Diesel gas and carbon monoxide?

Question

Is diesel gas from a truck the same as carbon monoxide? I'm concerned with running my truck in the garage when warming it up in the mornings. I just dont know if its the same or not. Thanks for the replys.

Answer 1

NEVER run an internal combustion engine of ANY type in an enclosed area! All internal combustion engines produce CO and can kill you if the concentrations are high enough.

There is no need to warm the engine up, by the way. Idling an engine wastes fuel. And diesels do NOT warm up very much at idle. Once you start your engine, let it idle for 30 seconds (60 seconds if it's below zero in the garage) and then start driving normally. The engine will warm up much more quickly under load. And you won't risk killing yourself and your family!

If you feel that you MUST let it idle, move it out of the garage, CLOSE THE GARAGE DOOR, and let it idle outdoors.

Answer 2

Any internal combustion engine will produce carbon monoxide because there is not enough oxygen in the cylinders to produce carbon dioxide. The catalytic converter does burn some of the partially burned hydrocarbons and change some of the CO to CO2, but as far as running a vehicle in the garage, it does produce deadly exhaust.

Answer 3

Carbon monoxide is a by-product (the result) of a chemical reaction that occurs between ANY hydro-carbon based fuel (diesel, gasoline, ethanol) when there is an insufficient supply of oxygen.

For short term warm ups in the morning (5 minutes or less) you shouldn't have a significant CO build up. To be on the safe side, you can always open your garage door while the car is warming up. That should supply your vehicle with enough Air(oxygen) to prevent any CO build up.