Petrol in a diesel engine

[FredTransit]

Some plant who works for us (not for a lot longer at this rate) has put 39L of petrol (on top of only less than a quater of a tank) into a 2.5 Di with a Lucas pump. I didn't know this, so when I went over to try and get it started (!) you can imagine the shock I had when it started belching white smoke and firing so badly I though the head gasket had gone. It was only when he said it was fine before he parked, and he had just filled up I inspected the reciept and found what he had done. I did give the engine a fair few revs in the hope it would clear before I found out. Could I have done any damage? The tank is being drained tomorrow but we are off to Paris again on wednesday, so can't be without another van.

[Terry]

Hate to say iy but I feel sure this topic has been discussed
on here before.
If you drain the tank, I am sure you will get away with it !
I put about a 50/50 mix in mine and it didn't like it but it was O.K.

[FredTransit]

Thanks for that, I had a feeling it might have been said before, but with the day I have had I am too knackered to look!

[bortaf]

Me mum did the same thing in her LDV (land rover 2.1/4 diesel) topped up to 75% diesel and it never ran so well in it's life really cleaned those injectors out
Should be ok as long as no-one reved the shite out of the van

[gazza]

yup. no worries there, 89 1.8d orion full tank of petrol. phone call 'my cars running rough can you have a look?' 'no probs' get there quick check of car, rub chin, whip out fuel filter, thats not derv....... drain tank fill with diesel runs sweet as. car is now in my ownership has passed several mot's since with flying colours, apart from the inconvinience petrol makes very good injector cleaner hope you get it drained and refilled without much bother

[madmark]

yes fred get the tank as empty as you can fill with diesel and away you go, now if it was one of your pinto,s then you would have a big bill on your hands!

[rover]

Yep, I agree with everyone else, I have had to drain loads of diesel tanks that had petrol put in, change the fuel filter, crack the injectors and it will be fine. You may get the odd belch of smoke every now and then over the next few weeks....


Rover.

[jay]

I have done that fred on a previous tranny DI...I put about £20 in before i noticed it was petrol...al i done was fill up with diesal it ran a bit lumpy when the tank got to 3/4 tank i just kept filling up with diesal till all was ok.I sold the van and its still going well 2 years later..

[baconsdozen]

Hello Fred,I thinks you'll have guessed by the replies you should be OK.As long as it isn't done for too long a drop of petrol makes a good injector cleaner.It doesn't lubricate the injection pump though which is where trouble eventually comes from.I once did the opposite and filled my BMW with derv.Didn't even realise till the thing started knocking and the smoke looked better than any dragsters burn out.I managed to get it home and after draining and filling with petrol it ran OK till some low life knicked it.

[FredTransit]

yes fred get the tank as empty as you can fill with diesel and away you go, now if it was one of your pinto,s then you would have a big bill on your hands!

But somebody did put diesel in a pinto (unbeleivebly my nephew!), on the motorway coming back from Edinborough. After a few miles of oblitorating both carriageways, we gave up trying to run it through and calle the RAC, who drained the tank. Got back to london and much more fine. Have the van still but not the engine, I lasted well with no long term effects. If it had a cat, it would have been another matter. What damage could have been done then? Didn't think it was as serious diesel in petrol.

[madmark]

you were lucky ,normaly diesel in petrol is major if its been run to long ,head off ,valves etc,

[noiseman]

In addition to the above comments it is generally worse for a diesel engine to have petrol in it than vice-versa.

I think the tranny engines get away with it as they are relatively a basic designed system. Most modern common rail diesels and their high pressure pumps simply cannot tolerate petrol. If it gets into the cylinders and ignites, it'll probably be melt-down time!!

I feel that you will be very unlikley to get away with it in a modern engine. Once you turn the key you're staring a big bill in the face, drain it first and you'll probably get away with a bill from the garage and a contaminated waste fuel disposal fee!!

Can't win really.

[jay]

I have also put petrol in a diesal car it was a 1998 mondeo turbo diesal the car was almost out of diesal and it was late and i was in a hurry i put 10 pounds of petrol in it paid and left got about 5 miles away and i had a sudden thought just as the car started to shudder a bit.got it to the filling station and had done about 10 miles in total and filled it up with diesal and after the diesal got through it ran better than before as bacondozen said it must work like a fuel cleaner..Never done the car any harm and went through a mot 9 months later

[maddogf3]

Its the Cat that gets damaged it overheats because of higher combustion temperatures
That cause the cat to overheat and melt resulting in a blocked exhaust .Garages like to take the tank out and clean all the fuel lines and a new filter , why because they can then ligitimately charge £300
Cats dont like going over 900deg

[rover]

Its the Cat that gets damaged it overheats because of higher combustion temperatures
That cause the cat to overheat and melt resulting in a blocked exhaust .Garages like to take the tank out and clean all the fuel lines and a new filter , why because they can then ligitimately charge £300
Cats dont like going over 900deg

And I charge a £30 call out+ the price of a new filter to get the same results..... I must be going wrong somewhere


Rover.