Diesel filled with petrol
Discussion
Friend of mine has a 2015 diesel ford focus, she has put 10l of petrol in it, when car was only showing 20 miles of fuel remaining so when ever empty. She has driven it around 4 miles and said it was starting to struggle and judder. Another friend of hers has offered to bring a pump and siphon and then will fill car up with diesel, but I’ve suggested to call someone out to it to flush the system etc as if it was juddering whilst driving I’m guessing there’s likely petrol already in the system, so could have already done some damage but best in my eyes to get it flushed out as I’m not sure just draining tank and filling up with diesel would work? What’s the consensus?
Nothing to lose by trying now to get all the petrol out and put diesel in
But be under no illusion, its almost certainly f
ked if its got to the point of "struggling"
Diesel is by nature more oily. That oil in the fuel lubricates the system. Petrol is a dry liquid. So the pump and injectors are essentially being run without lubrication
But be under no illusion, its almost certainly f
ked if its got to the point of "struggling"Diesel is by nature more oily. That oil in the fuel lubricates the system. Petrol is a dry liquid. So the pump and injectors are essentially being run without lubrication
CardinalFang said:
Flushing now is miles better than a few years ago. AA can clean the system roadside & save the day even after several miles of driving. Ask me how I know…Other mobile solutions probably available.
Yup, phone the AA (or someone). They have specialist vehicles equipped with pumps and tanks for these situations. Above all - don't make it worse.It’s worth a try, but I imagine it’s not too far gone depending on the car, the chaps are right that miracles can be done, but it’s not a guarantee and some cars survive it better than others.
Luckily, such absent mindedness is usually rectified by a rather expensive lesson, so this shouldn’t happen again
Luckily, such absent mindedness is usually rectified by a rather expensive lesson, so this shouldn’t happen again
Edited by Ry.Clarke on Wednesday 3rd September 09:42
Terminator X said:
Sebring440 said:
Terminator X said:
Slightly different I put diesel in my petrol car.
Not "slightly different", but completely and utterly different. Not sure why you posted, no help whatsoever to the OP.
TX.
BunkMoreland said:
Nothing to lose by trying now to get all the petrol out and put diesel in
But be under no illusion, its almost certainly fked if its got to the point of "struggling"
Diesel is by nature more oily. That oil in the fuel lubricates the system. Petrol is a dry liquid. So the pump and injectors are essentially being run without lubrication
My Mrs filled our Diesel Yeti with petrol and drove it a mile or two before twigging. She called me and I told her to wait for me. I failed to syphone it out (saddle tanks - 4x4 prop shaft in the way) so towed her home.But be under no illusion, its almost certainly f
ked if its got to the point of "struggling"Diesel is by nature more oily. That oil in the fuel lubricates the system. Petrol is a dry liquid. So the pump and injectors are essentially being run without lubrication
The "internet specialists" (forums mostly!) all said she'd f
ked the car, no doubt about it. She was in tears.I called my breakdown co (Rescue My Car) who sent a misfuelling guy out (no excess to pay). He did his thing and whilst I was chatting he told me diesels put up with a lot of petrol before any damage is done. Way more than people think. He's dealt with 1000s of petrol in diesels and they all recovered just fine.
We had petrol well and truly in our system. It would not restart. He put some derv in the tank, removed the air filter, got it started with easy-start sprayed in the intake, revved it for a while, then left it running and told me to drive it for a few miles or it'd stall again. Was perfect after that.
TLDR: Your car is probably fine, not "f
ked"This has quite a lot of detail and advice beyond the usual, "it's fked":
https://www.fuelfixer.co.uk/wrong-fuelpetrol-in-di...
ked":https://www.fuelfixer.co.uk/wrong-fuelpetrol-in-di...
trashbat said:
This has quite a lot of detail and advice beyond the usual, "it's fked":
https://www.fuelfixer.co.uk/wrong-fuelpetrol-in-di...
Good link. A quick browse,ked":https://www.fuelfixer.co.uk/wrong-fuelpetrol-in-di...
"Even if you have started it, and maybe driven for a bit before noticing something was wrong, the chances of any lasting damage are slim. If you somehow managed to get home but then the car wouldn’t re-start, you’ll still be fine – but call us and get the wrong fuel removed as soon as you can."
Good to put this out there because my Mrs sat in the car thinking, "god, I've killed £15k of car :-( " - all because people keep on posting misinformed hearsay.
