Diesel fuel for the Yanmar

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Christian Sava

I have read alot of threads about diesel fuel. I became more confused after reading them than I was before. My question is this: Can I buy fuel from a road side gas station, put it into a Jerry can and fill my H-34's tank?? I have a Yanmar 3GM30F and if I had better access to Jet A-1 fuel I would use that. With the current fuel situation I have thought more about fuel than I have have before. Thanks in advance, Christian
 

Ron D

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Jun 16, 2004
24
Hunter 28 Ventura
Diesel Fuel at the pump

Christain I have a VW Jetta TDI. Since 2002 after filling my car - off and on I have filled a jerry can and have taken it my boat Yanmar 2GM20F - no problems yet!
 
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Benny

It is the same fuel (#2 diesel) with a road tax added on.

Strangely enough even with the road tax you can probably find it cheaper than at your friendly marina. I have been doing it for years, hate to pull up to the pump for just 2 or 3 gallons.
 
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Benny

Christian If I'm not mistaken Jet A-1 fuel

is just a purified form of kerosene. I would not use it on your diesel engine.
 
Sep 25, 2008
7,344
Alden 50 Sarasota, Florida
Never

Jet fuel and diesel are two VERY different animals. NEVER use it in a diesel engine. What you may be confused about is the distinction between diesel and No.2 fuel oil which is minimal. Jet fuel has properties closer to gasoline than diesel oil.
 
Mar 21, 2004
2,175
Hunter 356 Cobb Island, MD
Diesel prices around

here are quite a bit different. Just topped up last weekend at the marina where it was 4.68/gal, at the service station most are running about 5.00/gal. Wish I could drive my boat to work.... Jim
 

Alan

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Jun 2, 2004
4,174
Hunter 35.5 LI, NY
#2 oil vs diesel

The difference between #2 oil and diesel is road taxes and a color dye. I have been running my boat and my car on #2 oil for more than 10 years. The only down side is it's illegal(don't get me started) but does absolutely no harm to the engine. A great alternative is bio-diesel. It generally runs 1/2 the price of diesel and you can also make it yourself with a little ingenuity.
 
Dec 1, 1999
2,391
Hunter 28.5 Chesapeake Bay
Diesel Fuel

I'm not sure if I'm kidding myself or not, but I much prefer to buy the few gallons of diesel fuel I buy every few months at a busy gas station. I tend to believe that the busy gas station is selling "fresher" diesel (albeit at higher prices) than what I could get at the marinas near my boat. Price differential isn't important to me as I doubt I use more than 15 gal per season. I keep my boat at a mostly sailboat marina with over 600 slips/boats. Yet 80 per cent or more of these boats never move (that is use fuel) every week. This makes me wonder about the staleness of the fuel being sold in the local marinas as demand would seem to be minimal. Just one person's view....
 
Dec 19, 2006
5,818
Hunter 36 Punta Gorda
Bio Diesel

OK I give up where can we buy Bio Diesel for half the price, show me where this long line is for half the price. Not for anything but is it really worth trying to make Bio Diesel for a sailboat owner. The small amount of fuel I use all season I just go to busy station that I know is selling a lot of diesel to trucks who keep coming back knowing their not going to get any water from the fuel which is the most important thing is good clean diesel fuel and than I use a 5 gallon contain and dump it into a filter funnel from West Marine and this filter keeps water and dirt out of my fuel tank,I use one gallon jugs which I dump it in my boat tank a few at a time when needed is what I do. It's not the price I look for but good clean fuel. Nick
 

chinny

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Jul 25, 2007
36
Hunter 34 Rockport, ME
No worries - I wouldn't dare.

