Its finally happened...

arybvtcw0eolkf

After driving diesels for the last twenty plus years you'd think I would be the last to mistakenly put petrol into a diesel engine - but low and behold I done it last night!..

I put €15- petrol into the tank last night, there was an indicated 200kms left in the tank. I realised by mistake, rang around and was advised that filling the rest of the tank with diesel would be safe..

So thats what I did, it took another €27- diesel to fill the tank.

So I'm guessing I've about a 25% petrol to diesel mix at the moment.

I drove the car last night, its running fine. But starting it was a bitch, however this morning it started first time.

Have I escaped trouble or is the devil lurking in the background?.

The car is a 2006 Octavia 1.9tdi

Vanbis

Mairt wrote: »

EIR-FB-2222921
, rang around and was advised that filling the rest of the tank with diesel would be safe..

So thats what I did, it took another €27- diesel to fill the tank.

I still think its a bit early to say, sounds like you might be ok but if i was you i would go back to a garage and top it up with more Diesel again.

GreeBo

Isnt diesel more dense than petrol?
So everytime you let them sit will the petrol not separate to the top and so it will start find in the mornings, but sooner or later you will run out of diesel and hit the petrol and kerplunk, engine toast?
I'd drain the sucker out and get someone to take a look.


/edit Diesel is denser but it appears that once mixed they will stay mixed.
Google seems to advise keep diluting it as advised above, but you dont want to run a mix thats higher than 25% petrol as it can damage hoses etc.
What sort of percentage do you reckon you are at now?
Might be worthwhile draining it anyway (or drain half and refile with diesel again)

L-M

Vanbis wrote: »

I still think its a bit early to say, sounds like you might be ok but if i was you i would go back to a garage and top it up with more Diesel again.

Aye, just keep diluting it. It can't do it any harm to be diluting it. There isn't much else you can do unless you get the petiesel out:P

A hose should do the trick for this. Then maybe at some fuel supplement to the tank to give it a good clear out.

arybvtcw0eolkf

Vanbis wrote: »

I still think its a bit early to say, sounds like you might be ok but if i was you i would go back to a garage and top it up with more Diesel again.

But petrol is cheaper :P

Thanks for the replies guys..

L-M

Mairt wrote: »

But petrol is cheaper :P

Thanks for the replies guys..

Lol, you won't be saying that when you get the bill for a mucked up engine :P

nialler

My old boss puts about €5 worth of petrol with every diesel fill, don't ask me why but he just does.

BlackWizard

nialler wrote: »

My old boss puts about €5 worth of petrol with every diesel fill, don't ask me why but he just does.

Maybe he thinks it will help in freezing winters. But it really doesn't get that cold here.

jhegarty

Perhaps he ready something about diesels in the 1970's and thinks it still applies today.

January

WikiAnswers says you should get it drained straight away... I can loan you my AA card if ya want

old boy

petrol cleans a desiel engine, an indie near me always puts 15 lids of petrol in a desiel car 2 days before the n.c.t.

crosstownk

As stated earlier, keep diluting it and hopefully you might just escape without further consequences. I've seen it done plenty of times with no further problems.

Bobo78

But what would happen if you put diesel in petrol engine?

crosstownk

Bobo78 wrote: »

But what would happen if you put diesel in petrol engine?

With most modern petrols that would be impossible. The nozzle of a diesel pump is larger than a petrol and will not physically fit into the neck of an unleaded petrol tank.

eringobragh

I remember a while ago there was a guy on the dragonsden that had a device that prevented a petrol nozzle from being inserted into a diesel cap.

Seth Brundle

GreeBo wrote: »

Isnt diesel more dense than petrol?
So everytime you let them sit will the petrol not separate to the top and so it will start find in the mornings, but sooner or later you will run out of diesel and hit the petrol and kerplunk, engine toast?
I'd drain the sucker out and get someone to take a look.


/edit Diesel is denser but it appears that once mixed they will stay mixed.
Google seems to advise keep diluting it as advised above, but you dont want to run a mix thats higher than 25% petrol as it can damage hoses etc.
What sort of percentage do you reckon you are at now?
Might be worthwhile draining it anyway (or drain half and refile with diesel again)

When the car is being driven, it will mix the two fuels and fairly quickly, the petrol will be used up.

eringobragh

Heres what was on the dragons den might be an idea!

http://www.misfuellingprevention.co.uk/

bazz26

It is a good thing it is the old 1.9 TDi that you put petrol in. Had it being one of the newer common rail diesel engines you could have been looking at an expensive repair bill.

ronnie3585

old boy wrote: »

petrol cleans a desiel engine, an indie near me always puts 15 lids of petrol in a desiel car 2 days before the n.c.t.

Ive heard this from a few people. Does anyone know the science behind this or is it just an old wives tale?

Dartz

The way I hear it, it's not the engine itself that's damaged... petrol will detonate just as happily as diesel fuel (Some tanks run on any mixture of both), it's the fuel pumps and injectors that suffer. Petrol just doesn't have the same lubricity as diesel, so it will wear out the moving parts of the fuel system that rely on diesel oil's ability to lubricate, not to mention attacking the seals and such. In the 19th century, Petrol was originally used as an excellant... if worryingly flammable... degreaser. It was widely available in chemists.

That said, as long as you didnt run it on neat petrol, it should be fine.

This sounds like something for Mythbusters.

ScouseMouse

adrieanne__x wrote: »

WikiAnswers says you should get it drained straight away... I can loan you my AA card if ya want

The small print of the AA says that they cannot help in this instance.

antodeco

eringobragh wrote: »

I remember a while ago there was a guy on the dragonsden that had a device that prevented a petrol nozzle from being inserted into a diesel cap.

Possibly a pair of glasses and the ability to read

Sorry couldnt resist

arybvtcw0eolkf

antodeco wrote: »

Possibly a pair of glasses and the ability to read

Sorry couldnt resist

LOL, and to think that I can do both!.

I'd to actually lean accross the diesel pump to get to the petrol!.. I made an effort to get it so wrong!.

Thanks for all the replies guys, the car is still running grand. I'll service her next week when the petrol should have ran through and say a prayer thanking the Gods!.

Type 17

Should be ok, as you didn't put too much petrol in - however, filling an empty diesel to the neck with petrol and driving a km or so is enough to ruin the fuel pump and other parts of the fuel system - let's be careful out there...

I've seen the results of putting diesel in a petrol car (an older one without a catalytic converter, which had a filler neck that would take any size of nozzle): down on power, due to the low octane of diesel, and so much white smoke out the back that you couldn't see while driving behind it! However, no damage to the engine or fuel system, just a fuel tank draining and all was ok again.

CyberGhost

Haha, happened to my dad a while go, and he filled the whole tank with pertrol on his 525d.

We had to sip it out with a small tube, at the pertrol station.

I was happy though, I got free pertrol