I very recently had the very unfortunate experience of putting petrol in my vw Passat tdi tank ,it was about 8 litres,after having a few words with myself and refusing to either move or start the car ,until I'd spoken to the AA who had a garage phone me with a quote to remove the said petrol from tank at £190 ,and a few words of advice from sympathetic taxi drivers decided to fill the tank to the brim with diesel and hope for best.
But i'm wondering whether it may have better to pay the 190 quid for the piece of mind.
Last edited by the big fella; 9th August 2013 at 12:34.
If it was me? I would have paid the £190.
I guess it might depend on how advanced your diesel engine is. The older ones can deal with chip oils and the like. The newer, common rail types are much more sensitive and might not be happy with a 15% mix of unleaded.
Good luck.
It's an 06 model tdi I definitely would not advise trying it with a common rail diesel engine, it's had about 90 litres of diesel on top of it and a 3/4bottle of millers fuel additive ,I've done about 300 miles up to now, but theirs always the chance it could come back and bite me on the arse.
The TDI pages have a few suggestions, although I have not personally tested them:
http://www.tdiclub.com/TDIFAQ/TDiFAQ-8.html#n
I have heard similar stories in the past and no long term damage has been reported. The mian problem with petrol in a diesel engine is the lack of lubrication, apparently. Diesel is much more 'oily' whereas petrol isn't...this is what causes the problems. With mix of fuels, you will literally dilute the problem but i would suggest to keep topping up with fuel to keep the tank as full as possible to keep reducing the petrol element of the mix. The fact that the engine was not started with just the petrol in will also help.
I would hope you should be ok, good luck. Oh, and I bet you wont make the same mistake again
06 is common rail isn't it?Originally Posted by the big fella
It should be fine - as long as you keep it topped up with Diesel all the time - don't let it go half full - once at a quarter filling it up would be best. I think a good rule of thumb is 10% or less should be fine. You may get away with more - 15%-20%, any more than 15% imo and you really are looking for trouble - so it depends on the size of the tank. Ideally, you should have a syphon in your garage/boot and you can pump it out if it happens - then refill it all the way.
Quite simply, a diesel car will not run on petrol - so, it will stop. Worst case would usually be, new fuel filter, possibly pump and injectors. It would be quite difficult to find the perfect fuel ratio of petrol to diesel to let the car run and cause damage - although I'm sure it is possible.
It's just a matter of time...
I've done this before. The old guy at the filling station told me to fill it to the brim with diesel, and keep doing it every time the level dropped slightly.
I had about 10 litres in the tank before I realised. So I stuck about 45 litres of diesel in the tank and did what he said.
No issues. BMW diesel engine.
You'll probably be alright. You seem to have put enough diesel in to dilute it down. The engine can run on a wide range of fuel qualities.
As it's done now and there's really nothing else you can do, I would put it down to experience and stop worrying about it. But use it as a reminder not to do it again.
PS, I have also done it and it's a horrible feeling when it dawns on you what you've done!
I haven't noticed any shuddering or anything else I've topped it up twice to keep diluting the petrol putting a 100mils of millers thus over dosing each time' I've topped up using BP ultimate diesel up to now it's running like a top.
I dont think Ive got my head round this, if you keep topping off , little and often, then your just maintaining the mix more or less arnt you? If you fill the tank then use the tank, the ratio of petrol to diesel will be the same until its empty, why not use half a tank, then top up with diesel and you have diluted the mix with more diesel to petrol?
Edit...Nope.... I see where your coming from now, just take every opportunity to dilute the mix would be best...
Cheers..
Jase
My thinking was that diesel is heavier than petrol ,thus the petrol keeps coming to the top of the tank so at what point does it pass through the engine ?
Last edited by the big fella; 9th August 2013 at 11:55.
That's good news, I wouldn't stress.
I was linking to this bit about petrol in the tank; it may have overshot into the next section (about misfiring):
Accidentally filled tank with gasoline - now what?- If the tank was mostly filled with diesel, and the gasoline is a smaller proportion so that the engine still runs, the best remedy appears to be to buy a container of injector lubricant additive and cetane boost additive, and "overdose" it to protect the injection pump. Fill the tank completely with diesel to dilute the gasoline as much as possible, and keep driving. In the interest of protecting the engine, it would be prudent to avoid high engine speeds or high engine loads until the gasoline is sufficiently diluted.If the tank has more gasoline than diesel fuel in it, the engine won't run on that mixture. It will be necessary to drain the tank and re-fill it with diesel. If the car was driven to the point of stalling, it will also be necessary to drain the injection pump housing and replace the fuel filter, and re-prime both of these with diesel fuel.The expense and aggravation caused by all this should be a sufficient reminder to not do it again.
