Signs Your Company's Onsite Diesel Fuel Is Bad

If you store diesel fuel onsite for your company's work trucks, you may wonder if some of the older fuel has gone bad and is no longer safe to use in your vehicles. If so, look for the following signs that your company's onsite diesel fuel has gone bad.

Layer of Sludge Has Formed on Top

The first sign to look for when trying to determine whether or not your fuel has gone bad is found by looking at the fuel itself. You will need a flashlight and a long dipstick to check the condition of the fuel.

After opening the top port of the tank, shine your flashlight down into the tank to see if there is a layer of thick sludge that has settled on the top. If you do not see the sludge, submerge the dipstick into the fuel to coat the stick, then examine the fuel.

If you do find any thickened areas in the fuel, the diesel has most likely succumbed to microbes and oxidation. If so, do not use the fuel in your trucks, as it could clog up and damage their fuel systems and engines.

Trucks Suddenly Have Decreased Mileage

If you did not find any noticeable evidence of sludge, you can still determine whether the fuel is bad by looking at the performance of your work trucks. If you have noticed that your workers are filling up the tanks more often because of lower mileage, this is a sign that the diesel fuel is not burning efficiently.

Even small amounts of sludge in the fuel can adversely affect the truck's fuel system. Not only will the trucks' systems not be able to fully burn the contaminated fuel, but the sludge will clog up the fuel lines and the filters.

Engines Are Sputtering and Stalling

If you have used the bad fuel in your trucks, eventually the clogging of the fuel lines and filters will start affecting the performance of the engines. As the fuel is burned off, the sludge will leave a residue in the lines, as well as inside the motors.

As a result, your workers may start reporting episodes when their trucks sputter or even stall while they are taking off or even traveling down the road. If this is the case, do not continue to use the fuel.

If you notice any of the above signs, your stored diesel fuel has likely gone bad and should not be used in your vehicles. Contact a diesel depot like United Oil to discuss your options for disposing of the bad batch and replacing it with new, clean diesel fuel.