I put diesel in my hedger.

[Haironyourchest]

Yesterday fuled my Maruyama 23cc long reach hedger with what I thought was aspen from a nearly empty aspen container. Wouldn't start, cleaned plug, spark test, pulled the filter out on the intake and left dangle while I cranked it, dried it out, still no joy. Tried the lighter flame at the plug hole test and no flame, also couldn't get the plug to go on fire, that should have alerted me!

 

So this afternoon, prepared to clean the carb, though Id give it one more go, filled the tank with aspen from a new can, and it started and belched white smoke. Ran it for a while, and I kept thinking, wow, that lookes like unburned diesel smoke, but it can't be....then I remembered filling an empty aspen can with diesel (white) for a mini digger some weeks ago, little bit left so hung onto it for the van and forgot about it. Smelt just like aspen, to my nose.

 

Realising my mistake, I emptied the hedger tank into a jar, refilled with aspen and it still smoked. I figured the filter was still holding diesel, so swapped out the filter and no more smoke. An inspection through the exhaust port showed no damage, but looking through the plug hole I could see what could possibly be a narrow vertical abrasion on on the cylinder wall at the 10 o' clock position, if the exhaust is at 3 o' clock.

 

Just wondering if the ten or twenty seconds I ran it on maybe 30% diesel could have caused damage? Any notion?

[GardenKit]

Hi Hairy. I have seen several machines run on diesel and there has never been any damage. Your scoring predates the diesel issue.

[Haironyourchest]

Oh good! I was worried because diesel has a higher energy potential and I thought it might have detonated, stressed the engine etc. It was an expensive machine. Thanks for your reply!

[Stubby]

,Just get some " Yorky Bars " and keep on truckin'

[spudulike]

Diesel only burns under much higher compression. My experience is that the Aspen will burn along with the combustible elements of the diesel leaving something resembling paraffin to exit the muffler.

[adw]

We have seen many machines with diesel in the tank, cleared the tank and run on petrol, smokes like hell for 5 minutes, but as others have said no engine damage.

[Haironyourchest]

Great to hear. I suppose that was why all the smoke - diesel wasn't burning. Thanks fellows.