amount you may have to remove or treat further?

Your first paragraph describes my engine exactly when we got water contamination (stupid brass filler leaking-never again). It eventually stopped as it lost the will to live. I bunged much Fortron in the tank overnight, which knocked the water out of the diesel. This was cleared from the bottom of the tank with a metal extension pipe (brake pipe) on the oil extractor pump. Further Fortron treatment cleared the diesel of water and I always pump a few lires from bottom of tank at least in spring and sometimes Autumn. I use Marine 16 "complete" at every re-fuel, and renew the filler gasket every year. It took a little time to remove all the water, but diesel is under control now. In my experience, with a slow turnover of diesel, you can't just "fill and forget."

Yours,

An expert at nothing, including keyboards.

Edited March 8, 2013 by Guest

[Paul1977]

Cheers all for all your help. As robinj had said I too had read that the marine 16 would bind with the water giving it a cloudy apperance (so it looks like its doing its job).

When I finish work im going down to the boat and empty the tank and flush through with some garage deisel.

I spoke to a mechanic friend who also advised to stick a good shot of injector cleaner (he remmoneded millers diesel power ecomax) in the deisel, this helping to clear the crud out fo the pumps and injectors. He also added that it might be worth filling the fuel filter with the injector cleaner and giving the engine a blast to kickstart the injectors clean, has anybody done this and can it be bad for the engine ?

 

Cheers

Paul

[richardf]

Cheers all for all your help. As robinj had said I too had read that the marine 16 would bind with the water giving it a cloudy apperance (so it looks like its doing its job).

When I finish work im going down to the boat and empty the tank and flush through with some garage deisel.

I spoke to a mechanic friend who also advised to stick a good shot of injector cleaner (he remmoneded millers diesel power ecomax) in the deisel, this helping to clear the crud out fo the pumps and injectors. He also added that it might be worth filling the fuel filter with the injector cleaner and giving the engine a blast to kickstart the injectors clean, has anybody done this and can it be bad for the engine ?

 

Cheers

Paul

 

My understanding is that Marine 16 does not bind with the water, it simply separates it out of the fuel and the water drops to the bottom of the tank - is this not the case?

[RobinJ]

My understanding is that Marine 16 does not bind with the water, it simply separates it out of the fuel and the water drops to the bottom of the tank - is this not the case?

Marine 16 is a manufacturers badge and it seems a number of different products bear the same name.

It is my understanding that the basic bug treatment contains alcohol which would bind water, but they do say that their 'complete' treatment precipitates the water?

[Guest]

Marine 16 is a manufacturers badge and it seems a number of different products bear the same name.

It is my understanding that the basic bug treatment contains alcohol which would bind water, but they do say that their 'complete' treatment precipitates the water?

I believe you are correct re. the M16 precipitating water.

[Paul1977]

Hi again, well I've just drained the tank (60 litres !!!). It wasn't in a good state, very dirty looking with bit floating about but still it's out. Also drained the glass bottom cab filter, that too wasn't looking great. Anyway the plan now is to fill up with clean / good diesel , dose it up with marine 16 and see how the engine runs. Hopefully it will reduce the smoking of the exhaust.

I've learnt that when you buy a boat and the boat yard says that it's not been touched for six months is to get the tank dipped asap.

Cheers again and ille keep you informed with the outcome, also has anybody did the fill the filter with injector cleaner trick ?

Paul

[bizzard]

Hi again, well I've just drained the tank (60 litres !!!). It wasn't in a good state, very dirty looking with bit floating about but still it's out. Also drained the glass bottom cab filter, that too wasn't looking great. Anyway the plan now is to fill up with clean / good diesel , dose it up with marine 16 and see how the engine runs. Hopefully it will reduce the smoking of the exhaust.

I've learnt that when you buy a boat and the boat yard says that it's not been touched for six months is to get the tank dipped asap.

Cheers again and ille keep you informed with the outcome, also has anybody did the fill the filter with injector cleaner trick ?

Paul

Many times, with road vehicles too. I'd fill the filter with a 50/50 fuel-cleaner mix, the engine may not start and run on neat cleaner. Millers cleaner is good.

[Paul1977]

Cheers bizzard, ille give it a go tomorrow. I've been advised to use the millers extreme diesel treatment by a good mechanic, he says the taxi boys swear by it before there mots.

[Paul1977]

Hi all just an update. Drained the remnants from the tank, filled with 20liters of fresh diesel and a good dose of injector cleaner. Fired her up and gave it an Italian tuneup, 30 seconds later a perfectly clean exhaust. I'm proper made up. Cheers everyone for there help.

Paul

[Paul1977]

Hi all just an update. Drained the remnants from the tank, filled with 20liters of fresh diesel and a good dose of injector cleaner. Fired her up and gave it an Italian tuneup, 30 seconds later a perfectly clean exhaust. I'm proper made up. Cheers everyone for there help.

Paul