petrol in diesel car

  • Thread starter surfinaswain
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surfinaswain

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help
i just put unleaded petrol in a diesel car volvo s60 2004 what are the options what do i do .am i in serious trouble with this?
 
how empty was the tank and how much did you put it. if the tank was empty and you only put in a small amount you can fill up with diesel and drive the petrol out of the system.

if you filled it, then don't drive it and you need the tank drained
 
surfinaswain, it is quite likely you are in serious trouble. In most modern diesel cars, the engine management system starts to prepare for the engine being started as soon as you blip your remote control to open the car doors. This means that the fuel pump starts to transmit fuel from the tank towards the engine. Petrol, being more processed than diesel, does not have sufficient lubrication for the fuel system and engine. You might need more than just the tank being drained. It might mean an engine stripdown. As Ron Burgundy noted, it depends on how much you put in, how much diesel was already there and at what point you noticed that you had 'committed an oops'.

Best of luck...
 
This actually happened to my father who has a deisel Avensis. He didnt drive it and had his mechanic drain the tank for him, only loss was the tank of petrol he filled! Dont drive it anyways.

He reckoned that the car ran smoother afterwards!!
 
Hi surf

Do not, under any circumstances, fill the tank any further, start or drive the car. I don't believe the fuel pump will start until you turn the key.

If you haven't started the car - you will need to have the tank, pipework etc. properly drained and flushed.
If you have started it you may get away with new injectors etc. but there really is no limit on the damage that can be caused. The diesel fuel acts as a lubricant and the effects of misfuelling on a modern common-rail car can be catastrophic if it is started and driven.

On a brighter note the truck that tows you away will probably run quite happily on the contaminated fuel so you can siphon it off to that.

Good luck.
 
she put in twenty euros worth , there was 45 miles left to go on the clock, after doing it she filled the tank with diesel 40 euro and drove . the car is running but is seems a bit slow on start
 
Might be okay - my mechanic reckons a 4:1 ratio of diesel to petrol once in a while is good for cleaning the engine, but that's a 98 Skoda engine, so probably not as sophisticated as an 04 Volvo?

As it's already been driven, not much point in draining it now? Keep topping it up with diesel to further dilute the petrol remaining in the tank?
 
Hmmm, do petrol and diesel mix or is it like oil and water? Never done it (thankfully!!!), so I don't know...
 
surfinaswain said:
help
i just put unleaded petrol in a diesel car volvo s60 2004 what are the options what do i do .am i in serious trouble with this?
Click to expand...

innis said:
she put in twenty euros worth , there was 45 miles left to go on the clock, after doing it she filled the tank with diesel 40 euro and drove . the car is running but is seems a bit slow on start
Click to expand...
innis - do you know the original poster?
 
yes unfortunately she is related to me and had recounted her tale to me , i advised her to try some of the genius,s on the forum
 
Clubman ,sorry for going off topic but i was wondering how you bring in quotes from other posters in to a reply like you did on your 2nd last post below (i know maybe a stupid question but much appreciated if you could advise on that one).
 
Berbatov said:
Clubman ,sorry for going off topic but i was wondering how you bring in quotes from other posters in to a reply like you did on your 2nd last post below (i know maybe a stupid question but much appreciated if you could advise on that one).
Click to expand...

Berbatov simply click the Quote button!
 
Syphon out the petrol and then fill it with diesel.
If you have drove the car and the petrol is in the lines I would recommend bleeding the lines this can be done by disconnecting the fuel line to the filter and turning the ignition on and off a few times. You prob could bleed the injectors to but not too important.
Diesel in a petrol car is much worse anyway if anything the petrol will clean out the engine and reduce your emissions.
 
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