HAVE YOU FILLED YOUR CAR WITH THE WRONG FUEL-DIESEL IN PETROL AND VICE VERSA? Dont turn on the ignition or start the engine Filled up with the wrong fuel? If youve accidently put the wrong fuel in your car, dont turn on the ignition or start the engine. This will circulate the contaminated fuel and increase the risk of expensive damage. You wouldnt be alone. At least 150,000 drivers put the wrong fuel in their car every year. Thats one every three-and-a-half minutes. It could be a result of being new to the vehicle or simply being distracted while filling up. Misfuelling seems to be associated particularly with the growth in diesel car sales. Modern diesels are so quiet its easy to forget youre driving one, particularly if its a second family car or hire car. Potential damage petrol in diesel tank Diesel fuel pumps operate on very fine tolerances and at very high pressures – modern systems run at between 350 and 1600 bar) – and are lubricated by the fuel. Petrol in diesel acts as a solvent, reducing lubrication, and can cause damage to the pump through metal to metal contact. Metal particles from the damaged pump can be deposited in the fuel causing further damage to the rest of the fuel system. Some fuel system seals can be affected by the compounds in petrol too. The further the contaminated fuel goes in the system the more expensive the repair. In some cases it can be cheaper to fit a new engine! Common rail (or HDi) diesel engines are particularly vulnerable – if fuel contaminated by pump wear debris gets as far as the common rail system you may have to replace the low and high-pressure fuel pumps, injectors, fuel rail, line filters and the fuel tank. Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI) petrol engines are particularly susceptible to damage too. Many cars have a low-pressure electric pump in the tank which starts to work as soon as the ignition is switched on, circulating contaminated fuel through the pump and rail, so its important not to turn the ignition on. Potential damage diesel in petrol tank Fortunately, this one is almost impossible (notice we said almost), since the filler nozzles on diesel fuel dispensers are larger than those on gasoline pumps. The typical slow-fill diesel pump nozzle is 15/16 (24 cm)--fast-fill truck nozzles are even larger, well over 1-inch (25 cm), while the nozzle for a gasoline pump is about 13/16 (21 cm). Simply put, a large diesel spout wont fit in a narrow gasoline filler neck, while a smaller diameter gasoline snout will slip right in a diesel tank opening. But if you do manage to get diesel fuel in your gasoline(PETROL) tank, (and this also is dilution dependent) the engine will probably not even start--and if it does, itll run terribly and probably smoke like a chimney. Engine damage will probably be minimal to none, but a thorough (and expensive) fuel system flush will certainly be in order. Symptoms of diesel in a petrol car Diesel is a heavier fuel than petrol and also more oily. Therefore; The first part that gets affected is the fuel filter, which will tend to clog up quite quickly as diesel is relatively more oily. That itself should begin to make your car stutter and stall. The second part to get affected would be the spark plugs, which will foul up with soot build up because of the diesel mixed with petrol. Your car will emit lots of white smoke as well and lose power before it stalls completely. Symptoms of petrol in a diesel car Diesel engines though are not as forgiving as petrol engines. Putting petrol in a diesel car can lead to even more expensive damage, because in diesel engines, there are parts like the fuel injection pump that depend on the diesel’s lubrication properties to run smoothly. And then there are rubber seals that don’t like the high cleaning, drying properties of petrol as well. However, for a diesel engine to even begin to start showing signs of wrong fuel, it takes quite a while. Initially, there is black smoke due to unburnt fuel, then sluggishness and stalling. It will refuse to start after that. Solution for petrol in a diesel car tank. If youve put petrol in a diesel car, dont turn on the ignition or start the engine as this will circulate the contaminated fuel increasing the risk of damage to the vehicle. The further the contaminated petrol goes in the system the more drastic the impact. In extreme cases it may be cheaper to get a new engine. If the vehicle is still under warranty you should check with your dealer regarding their advice and correct remedial action. If youve added more than 5% (5 litres in a 50 litre tank) petrol – the car shouldnt be started or run and the tank should be drained immediately Solution for Diesel in petrol car tank Dont turn on the ignition or start the car. In line with car manufacturers recommendations, AA advice is that any petrol contaminated with diesel should be removed from the tank and replaced with clean fuel before the ignition is turned on and the car started.
Posted on: Tue, 18 Mar 2014 08:07:49 +0000
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