Refuelling your car is a task usually squeezed in between more important things. Putting petrol in a diesel tank is common, particularly if the vehicle happens to be a dual-cab ute with the large filler neck inlet that accepts hi-flow diesel nozzles. A diesel fuel pump operates on very fine tolerance at high pressures and is lubricated by diesel fuel.
When petrol is added to diesel it reduces its lubrication properties, which can damage the fuel pump through metal-to-metal contact and create metal particles causing significant damage to the rest of the fuel system. Serious engine damage may occur due to detonation caused by uncontrolled petrol ignition under the much higher compression ratio in diesel engines, also known as pre-ignition, detonation or misfire. The best-case scenario will involve a call to NRMA roadside assistance and a tow to a mechanic to drain the tank, fit new filters, and refill the tank.
Already driven the car before realising? If you have already started your vehicle, STOP driving as soon as it is safe to do so. Reduce the risk Always double check the fuel grade indicator on the pump before filling. Call Us Now. That works out as an average of a fuel-based mistake every three minutes. If you have made the mistake of putting diesel in a petrol car, you run the risk of causing serious damage to your vehicle.
It's important to act quickly when you have put the wrong type of fuel into your car, so you can limit that potential damage. It's actually a surprisingly common and easy mistake to make. There are approximately , motorists in the UK who put diesel in a petrol car or the opposite - petrol in a diesel car - and that works out as an average of a fuel-based mistake every three minutes.
So, you're definitely not alone in refuelling incorrectly - but you still need to act quickly. Those fuel pumps are lubricated by diesel fuel itself, as it passes through. Replace that diesel with petrol, and its solvent properties mean the lubrication effect is eliminated too. A fuel pump running without lubrication will soon begin to create internal friction as its metal surfaces grind together. It will then begin to disintegrate, and that in turn creates swarf — potentially microscopic particles of metal that can do even more damage to your car's engine further down the line.
They force fuel into the engine cylinders through very fine holes, and with a carefully engineered spray pattern. If swarf gets as far as the injection system it will simply block some or all of the holes, and a replacement common rail injector system will potentially cost thousands of pounds. At the very least, the entire system will need to be inspected and assessed for damage, as well as flushed through with a cleaning agent by your garage. In fact, misfuelling recovery specialists such as Fuel Doctor reckon many motorists have driven off forecourts without realising the dangers, only calling for help when their engines stutter and stall a few miles down the road — without long-term adverse effects.
However, driving a diesel car with petrol in the tank will cause serious and expensive damage in fairly short order, and the potential cost of extensive repair is not worth the gamble. Even if you get away with running the engine or driving without damage, the incident will still be more expensive.
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