Is there a difference in the smell? Unfortunately Mr. GorgeousFluffpot forgot to write on the fuel cans what he had put in there, and now he is looking to me to find out. How can we tell what they are from just looking or smelling ...
2006-12-06 02:33:44 · 21 answers · asked by gorgeousfluffpot 5 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
the smell is correct they are tottaly different
2006-12-06 02:35:03 · answer #1 · answered by hartmarina 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
For gods sake dont try and take a match to them like some of these half wits would. You must remember the smell you get when you fill up at a petrol station? Thats petrol. It will also be thinner, clearer and sweeter smelling than the diesel which will leave your fingers feeling oily, be slightly darker and not as potent as the petrol.
2006-12-06 02:45:39 · answer #2 · answered by GeneHunt 3 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Diesel has a oilier dull smell to it. While petrol has a sharper higher smell. Take a piece of paper or wood and dip the ends into each container. Light it and see which one ignites under a open flame. Petrol will ignite immediately while diesel wont.
Or to be safe take the containers to your local petrol or gas station, let the attendant tell you which is what. Remember to mark your container next times.
2006-12-06 02:49:28 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Hartmarina is right: diesel is oily and smells kind of sweet, like paraffin (kerosene). Petrol is lighter in texture and just smells a lot more volatile. Also, if you can dump a little out on the pavement, petrol evaporates quickly and diesel doesn't evaporate at all.
2006-12-06 02:38:43 · answer #4 · answered by Rusting 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, if he did it right, the gasoline is in the red cans and the diesel in the yellow.
If not, they are similar to the point it's sometimes hard to tell.
The specific gravity of diesel is 0.08, while gasoline is 0.06 so I suppose you could check that, but it could be expensive to do.
Or, take a small sample of each can and put it in the freezer. Gasoline would stay liquid while diesel would tend to gel up on you.
Unless it's a large amount of fuel I suspect I would dispose of it and get the right cans (red for gas, yellow for diesel) and start over.
2006-12-06 02:48:22 · answer #5 · answered by oklatom 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Petrol is not as dense as diesel. It should look thicker and feel heavier in the can. Also diesel does not have the same petrolly smell - it's got a bit of a light oil aroma to it.
Mr. GorgeousFluffpot - I bet he loves being called that!!
2006-12-06 02:37:29 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
diesel has a an oily look & feel, petrol evapourates quicker
diesel has a slighlty yellow colour to it, petrol is more translucent
so put a small amount of the liquid on you fingers, and rub it...
if it quickly evaporates its petrol
if it has an oily, slippery feel its diesel
its possible it could be two stroke mixture (petrol that has a small amount of oil in it)
2006-12-06 02:46:00 · answer #7 · answered by Mark J 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
pour a little bit ( thimble, nor gallons of the stuff ) onto a path/brick. Petrol will evaporate quicker, diesel will feel oily.
remember petrol goes stale so if its 12 months old you probably want to mix it with fresher stuff.
2006-12-06 02:43:13 · answer #8 · answered by Michael H 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
there is a big differance in the smell,
if you do not know what gas smells like, smell the
gas in your car, and then compare with the jugs.
if you do not know for sure, just dispose of it, you sure do
not want to put diesel fuel in your car.
2006-12-06 02:40:29 · answer #9 · answered by bob 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
a safe way (ignore the ones about lighting it) is to put a tiny drop on a piece of paper. petrol will evaporate quickly diesel more slowly if at all.
2006-12-06 02:43:47 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Diesel is heavier and the fumes aren't as Pungent!
Whereas petrol is a Much lighter,and evaporates on exposure to the air!
Please Be careful when handling either!!
2006-12-06 02:36:56 · answer #11 · answered by J. Charles 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