I put about a tenners worth in on top of a 1/4 tank when I realised because I looked at the pump and thought that's cheap diesel,then I thought oh you silly billy amongst other things like you fu@k@ing idiot.
I'm not sure what the tank holds I think it's around 70 litres ,a taxi driver told me to top it up to the brim and keep throwing 5 -10 quid in each time it dropped , I started adding the millers in myself up to now I've been to north wales in it 4 times from Liverpool.
It's just over the 3/4 mark now so i'll top it up again with the millers on top it won't be long before it's running on the millers,lol
Last edited by the big fella; 9th August 2013 at 12:30.
8 litres in a 60-70 litre tank? Barely even worth worrying over.
The Millers was a waste, as it won't convert petrol into diesel.
Just keep topping up, and it'll be gone within another tankful.
I know a few people who have been through this & I would have had it drained as the fuel pump etc. relies on diesel for lubrication, that said where you are now I would leave the filler cap off as petrol is more volatile than diesel & should evaporate off.
I expect you will be OK as have heard of newer cars being filled & driven & still OK after a drain.
The petrol is completely mixed in with the diesel, so with such a small amount, it will just feel like a poorer batch of the fuel. With that ratio there should still be enough lubrication, so I wouldn't worry about it.
Petrol is lighter than diesel, but they mix well, and don't separate once mixed, so the theory that petrol will just float on top in a swirling tank of diesel is simply not true (think of milk and coffee). Which is a good thing in this case as your engine will at no time get a dose of pure petrol, which would be really bad, and instead will just get a very mild mixture.
In short, don't worry about it.
Adi
I actually thought about the evaporation theory and it probably would have been viable last week up in north wales ,but as i am now back in liverpool it's not viable ,although it probably wouldn't be long before some bright spark came along and emptied the tank for me.
Problem solved! Free fuel drainage and disposal on the next occurrence.
It's probably given the internals a bit of a clean.
Given the quantities involved nothing to worry about, keep topping up for a while then revert to normal.
LOL it's most definatly given the internals of my wallet a bit of clean that i do know.It's probably given the internals a bit of a clean.
Given the quantities involved nothing to worry about, keep topping up for a while then revert to normal.
Now if you had put diesel into a petrol engine, then you would have problems.
I bought 2 bottles of the millers i'm not really sure wether it's waste or not ,i've gone though a 500ml bottle with the hope it will add lubracation to the diesel more than likely wasn't needed but i don't think it will cause any harm either so, i may as well use it up.
Last edited by the big fella; 9th August 2013 at 15:27.
It's just very slightly diluted Diesel I have seen a diesel struggle with 3/4 a tank full of Petrol and eventually fail stuttering to a standstill just turning over, the rep who did was sacked as this was the second time he had done it.
I think you will be fine give it an Italian tune up...............
Ok enlighten me an Italian tune up ? i'm guessing put my foot down.
Was a good guess i think i'll wait till i've got a couple cyclist's behind me at the lights though.
I could do with a bit of a laugh after this.
Last edited by the big fella; 9th August 2013 at 15:35.
Don't be an asshole.
I was joking,i'm not that evil ,although i do have a long deep hatred of traffic wardens.
Last edited by the big fella; 9th August 2013 at 16:11.
My Dad completely filled his (nearly empty) diesel with petrol, drove about 50 miles to my house (amazingly with the car going ok). When he came to restart - no go. He was extremely concerned he'd buggered the engine.
One (expensive) fuel drain, a refill with diesel, and a huge amount of stress/embarassment later, the car was going again. This was about 18 months ago, and it's been fine ever since - so I wouldn't worry about a few litres of petrol mixed in with the diesel. Just top it up with more diesel would dilute it down to be on the safe side.
It certainly won't do any harm, but I don't consider Millers fuel treatments as all that much better than Wynn's or Holt's Redex.
For me, proper/effective fuel treatment comes from BG Products and Redline.
As for doing an "Italian tune-up" on a diesel – pointless unless you've been tootling around town or crawling in stop-start traffic, in which case the DPF hasn't had a chance to run the regen cycle.
Sitting at a steady speed on the motorway for a half hour or so, will take care of that – revving the bollocks off the engine won't do diddly in a diesel, but is relatively effective on a petrol engine for the CATs.
Even so, it's not going to be as effective as proper chemistry to remove stubborn carbon deposits and build-up from the crown, EGR valve, and intake and exhaust valves.
But as much as you'll research those brands I've mentioned, do so separately from thinking you need them to "fix" your petrol in the diesel fuel tank concern – I've already pointed out that you're worrying needlessly.
