Author Topic: What is the difference between gasoline and diesel!!!! (Read 5043 times)

weirdtimes_7 · « **on:** Mar 29, 2007, 12:20:16 PM »

I had a co-worker of mine ask what the difference is between gasoline and diesel.... i thought about it and really could not think of a good answer for her....

So whats a good answer to give her?? Whats the differece??

military_stang

MiniSimp · « **Reply #1 on:** Mar 29, 2007, 12:22:20 PM »

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/question105.htm

Fearofrunner · « **Reply #2 on:** Mar 29, 2007, 12:29:14 PM »

Diesel is the crap left from gas when they refine it.It has a really low combustion rate, that's why diesels don't have spark plugs the run off internal combustion alone. diesel wont light on fire unless its super hot or compressed. The stuff is even dirtier than kerosene and you know how nasty that stuff smells.

weirdtimes_7 · « **Reply #3 on:** Mar 29, 2007, 12:33:31 PM »

Sweet, thanks

BigMike · « **Reply #4 on:** Mar 29, 2007, 11:43:19 PM »

If you are looking for more info regarding the actual cycles, here are some basic differences:

The obvious: Diesel engines are combustion ignition engines (CI) & Gasonline enignes are spark ignition engines (SI)
CI engine's combustion process begins at the end of the compression stroke and continues into the begining of the exhaust stroke, whereas a SI engine's combustion process finishes well before the end of its powerstroke. Therefore a longer combustion process takes place in a CI engine and thus more energy may be converted into mechanical power.
CI engines have a higher thermal efficiency than SI engines, and are thus more efficient in general, being able to convert roughly 40% of their heat energy into mechanical energy compared to SI engine's conversion ratio, which I *think* is about 25%?

BigMike

rude86 · « **Reply #5 on:** Mar 30, 2007, 09:08:23 AM »

the smell and the taste.

TacoStewie · « **Reply #6 on:** Mar 30, 2007, 09:10:43 AM »

you forgot the color, the red taste better and smells a little sweeter

cruzila · « **Reply #7 on:** Mar 30, 2007, 07:02:26 PM »

Certainly not the price anymore

kneedownnate · « **Reply #8 on:** Mar 30, 2007, 07:42:10 PM »

I dunno man, diesel was staying just shy of $3 here while gas dipped down to about $2.30, then when those asshats decided to start ass raping us again diesel stayed where it had been before. Wouldn't mind having a diesel right now, though I'd probably be running my own bio if I did. Maybe if I ever get lucky enough to get a first gen toy diesel

jimbo74 · « **Reply #9 on:** Mar 30, 2007, 07:46:44 PM »

not sure what diesel is going for, but i filled up the ranger today... $55, $3.13 per gallon, and its rising.......

El Cheapo · « **Reply #10 on:** Oct 09, 2007, 12:53:40 PM »

I assume that you have all the diesel info you wanted. However, it must be understood that due to the high carbon content and sulfur in the diesel gasoline, major carbon scoring would occur when used in an unleaded gas engine. It would look like you blew a head gasket or that your engine was burning oil, and eventually your engine would stop running.
I forget what happens when you place gas in a diesel, but from what I remember you will not have as serious damage as you would from putting diesel into a gas engine. Though it is not recommended even if regular gas prices are typically cheaper.

Also, due to the more complete burn of the diesel you do not need a catalytic converter for carbon emissions. Nevertheless, due to the more complete burn the diesels run hotter increasing the NOx gases leaving your tail pipe. Also, due to the reduction of sulfur in diesel fuel there is less of a worry for particulate matter.

That probably answers nothing, but at least I am getting my thread count up.

CTENG in KS · « **Reply #11 on:** Oct 09, 2007, 01:05:33 PM »

Not in CC you aren't.

Trunkz · « **Reply #12 on:** Oct 09, 2007, 01:48:15 PM »

put gas in a deisel engine you wont have an engine anymore boom

red · « **Reply #13 on:** Oct 09, 2007, 02:25:28 PM »

Quote from: Trunkz on Oct 09, 2007, 01:48:15 PM

put gas in a deisel engine you wont have an engine anymore boom

depends on the motor. never motors (common rail injection) tend to shut the truck down before any major permanent damage is done.

reason for the damage is because gasoline explodes sooner when compressed than diesel (or veggy oil, jet fuel, or biodiesel). so if gasoline enters the cylinder it will ignite partway through the compression stroke, causing multiple possible problems. snap the connecting rods, destroy the piston, score the cylinder walls (this is on indirect injection diesel motors, direct injection is differant, not as much damage can occur), possibly break the crankshaft, things like that. i was at a gas station a few years ago in midland texas and heard this guys diesel f350 (late 90's model) start running really badly then a loud BOOM. he'd put gasoline in instead of diesel, saw alot of motor oil all over the ground under his truck.

because diesel motors are compression ignition they are able to run on many differant forms of fuel. when the motor was created by rudolf diesel he did not use petroleum fuel, he was using peanut oil because he was trying to make an engine that could run off of a renewable resource.

