Is there any reason that red diesel fuel would hurt the new LLY fuel system? The manual says not to run it but I can't think of any mechanical reason why it would harm the engine. I saw something about an optical eye becoming cloudy on the electronic 6.5 pump. Does the LLY have such an eye? I ran a 93 chevy 6.5 on red fuel for years while spraying fields and I don't see why I should pay highway taxes during the 2 months this truck spends driving around in the fields with a sprayer on the back.

Same fuel as the on road except for color.


I've got some Schaeffer's fuel additive that has the red die in it and will make the fuel look like offroad but runs ok in my LLY.

While I can see your logic, and I definitely don't think it would hurt anything mechanically since it is essentially the same fuel but with dye in it, I wouldn't try it personally.


Supposedly, the DOT can see trace amounts of the red dye for a LONG time after you quit using the red fuel. Whether this is a ploy to scare people I'm not sure. However, I do know that the fines are really steep (somewhere in the $10,000 range I've heard) if you ever would get caught. And to my way of thinking, the DOT or whoever controls this really isn't going to care what kind of story you come up with.


On another note, guys around here have been running red dye for years. In fact, a lot of the ranchers buy diesel pickups specifically for this reason (cheaper fuel)! To my knowledge none of them have been stopped and had their tanks checked, but I simply can't afford a $10,000 fine. So I guess I'll keep using highway diesel.

Is there any optical eye in the LLY?

From time to time the DOT boys will check the Diesel trucks at hay, cattle and horse auctions.

I am not worried about DOT because When I am spraying this thing spends two months off road with a sprayer on the back. I don't use it to run around in. That's what my dually is for. I would just like to know if anything would happen to it mechanically. I am not familiar with this injection system and am looking for an answer as to what damage could be done to it from the dye. I have heard about a possible cloudy eye but it wasn't solid info.

If your truck has anything but a farm tag on it, you must run on-road diesel in it all the time even if you use it 99% for nothing but farm work. Just had a neighboring farm checked recently, 3 trucks found with red in them = $40,000 plus fine. We are kind of waiting for my brother in law's farm to be checked next probably including my truck too. He's ready for them, he worked for a farm 10 years ago that got checked and fined so he swore he would never do it.