If its a newer, less than 20 years old, car then it will probably survive, the older diesels had a mechanical fuel metering pump that relied on the lubrication from diesel, the newer ones dont.
Nothing to loose by getting it properly drained and filled with diesel, it will most likely be fine. Just dont try and drive it any further until this has been done.
Nothing to loose by getting it properly drained and filled with diesel, it will most likely be fine. Just dont try and drive it any further until this has been done.
Supernova190188 said:
Friend of mine has a 2015 diesel ford focus, she has put 10l of petrol in it, when car was only showing 20 miles of fuel remaining so when ever empty. She has driven it around 4 miles and said it was starting to struggle and judder. Another friend of hers has offered to bring a pump and siphon and then will fill car up with diesel, but I’ve suggested to call someone out to it to flush the system etc as if it was juddering whilst driving I’m guessing there’s likely petrol already in the system, so could have already done some damage but best in my eyes to get it flushed out as I’m not sure just draining tank and filling up with diesel would work? What’s the consensus?
If it was only 10 litres, just fill it to the neck with diesel, let it tick over for a good while, until it ticks over evenly and try driving it again. There are Car TV shows, and Youtube video that show it is not a disaster for most. It may well puff for a while, petrol will shift any sludge in the system, change the filter once it has done a few miles again.
If it is fooked it is fooked, throwing money at it is pointless, but I very much doubt it is with 10 litres, another 40 or 50 of the oily stuff may well fix it.
Yes, it has worked for me.
AA fuel assist is 0370 240 3985 and you don't need to be a member.
Petrol in a diesel can cause damage without a doubt, it doesn't mix and the petrol quickly washes away all the lubricating properties of the diesel like a solvent would. The misfiring and poor running is hopefully just misfiring from the petrol getting into the cylinders and not any damage yet.
Is the car a heap with a gazillion miles or a decent thing that would go on for a good few years. That'd probably decide it for me whether to pay to have it drained and flushed or just go with the above advice. Personally I'd at least get as much out of the tank as possible if going for the cheap option above.
Either way if it all works out fine she should invest in a new fuel filter.
Petrol in a diesel can cause damage without a doubt, it doesn't mix and the petrol quickly washes away all the lubricating properties of the diesel like a solvent would. The misfiring and poor running is hopefully just misfiring from the petrol getting into the cylinders and not any damage yet.
Is the car a heap with a gazillion miles or a decent thing that would go on for a good few years. That'd probably decide it for me whether to pay to have it drained and flushed or just go with the above advice. Personally I'd at least get as much out of the tank as possible if going for the cheap option above.
Either way if it all works out fine she should invest in a new fuel filter.
Back in 1987 I filled my diesel Transit to the brim with petrol. I had been using a petrol van for the previous week, my excuse 
The Transit spluttered to a halt on the A4 near Hammersmith. AA came out and let the petrol drain into the gutter. Different times then stuck in some diesel and it started fine.
Told me that those engines benefited from a gallon of petrol per tank of diesel ?????
The Transit spluttered to a halt on the A4 near Hammersmith. AA came out and let the petrol drain into the gutter. Different times
then stuck in some diesel and it started fine.Told me that those engines benefited from a gallon of petrol per tank of diesel ?????
anyoldcardave said:
If it was only 10 litres, just fill it to the neck with diesel, let it tick over for a good while, until it ticks over evenly and try driving it again.
There are Car TV shows, and Youtube video that show it is not a disaster for most. It may well puff for a while, petrol will shift any sludge in the system, change the filter once it has done a few miles again.
If it is fooked it is fooked, throwing money at it is pointless, but I very much doubt it is with 10 litres, another 40 or 50 of the oily stuff may well fix it.
Yes, it has worked for me.
My other half did this with her diesel C3, putting about the same amount in an almost empty tank. She just topped it up with diesel and all was well for the next 25k miles when we sold it.There are Car TV shows, and Youtube video that show it is not a disaster for most. It may well puff for a while, petrol will shift any sludge in the system, change the filter once it has done a few miles again.
If it is fooked it is fooked, throwing money at it is pointless, but I very much doubt it is with 10 litres, another 40 or 50 of the oily stuff may well fix it.
Yes, it has worked for me.
This was the only time I was pleased she ran her tank to fumes, which she does every time.
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