My '98 Tahoe 6.5TD owner's manual specifically states never to use ether
(long before the pistons approach the top of their compression stroke, the
ether-air mixture will detonate causing severe knock and damage the engine).
Contrary to popular belief, diesel engines are not "controlled knock"
engines: at the top of the compression stroke when the highly compressed air
is more than hot enough to ignite it, diesel fuel is injected at very high
pressure into the combustion chamber -- the diesel fuel ignites as it is
injected. The extremely quick rise in pressure causes the massive torque
associated with diesel engines (and noise, too).

Gasoline should not be mixed into diesel. To prevent diesel from gelling at
low temp, GM recommends kerosene to no more than 1/4 of the total (kerosene
does not have the lubricating properties of diesel and can damage mechanical
diesel fuel pumps and diesel fuel injectors). If you have to mix kerosene
with diesel for prolonged periods of time, it is recommended that you add
diesel fuel lubricants to the fuel tank.

Hope this helps. Regards, Franko

"Shortwave Sportfishing" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 01 Jul 2005 17:05:50 -0400, HarryKrause
wrote:

wrote:

HarryKrause wrote:

Shortwave Sportfishing wrote:

On 1 Jul 2005 09:50:31 -0700, wrote:



wrote:


wrote:


In extremely cold weather, some diesel engine operators will mix
small
amounts of gasoline with the diesel fuel in order to make the fuel
more
combustible in a diesel engine. In that case, it's the gasoline
that is
helping the diesel burn, not a case of more easily ignited diesel
assisting the more reluctant gasoline to burn as a result of
compression.

thats done to keep the diesel from turning into jello at low
temperatures. the cars i had could take up to 30% gas for that in
the
winter.

Matt


Certainly; but consider that you were limited to that 30%. If you
exceeded 30%, you risked damaging the engine because the mixture
would
be too volatile, (rather than not volatile enough), right?

if you go over 30% it would run too hot (so i was told) and it would
ingite too early like you say.

But the reason you add gas is NOT to make it burn better but to keep
it

from freezing.

If you put gas into diesel, it won't mix.

You put kerosene into diesel to help with the anti-gel. Kerosene will
mix with diesel - gas won't.

This is a 50 year old memory, and I am hazy about it, but I think my
old
man poured some sort of alcohol mix into his diesel truck on the
coldest
days of winter to help it start. I know he poured *something* in there.
No, it wasn't Four Roses. He called it diesel starting fluid. Well, it
smelled like alcohol.

Could it have been ether?
Even here in the moderately cool PACNW people often spray some ether
into
older diesels that are reluctant to start in the winter.

I hear you can buy it from Hugh Hefner. He sends some really gorgeous,
well stacked gal wearing fishnet stockings and high heels down to the
dock to deliver it.

As far as I know, she's the ether bunny.

BOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ouch!

You know, I don't really remember what it was. It came in a round metal
can with a screw top. My recollection is that it smelled like alcohol.
He didn't often use his diesel delivery truck in the winter and kept it
in an unheated storage building. But once in a while in the winter he'd
crank it up and send it off to pick up a load of rowboats or whatever.

It was ether - I remember my Uncle the dairy farmer who had two
International Super M diesels. He would pour some ether into the
tanks and light the diesels off - worked great.