What's wrong with the car

KazDub

Folks, I'm driving my brother's car at the moment while he's on holidays.
The last few times I've started it up the ignition kicks in, it starts to move off but then it just seems to lose all power. Everything stays powered on, but pushing the accelerator down makes no difference, it just coasts along under the initial bit of movement. I have to turn it off and back on again and it's all fine. Once or twice I've changed gear this has happened too.
The first two times it happened I thought maybe it was just me, not familiar with the car, maybe I didn't put it into the gear I thought I had. But it happened again leaving for work this morning and I know it's the car.
Now comes the bit I'm most worried about. I topped up the petrol the other day, just went to the green nozzle and pumped in a few quid's worth.
If the car is a diesel, it wouldn't go at all would it? When it's driving, I can get grand power out of it, acceleration is fine, nothing out of the ordinary. It's only starting up the car initially that's the problem.
I just have this paranoia in the back of my mind screaming 'you've put unleaded in a diesel, you've fecked up your brother's car'.
Can someone put my mind to ease about that at least? I'm fairly sure that the car wouldn't be running at all if I'd done that.
Otherwise I can just tell the brother to get the car checked out when he's home, leave it to him to worry about.

Blue850

What type of car is it?

Fey!

It could be a mass airflow sensor (BMW or VAG have problems with these occasionally); the symptoms sound like a problem I had last year.

Was the fuel very low when you topped up? If it was very low, any dirt in the bottom of the tank may be blocking the fuel line. Get a bottle of fuel line cleaner (STP do one) and mix it in with your next fill of fuel (some of these are petrol/diesel exclusive, so read the label).

Petrol in a diesel; top it up with diesel and let it run through, or else get to a garage and have the system drained.

Thomas_S_Hunterson

A diesel would run for a while on petrol...but as far as i know the shapes of the nozzles on the pumps are different so you shouldn't really be able to get the petrol nozzle into the diesel inlet...I've never tried this out though

KazDub

It's a Citroen, don't ask me what model though!?!

Gerry

It does sound as if you've put petrol in it. How much fuel was in the tank when you put the petrol in?

KazDub

Gerry wrote:

It does sound as if you've put petrol in it. How much fuel was in the tank when you put the petrol in?

Almost empty, which is why I put a few quids worth in.
Oh crap, have I really done what I think I've done??
Would the car drive so normally though (apart from the start up issues)?
Are the nozzles the same, so that I could easily put the wrong one in?
Starting to panic here, feel cold sweats coming!!

Blue850

Is it when you start first thing in the morning that it gives trouble? Does it drive fine when its warmed up? How old is the car?

Gerry

Does it take a while for it to start? If you listen to idle when started, is it smooth? As a diesel, it will sound a little rough, but it should run like clockwork, with no stutters. Is it perfect when warmed up? It could just be that the glow plugs have failed, or some part of the glow plug system has failed. Normally they fail gradually, and it is pretty warm at the moment, so this is unlikely. But since there was very little diesel in the tank, its unlikely that the car would be running well at all on mostly petrol.
The best thing you can do is get someone who knows cars to check it out.

KazDub

Blue850 wrote:

Is it when you start first thing in the morning that it gives trouble? Does it drive fine when its warmed up? How old is the car?

Well I've only had it a few days but so far it's only happened during the first start up of the day and then lastnight when I had to pop out, the car having been in the driveway for a few hours.

Once it starts, it seems to run fine.

Gerry wrote:

Does it take a while for it to start? If you listen to idle when started, is it smooth? As a diesel, it will sound a little rough, but it should run like clockwork, with no stutters. Is it perfect when warmed up? It could just be that the glow plugs have failed, or some part of the glow plug system has failed. Normally they fail gradually, and it is pretty warm at the moment, so this is unlikely. But since there was very little diesel in the tank, its unlikely that the car would be running well at all on mostly petrol.
The best thing you can do is get someone who knows cars to check it out.

Once it's up and running it seems to be fine, no hitches yet anyway. I don't honestly think it sounds like a diesel engine, it doesn't have that heavy sound. As it's a '99 reg car it should have an older diesel sound I think, as I know the newer ones are more quiet.
I was talking to someone who said that as it's a 2.0L engine, it's unlikely to be diesel.
I think my heartbeat is beginning to come back down to normal levels now.

Blue850

Citroen have a 2.0l diesel engine. Is there any badge on the car identifying the model and engine size.

breanoh

Lift the bonnet, the cover on the engine should say diesel if it is a diesel, otherewide it'll either have an engine size written on it, or nothing at all. is there a sticker saying diesel on the inside of the fuel flap?

colm_mcm

you wont get away with putting petrol in common rail diesels

mike65

I can't belive this thread!

Mike.

KazDub

Thanks for all the tips folks.
Took the bull by the horns and phoned the bro. He laughed his head off at how wound up I'd been.
It's that 'airflow thingymajig' problem someone mentioned.