Putting petrol into diesil car and running for 3/4 mile?

Question

Having driven petrol car for 20yrs, I bought new high performance diesil Vectra.Being a total **** I Filled with petrol instead od diesil, run it for 3/4 mile to my home before engine started making noises and died on me!!! How serious is this and can engine be salvaged??? ( car brand new)

Answer 1

diesel is an oil so it lubricates the injector pump and the injectors , petrol is not a lubricant so it can damage them but if you have only driven a short distance i would say there is no damage . the reason the car cut out is simply because it is a compression igniton ( c.i ) engine ( diesel ) compared to a spark ignition ( s.i ) engine ( petrol ) and petrol needs the spark to ignite and diesel engines dont have them therefore the petrol will not combust properly and the engine will not run.

its still not a very cheap job having the tank removed and drained and all the fuel lines purged but its a lot cheaper than replacing the injector pump etc .

also a lot of the replies said about the head being damaged , thats nonsense because a diesel engine is built stronger because it has to withstand higher compression ratios than petrol engines.

its not as bad as putting diesel in a petrol car cos diesel will eat the fuel pipes and rubber seals in the petrol injection system , very expensive.

just learn from this mistake and remember next time , BLACK NOZZLE lol

Answer 2

Diesil engines are tough so the engine may survive but it will likely need some repairs. Insurance should cover it. Have the fuel system drained and flushed then try it with the proper fuel. Don't feel too stupid its a common enough mistake.

PS I've known some people to run their diesels on vegetable oil, ( But given that was the origional fuel this type of engine was designed for thats no consolation)

Answer 3

Petrol in a diesel won't have done too much damage (diesel in a petrol car is far worse!). It is a very common mistake, so don't feel too daft !



Petrol ignites quicker than diesel (hence why people use petrol to start fires rather than diesel). When you compress petrol it ignites quicker which in turn changes the timing of the engine which makes it "pink" i.e. splutter. The only think it may have damaged permanently are the little rubber seals (o-rings) in the fuel system.



Remedy - get it towed to a garage (or call RAC/AA), get the petrol out of the tank, fill it with fresh diesel and you shouldn't have any problems.



Good luck

Answer 4

Oh dear Scott, not a good one, this. My husband did the same thing to his Skoda Fabia when he was overtired one night after driving buses all day. He called the AA immediately, and was told not to drive it ANYwhere - it ruins the engine and can - and usually does - mean a new engine.



The AA took it to the local dealer where the engine was drained completely of the petrol and diesel was put in instead. They charged £100 + the cost of the diesel, and saved us the best part of £2,000 for a re-con engine.



Your best idea with a brand new car (ouch!!!!) is either to consider suicide or have a close look at your insurance policy. I recommend the latter. :-) Best of luck.

Answer 5

your engine is ok . you need to drain the tank ( pop up the back seat ) under there you will see a big rubber grommet pop this off and you will see the top of your tank , with a screwdriver or blunt chisel tap round the bezel ( anticlockwise ) (3 parts to this , bezel ,fuel pump , rubber ring )syphon out the petrol (make sure you get it all out of the reserve part of the tank ) ( i generaly use old rags to soak up the remainder ) drain the fuel filter then fill it with fresh diesel , next you have to crack open your injector`s turn the engine until there is no remaining fuel coming out of them . re connect the injectors , put fresh fuel into your tank via the grommet , replace the rubber ring and the bezel ( you may need to use a bit of vasaline to pop the rubber ring into place ) now change the fuel filter completely fill it with fresh diesel ,crack open the last injector (gearbox end ) turn the engine until fuel pump`s out of it . then you may need to tow your car around the block to get it started as there is no lift pump (fuel bleed pump) on this model of car . hey guess what you just saved yourself £300 from a garage ................... good luck contact my wife`s email if you have any problems and i will guide you through it . oh by the way i have been a vauxhall fitter for the past 20 years , this is the wife`s computer .........

Answer 6

Diesel fuel is heavier than petrol, so it depends how much diesel was in the tank to start with. Dont try and start engine again.

