How To Get Red Dye Out Of Diesel Fuel: 3 Easy Ways

Interesting. I accidentally put 50 gallons in a few months ago. It’s long gone. I think I’ll take a look in my tanks now, just out of curiosity. I’ve never had my tanks checked. Only scale I know of that occasionally checks is I-77 in NC.

 

It’s all green in there. Lol.

 

I've been checked in NM, CO and MN

 

Only time I've heard of anyone being checked was back in the 90s when diesel jumped to like $0.45/L.

 

So if my memory is correct, this all started to differentiate Low Sulfer Diesel from Diesel, which became a requirement on over the road trucks in the late 80s I believe.

My first time being checked was at the Hollister POE south of Twin Falls, Idaho. I was pretty good friends with the port staff as well as the truck inspector at the time. After crossing the scale I went in to visit with the folks, and there was a gal in there with the IRS. She asked if she could check my tanks, to which I said something to the effect of "knock yourself out". She came back in after a few minutes declaring that my fuel was clean, and said "don't you feel better burning this clean low sulfer diesel?"

At that very moment an older farm tractor was plowing away in a field across the highway, with black smoke just a spewing out of the stack. I pointed to it and asked her if the smoke coming out of that tractor was exempt from doing harm to the environment. I thin proceeded to tell her that in my opinion this had nothing to do with air quality, and all to do with revenue collection, and to please not pretend that what she was doing was anything more than that.

That ended my visit with the POE staff for that day.

 

No Red diesel and clear diesel are the same fuel and always have been. The difference is in the tax. Red diesel isn't taxed for road use. It's for farm use and other things of that nature. Dye and tax is the only difference

 

You statement is incorrect t. when it 1st started as @Oxbow stated it was the difference between low sulfer and regular non road fuel.. I know that for a fact
At some point it seems it was the mid to later 90's it all went to low sulfer fuel..since then its just been a red dye added to Identify its designated use for tax reasons
If you are at all familiar with fuel systems sulfer is a natural lubricant
I run a Mechanical motor that was built in the early 80's .. I add a qt of 2 cycle oil per 100 gallons of fuel to help Lubricate my fuel system since it was designed before low sulfer was used

 

You mean my statement is incorrect if it was 1994. But it's not, because it's 2023. I didn't want ppl to get confused about current things pertaining to red fuel.

But that is Interesting and I did not know that. And it was 1994 according to google

 

I guee I was stuck in a time wrap from reading @Oxbow post ..lol..and by todays standard you were correct ..lol
I'am glad you took time to pin point the year .. I had thought it was the mid 90's