I wouldn't worry. I always used to our a couple of gallons of petrol per tank in my old diesel Discovery during the cold winters when I lived in North Wales. Stopped the diesel from turning to wax when it was -15C. The engine was still going strong at 230,000 miles when I sold it.
Petrol at these concentrations burns in the diesel engine with no worries... the issue here is the diesel also acts as a lubricant for the high tolerance, high speed centrifugal fuel pumps that supply modern common-rail injectors with operating pressures well in excess of 2000bar (29000psi). Too much petrol in the mix and you run the risk of ineffective lubrication and catastrophic pump failure.
The likelihood is with your level of dilution it will be ok, and once mixed (as adigra mentioned above) it will stay mixed.
If for extra peace of mind you want to do carry out a "belt & braces" option here however (short of full drain and replace); add mono-grade SAE 30w mineral motor oil* at a ratio of 25:1 (that's 25:1 in regard to the quantity of petrol you accidentally put in (i.e. 320ml in your case)) to your fuel tank. The easiest way to do this is put the 320ml oil in a 5 litre can, three quarter fill it with diesel at the pump, shake well and add to your tank... :)
*Although it might cross your mind, don't be tempted to use a 2-stroke oil, they have lots of additives that certainly won't help your scenario, may adversely affect your DPF and they are also designed to be "sticky" to help coat bearing surfaces operating at much lower tolerances and speeds than a CR pump. The use of a pure mono-grade SAE 30w mineral motor oil is the most effective, cleanest and "gentle" way of lubing the petrol you added and if memory serves me correctly, this trick of the trade originated from US oil industry test data (probably 2-stroke test data).
Last edited by studs; 9th August 2013 at 20:07.
I'm actually a big fan of the bg products ,and thought about putting a can of 244 in i ,usually add it after a service although i didn't this year for some unknown reason ,i was also on their site looking for the silk product but couldn't seem to find it on the site,but for me the bg244 will be going in very shortly.
I felt the millers was better than the redex and thought it better than nothing at the time but it does seem to be runnig quite well at the moment.
Last edited by the big fella; 9th August 2013 at 21:46.
I'm not actually sure wether the engine is common rail it's on a 06 plate but with the 1.9 vw tdi which i was thinking was different to the common rail engine ,but wether it is or not i haven't got a clue ,with regaurds to the belt and braces i'll have a word with the guy i use to see if he thinks it would be worth while because knowing me i'll just f@@k it up.
Last edited by the big fella; 9th August 2013 at 21:50.
Happened to me with a previous older tdi Passat, instead I half filled the tank with petrol before I realised the mistake. All i did was to fill the rest up with diesel and then keep topping the tank with diesel at regular intervals. Except for being a bit rough now and again the engine survived no problem infact I never had any engine problems up until i sold itI sold it a few years later.
Diesel's were originally designed to take a wide variety of fuels and this was borne out at the time I was also using modified veg oil as a fuel, so I doubt you'll have any long term issues as long as you nurse the car along for a while.
50% petrol - I would say you were unusually lucky.
It's just a matter of time...
Go for the 248 instead.
The Boron Silk you're referring to has been dropped in favour of Archoil, which they are distributor for, just like they were for Boron Silk.
I'd be interested to see more info on the Bardhal stuff – I know they were one of, if not the first "producer" of oil with added 'buckyballs', like Millers has done since about March this year.
Last edited by PJ S; 10th August 2013 at 14:29.
Put 20litres of petrol in my BMW 320D once. Topped it up with diesel & kept topping it for a week or so. No noticeable effects noted.
Any update?
Hopefully should be ok.
Don't add a fuel treatment like millers.
In your situation add some fully synth two stroke oil, it'll help lube the pump and injectors. .
I don't want to go through this, so we have one of these fitted:
http://www.misfuellingprevention.co.uk/
Clever little devil... means I can't put petrol in our diesel Merc.
If you have the tools and inclination you could try to drain the tank yourself, you could disconnect the the fuel line at the filter and pump the tank out then brim to dilute any residual petrol left inside. Depends on your time frame but I reckon you could buy an appropriate pump and a few jerry cans for half of the 190 quid!
No incidents to report as yet, I've done near 500 miles the tank is at 3/4 ,i'll top it back up again today with a bit of luck should be out of the woods now.
Thanks to everyone for the Advice much appreciated.
I put 15 litres in a Peugeot 306tdi many years ago, I found the fuel line and pulled it off by the primer pump int the engine bay and just pumped it out very slowly (took about an hour filling old wine bottles) then put a full tank off diesel in. I understand petrol in a diesel engine is not as bad as the other way round and it makes sense with the sizing off the fuel nozzles being that way round.
Don't worry at all. Truckers have been adding petrol to diesel for years when running in cold climates (it stops them waxing).
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