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Jet A in the family truckster

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Old 5th Aug 2008, 10:36
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Jet A in the family truckster

Just wondering if anyone has tried running their turbo diesel car/4wd on jet A? Any side effects?

SH
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Old 5th Aug 2008, 11:09
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If you get it to 65 knots and pull back on the steering wheel, it will take off.
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Old 5th Aug 2008, 11:14
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We run our diesel tow tractor on Jet A fuel drains, no side affects on it.
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Old 5th Aug 2008, 11:52
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How does this effect performance?
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Old 5th Aug 2008, 11:55
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If you get it to 65 knots and pull back on the steering wheel, it will take off.
What jet rotates at 65 knots

On a serious note, I've seen a fair few run off AVGAS. Really convenient, once you have done a fuel drain, just throw it straight back in the truck
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Old 5th Aug 2008, 12:11
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Jet A1 dosent have the lubrication that diesal has, 1 litre of two stroke oil to the 100 litres has been suggested many of times. But have seen a turbo diesal landcruiser self implode, but not 100 percent sure it was the fuel
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Old 5th Aug 2008, 12:21
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Originally Posted by mr.tos
What jet rotates at 65 knots
Turboprops?
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Old 5th Aug 2008, 12:28
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Don't do it, you'll blow up your truck for sure, send whatever Jet-A you have around to ol' Fred.
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Old 5th Aug 2008, 13:14
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I've seen it work.
Many years ago when I was flying a little Citation around Aus, we dropped off a load of newspapers in Emerald and the refueler was pumping about 900 litres in the wings.
About halfway through one wing, the truck started to cough and splutter - the refueler noted how much he'd pumped in the jet then quickly pumped about 50 litres of kero into his truck - then finished off the Citation.
He'd done that a heap of times with the old truck. I guess it lasted because they didn't do it all the time and also because the truck only moved a short distance around the airport and so the engine had little load on it.
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Old 5th Aug 2008, 14:45
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Like most things, OK in moderation. My first boss used to run it 100% in his 70 series ute, not a problem. I've gone 50/50 a few times in my 4cyl diesel, just a few notches up on the temp guage, no extra performance, just a little bit cheaper. What a joke, cheaper than servo fuel, but that's a different argument.
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Old 5th Aug 2008, 15:02
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My wife's uncle runs his tractors on anything he can get cheap, from cream(yes, cream of the milk derivative variety) to Jet A1.


sc
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Old 5th Aug 2008, 17:45
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I worked for a time at Baltimore Washington International as a fueler.
At that time the fuel trucks and ALL diesel ground equipment was running on JetA, not sump drainings but fresh JetA. It solved the issue of having to bring in and store diesel fuel as well as avgas, JetA and Mogas.
About once a month or so an additive would be added to a tankful to make up for properties missing from JetA

Eventually the EPA put a stop to it, not sure of the technical reason.

On a side note, at that time we had a monopoly on fuel at that airport but later USAirways decided to bring in a competitor for their needs.

All was fine until they went to fuel a J31 one day only to realize that they didn't have a truck with an overwing nozzle on it.

No problem, they filled the J31 with their ground equipment fuel truck!!!

Correct fuel but certainly not the right quality control!
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Old 5th Aug 2008, 20:20
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This is one thing I can be authoritative on. When I worked for a certain oil company, occasionally we would run out of diesel at the terminal.

When we did, we blended lube oil base stock (ie without additives) with JetA and sold that to the service stations instead. The lube oil base is necessary to provide lubrication in the injector pump and injectors. My guess would be around 5% - 10% lube would do it but I'm not sure. Best bet would be adding lube till the color matches diesel.

As for the Toyota turbo diesel, apart from the disintegrating turbo wheel, watch for the loss of power and big cloud of white smoke. That means the turbo oil seal has gone and the engine will happily continue to run, drinking its own lube oil until it dries out and seizes - it won't switch off with the key, you need to put it in fifth, stand on the brakes and drop the clutch to stall it to stop it.

If you don't $13,000 for a new engine. If you do, about $2,500 for a turbo rebuild....been there, done that.
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Old 5th Aug 2008, 22:34
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Considering all Diesel aircraft such as the Cessna conversions and Diamonds etc run purely on JetA1 in Australia because our Diesel isn't a high enought quality says something doesn't it?

JetA1 is far better than any Diesel that you'll put in at Woolies.
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Old 5th Aug 2008, 23:48
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Yeah I could agree with better quality, but the tolerences in toyota injetcor pumps, 1HZ and on can not handle the lack of lubrication. There is also a significant power loss. Have seen other toyota engines run on pure jeta1 with 2 stroke for years and and nil side effects.

The turbo charged engine that died, and was previously run on JetA1 was found with holes in 5 of the 6 pistons. The turbo masked the problem for the owner for a while but eventuly became evident, and that was $12000 and three weeks.
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Old 6th Aug 2008, 08:34
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The only side effect i have experienced running JetA1 in a turbo diesel was the #1 conrod departing the side of the block just below the alternator.
It left a rather large "side effect"
It used to make the turbo whistle like a Garrett spooling up though.

Don't do it!
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Old 6th Aug 2008, 08:40
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little OT but does avgas effect subaru engines at all? or is it alright to use it 50/50
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Old 6th Aug 2008, 09:56
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I have been told that a touch of used/new automatic transmition fluid mixed in with Jet-A1 is the go.

There were comments about a Turbo Diesel Landcruiser Blowing up, i suspect this was more to do with the dodgey big end bearings in the early 1HDT engines that needed replacing after about 60,000Kms.
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Old 6th Aug 2008, 10:19
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My Mates dad (used to be an Oil Co. worker) has run jet A1 in his oil heaters thru to his old datsun diesel ute. All he ever said he did was add a little oil to the A1 for the ute & he did it for years. The old oil heater run whistle clean for many years including those portable kero jobs that where popular years ago.

FG
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Old 6th Aug 2008, 10:32
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startingout

I can give you all the information you need as long as you give me all the information that i need. Is your Subaru carby or EFI? Is it for street or strip?
Keep in mind that it is against the law to operate a vehicle on a public road that runs on Avgas due to EPA regulations or you are risking a fine of $1000 per cylinder plus other defects that your vehicle is liable at the time.
Avgas used to be the 'ants pants' of fuel for the old time racers on the street but with todays fuel sience the only place for avgas is in a piston aircraft engine that was designed more than a century ago. It contains enough lead to keep your valves cool at normal operating temperatures since most piston engined aircrafts are aircooled unlike your Subaru with a radiator that will keep temperatures down at traffic lights.
So the answer is.
If you are a street racer, you are a looser.
If you are into the strip, no problems. You can advance your total timing up to 40 degrees without any detonation problems provided you have boost control. I would get it dyno tuned before though!
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