El Cheapo · « **Reply #14 on:** Oct 12, 2007, 01:30:43 PM »

Thanks on the info for the gas in a diesel engine. I had forgotten about that. My memory is not as good as I thought.

red · « **Reply #15 on:** Oct 12, 2007, 01:55:45 PM »

now, you can run a gasser on pure diesel, but your going to have alot of raw fuel being unburnt in the cylinders and no power. it will clean your engine though very well. a better option (i did this a couple times when i had a rough running truck) is to put a gallon or 2 of diesel into your gas tank when you fill up. cleans your fuel system out very well. not a good idea to run just diesel through a gasser (do it for too long and yes you will have engine problems) but running the occasional diluted gallon through will work like running seafoam or b12.

modern diesels (before being tuned up) are producing roughly 60-65% of their combustion into power (thanks to the addition of a turbo). gassers are up around 40% now.

gasoline has a much lower flash point (point at which it ignites) than diesel, hence the reason diesel fuel doesnt like to work in a gasoline motor and gasoline doesnt work in a diesel motor (ps, never run heated veggy oil through a gasser, works just fine in a diesel but wont ignite under such low compression in a gasser). great test for this. take a small amount of gasoline in an open area (fire extinguisher ready and do this outside far away from other flamable items) and toss a match it it. what happens? fire, duh. do the same test with diesel, and then with biodiesel. depending on the outside temp and your elevation (air pressure) the diesel may or may not ignite. biodiesel, wont. it will put the match out. i found this out when i made my own biodiesel for the 89 f250 i had (i smelt long john silvers everytime i was stopped) because we were working outside in the middle of winter (friends motor threw a rod while we were offroading, had to patch it up before i could tow him home) and it was around 11:30 or so at night (single digits with around 40-45mph winds, cold). wanted to start a fire (sand area, only things flammable were the tumbleweeds we had picked up and some mesquite bushes (same thing) so we took some of my biodiesel from a spare jerry can i had and tried to use it to light the fire. we didnt have a fire to help that night.

diesel fuel cost so much right now for a few reasons (main one being that we're getting ripped off). 1. their actually refining the fuel nowadays, turning it into ULSD (ultra low sulfer diesel, can contain no more than 5 parts per million of sulfer). doing this reduces the lubrication ability of diesel fuel DRAMATICALLY. older diesels that are not common rail injection are getting torn up by this because the injection pump (around 1,000 bucks usually) goes out quickly because of the lack of lubrication. instead of lasting for 100,000 miles or longer (depends on the pump design and a few other things) these pumps are going out in under 50,000 miles (some at 10,000 or less). if you have an older diesel you MUST run either a biodiesel blend, pure bio, veggy oil, or run an additive such as stanadyne to keep your fuel system working (lift pump, injection pump, and injectors). if you have a common rail injection diesel, its not as important (but still a very good idea).

another reason it cost so much is because we are at war. almost all military vehicles run on diesel fuel or jet fuel.

cold weather approching so additives must be combined with diesel to keep it from jelling up (say bye bye fuel system if that happens). biodiesel is more susceptable to this than petroleum diesel (its main drawback). additives are needed for these. forms of diesel are also used as heating oil (kerosene for example).

eventually diesels will become a much larger part of the market (they slowly are here in the US finally) because of the extra power, better fuel economy, and with a turbo (as all modern diesels have) quicker. hybrid technology (which some people counter with saying that they will take over instead of diesels) work just fine behind a diesel motor. mercedes is testing a hybrid diesel sports sedan that is getting around high 70's-low 80's in fuel economy. very nice for a large 4 door sedan dont ya say? diesels also run on much more alternative fuels than gassers (ethanol and propane). diesels run on veggy oil (requires a fuel tank heater and a 2nd fuel tank for startup/shutdown with a differant fuel), biodiesel from veggy oil (most common), biodiesel from a certain form of algae (we need roughly 160,000 acres for this in any environment and we have enough for the ENTIRE US to run on diesel year round, can be located in a desert), kerosene, diesel from coal (its what germany did in WWII), and thermodepolymerization (basicly breaks down items, their using chicken carcasses in oregon testing this out). run any of the bio fuels and a diesel has VERY low emissions. we have the ability and the technology, we're just stuck in a petroleum fuel only world.

El Cheapo · « **Reply #16 on:** Oct 12, 2007, 05:12:52 PM »

Quote from: CTENG in KS on Oct 09, 2007, 01:05:33 PM

Not in CC you aren't.

Please pardon my ignance, but was does the CC stand for. All I can think of is Cubic Centimeters.

DTB · « **Reply #17 on:** Oct 12, 2007, 05:19:35 PM »

chit chat

blackdiamond · « **Reply #18 on:** Oct 12, 2007, 05:26:53 PM »

I think diesel is a natural anesthetic while gas burns when it gets into cuts?

Rocksurfer · « **Reply #19 on:** Oct 13, 2007, 08:07:55 PM »

FYI gasoline was originally a by-product of heating oil (diesel) and was discarded in the process of making it. They didn't know what to do with gas it was so unstable. When the automobile gas engine was developed they found a controlled environment in which they could burn it safely (combuston chamber) without blowing eveything up.

weirdtimes_7 [OP]

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