Great input everybody! Thank you. The comment about the jet fuel was more a gut reaction to rising fuel prices than anything else. I won't even tell you guys what the FBO's on average here in the Northeast and West coast are charging for that. I just wanted to make sure there wasn't any 'additive' or something else sold at the marinas which I couldn't get at the bust roadside gas station for the Yanmar. The question really stems (truth be told) from my ignorance on the subject pertaining to my mighty little Yanmar. Just don't want to hurt her. Thanks again all! Christian
 
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Benny

I'm not ready to play around with bio- diesel

they could sell it a $1.00 a gallon and I would not touch it. The 15-20 gallons I use a year are not going to break the bank. Oh there must be great stuff out there but just like "hooch" the quality may swing wildly from brandy to poison. As to making it myself, not even if I had nothing better to do.
 
May 22, 2004
121
Hunter h41 San Francisco
A big NO on bio diesel

Do not touch bio diesel....could possibly degrade your fuel tank. Not worth the risk. These bio fuels are a joke. We are not saving anything in the long run with these bio fuels.
 
Jun 2, 2004
252
hunter 260 Ruedi Res.
I would not use bio-diesel

In a boat. We purchased 2 snowcats that were 1 year old from another ski area that ran bio diesel. That season we couldn't run them more than 2 shifts without having to change the filters. We removed the tanks and had to hand scrape 3 inches of tar like goo from inside the tanks. I talked to the maintenance guys from other ski areas and many have had similar problems with bio-diesel. I suppose that if you use it in something that runs every day and uses high volumes of fuel it might be ok, but don't use it in something that sits around part of the year or doesn't use much fuel, like a sailboat.
 
Dec 25, 2000
5,909
Hunter Passage 42 Shelter Bay, WA
Stay away from bio fuels especially in the colder areas...

Without any production standards you put your engine at risk. Chances are the bio fuels will gel when it gets cold. Terry
 
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Dan Johnson

Warren...

I've been buying my diesel from the marina next door that's a Carver dealer and regularly was filling up their customers big cruisers. This year hardly anything is selling, few big boats are moving, and the next five gallons that goes into the boat is going to come from the truck stop up off I-95. Times, they are a changin...
 
Feb 10, 2007
213
Hunter Legend 40.5 Coconut Grove, FL
B5 Biodiesel approved by yanmar

but only in certain models, and in 5% mix max. it warns of risks to materials in engines....see yannmar site.. A copy of news release follows Marco Yanmar Marine's B5 Bio Diesel Approval May 2008 Yanmar Marine has approved B5 Bio Diesel fuel for use across most of its recreational marine engines, as part of the company's continuing efforts to encourage environmentally friendly boating. In general, when compared to standard diesel fuel, B5 Bio Diesel usage can reduce particulate matter and the emission of so-called greenhouse gases. A maximum 5% B5 Bio Diesel is blended with standard fuel and must conform to ASTM D6751 or ISO EN14214 specifications. However, Yanmar Marine warns boat builders and other customers that Bio Diesel blends can adversely affect certain metal, rubber and plastic components of engine fuel supply and return systems. Bio Diesel-compatible components must be used instead, so that deterioration and damage do not occur. Builders and/or customers must verify that they are using the correct fuel supply and return system materials, otherwise they will lose their engine warranty protection. Yanmar Marine engines that have been approved for B5 Bio Diesel use, subject to the application of compatible fuel system components, are listed below. Yanmar Marine Engines Approved for B5 Bio Diesel Use - 1GM10, 2YM15, 3YM20, 3YM30 3JH4E, 4JH3-HTE, 4JH3-DTE, 4JH4E, 4JH4-TE, 4JH4AE 4LHA-HTP, 4LH-HTZP, 4LHA-DTP, 4LHA-DTZP, 4LHA-STP, 4LH-STZP 4BY150, 4BY150Z, 4BY180, 4BY180Z, 6BY220, 6BY220Z, 6BY260, 6BY260Z 6LPA-DTP, 6LPA-DTZP, 6LPA-STP, 6LPA-STP2, 6LPA-STZP, 6LPA-STZP2 6LYA-STP, 6LY2A-STP, 6LY3-ETP, 6LY3-STP, 6LY3-UTP 6CXM-STP, 6SY-STP, 6SY-STP2, 6SY655, 8SY-STP
 
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