Dont take it back to the dealer you purchased it from, take it to a friendly independant who can purge the tank , change fuel filter and you should be ok, it happens every day and it is not as bad as some garages make out.

Expect to pay about £100.

Answer 7

congratulations 300 people a day do this the bad news is are you ready for this new petrol tank new fuel lines new diesel pump new diesiel injectors new injector rail you dont say if it is a turbo deisel or not if it is cylinder head will also need skimmed petrol burns at a higher temp therefore the noise you have probably heard is piston slap caused by extra heat in the block and she will need reboring as well about four grand of damage better get the credit card out

Answer 8

You won't need a new engine though it'll cost you a few bucks,getting the fuel tank emtied and the fuel system flushed ,injectors cleaned etc but you'll b okay.It's not as bad as putting diesel in a petrol. Also i have to say that Dirty n is a ****.

Answer 9

ugh... not good news. gas (petrol) burns much hotter and quicker than diesel, which will overheat the combustion chambers of a diesel and potentially burn them beyond use. But with only 3/4 of a mile, I doubt that happened. I would tow the vehicle to a shop and have them completely flush the fuel lines out, then re-supply it with diesel. Crank the engine over without starting it (if possible, I am not familiar with that vehicle) until you have pure diesel at the injectors, then cross your fingers and fire it up. Maybe change the oil. Good luck to you.

Answer 10

You are now looking at a complete engine overhaul. The whole fuel system will need to be flushed and free from traces of the petrol, which in a nutshell, is very costly and time consuming. As you pay your local grease monkey per hour, I'm sure this is one hell of a costly mistake.

(The Diesel is the black pump....sorry couldn't help that dig!)

Answer 11

No harm no foul. Motor will be OK. Now the real problem what do you do with 50L of gasoline mixed with diesel? Lots of lawn mowers in your area? Find a proper place to get rid of bad fuel then have Mechanic with a tech2 or automotive test box run the fuel pump until the tank runs dry into containers to dispose.

Answer 12

Probably engine can be salvaged, but you have to completely drain the fuel tank and flush the system. Then try a restart and hope you are OK. Good Luck.

Answer 13

Don't you just hate it when you get conflicting answers!



You haven't travelled far so I suspect you have made no lasting damage. You will need it to be flushed - but ring round and get quotes first. I have heard some people being quoted £160 and others £800 for exactly the same job!



Don't beat yourself up too much about it, your not the first and you won't be the last!

Answer 14

I had a friend do the same thing, but she was lucky in that she realized before she drove off, so had the car towed to the mechanics. I am afraid that you may have a big problem as I know the girls husband was so relieved that she hadn't driven it. I hope it doesn't cost you too much!

Answer 15

Your car is the new type fuel system.The petrol can damage the vein's in the fuel pump.Other than that it should be ok.Your fuel should be drained ,fuel filter changed ,then started to see what it sounds like ,if your lucky it will be ok.

Answer 16

That is deadly to a diesel. Even if the engine is ok, chances are you have damaged the injectors, injection pump, or both. Expensive!

Answer 17

this can **** up the pump

how ever you my be looky tank has to be drained

fresh fuel put in then new fuel filter ( this will be full of petrol)

then engine will need bleeding

but this will need some one who knows what there doing

good look

Answer 18

new diesel engines.with electronic injectors.It will damage the pump and injectors.petrol will thin out diesel so it will loose its lubricating effect.Once you clean out the petrol it will run ok.but the damage is done.So it could break after 15000 or 30000miles

Answer 19

Need new motor, so sorry.





I did this in the 70's when diesel was cheaper than gas. Insurance should cover you.

Answer 20

Its Buggered.

Sorry, you will need a new engine.

The noises you heard was the engine ripping itself to bits.

Answer 21

Ouch. I don't have an answer; just an old diesel driver. Call your dealer, you aren't the first.

Answer 22

Probably new engine time.

Answer 23

Drain the system.

Answer 24

Hah Hah... God you're an a s s! Thanks for the lift to my day:-)

Answer 25

you must pray thaat it can