The Smartest Thing to do After Realising You Put Petrol in a Diesel Car

Starting the engine would be the worst mistake you make after realising that you just put the wrong fuel in your car. A car that runs on diesel needs this exact type of fuel for the engine to operate smoothly. Making the mistake of feeding the car with petrol instead of petrol could prove costly. Quick action is required once you realise this mistake. The quick action should not have anything to do with turning the engine on as this could lead to more problems that would prove costly to remedy.

If the error occurs while you’re on the road, you might have to avoid driving the car any further. The most vulnerable part of the car is the engine. If the engine runs on diesel, it would be a huge error on your part to expose it. Such an accident would not be good news for the engine. Although you should never do such a thing, the saving grace is that putting petrol in a diesel car is a common mistake. Each year, thousands of motorists fill their tanks with the wrong fuel. Mis-fuelling is a common occurrence.

Before learning what to do when misfuelling happens, you should start by educating yourself on the effects of putting petrol in a diesel car. The effects of such a mistake can be catastrophic. Moreover, you also need to understand the factors that can make you commit this error. The biggest cause of misfuelling is tiredness. It’s common for a driver to misfuel because his mind is distracted with something different. Unfamiliarity with the car is a common cause too; hence, the needs for watching out for these factors. Nonetheless, the effects you should worry about are:

• Petrol transforms into a solvent while in diesel. Therefore, it’s likely to hamper lubrication thus damaging the pump extensively as metal contacts metal.
• Petrol is a contaminant. The more it gets into diesel, the more contamination it leaves behind. In many cases, it’s cheaper to fit the car with a new engine than to conduct any kind of repair.
• The damage that petrol in diesel car causes is often too much for vehicle manufacturers to fix.
• Tiny fragments of metals fall of some components of your car before finding their way into the fuel system. This damages the fuel injectors, lines and pump.
• Don’t forget the cost of replacing the damaged or contaminated components. Fuel injectors, fuel lines and fuel filters are expensive and you would need thousands of dollars to replace them all.

So, if that happens, there would be no need for worrying. Here’s what you would need to do:

Don’t turn the key once you’ve filled your diesel car with unleaded

The ignition turns the engine on. Therefore, in such incidences, you should avoid switching the ignition, as this is your best option for protecting the engine. As long as the ignition is off, your next goal should be to drain the petrol out as soon as possible. If you lack the experience and skills to do such a task, you would be better off calling some mechanics to rush to your rescue. Look for mechanics who are knowledgeable on matters such as wrong fuel recovery. Remember, calling the mechanics would be useless if you don’t turn the ignition off.

Pull Over The Car Over

If you were already on the road driving towards your destination and remember that you just put petrol in a diesel car the last time you were at the gas station, your first decision should be to pull over. Don’t stop right on the road, as you could end up causing an accident. Pull over the moment you’re sure that it’s safe to do so. At times, you may never realise the mistake you did. However, your eyes and ears should be alert to notice any slight change the car develops. Some of the signs you should watch out for include:

• Car is hard to start
• Engine refuses to stop once started
• Car runs rough
• Smoky engine
• Smoky exhaust
• Loss of power (which could be sudden or complete)

Don’t unlock the car

If you’re the proud owner of a modern car, the mere act of unlocking its doors would be capable of priming the fuel pump. Before you realise what’s happening, the petrol would have travelled to parts of the engine that it has no business touching. Therefore, don’t press the keyless system to unlock the car. Keep doors closed just as they are. While at it, don’t forget to dial the number of a company that provides towing services to come and tow the car away for further inspection. Your duty is to save the car, which you can do by not giving in to the temptation of unlocking it.

Call Us or a Mechanic 

Unless you know what to do, attempting to rectify the mistake could lead to more problems. The best thing you can do, after turning the engine off and pulling over, is to call an experienced mechanic. In some cases, you might have to dial the number of a person or company that provides tow-truck services. Therefore, be ready to abandon whatever you planned to do. Alternatively, call a cab to take you to your destination. The mechanic might need more time on the car checking to ascertain that everything works well before handing it back to you.

Call the Car Manufacturer

This step is highly recommended for drivers whose cars are under warranty. Taking any remedial measure without calling the manufacturer to inform him about the problem could invalidate the warranty. It’s not just enough to call the manufacturer. You need to give him time to examine the problem before fixing. Involving a local company of mechanics to fix the problem could be costly for you in the long-term. If the car is parked on the side of the road, you would be justified in calling the towing company to tow it to a safe location before deciding what to do next.

Inform Staff at the Gas Station

You’re lucky if you notice misfuelling before leaving the gas station. Many drivers realise there’s a problem long after they left the fuel pump. If you’re still within the premises of the gas station, you should look for one of the staff and narrate the situation to them. The workers educated and know what to do. They know how to handle the situation and prevent it from getting worse. The workers have seen similar cases before. They have received training that makes them equipped to help misfuelling victims.

What You Shouldn’t Do

After realising that there’s a problem, you would be better off taking the measures described above. Some measures are not worth taking as previously stated. For example, you should never believe the myth that says it’s fine to top up the tank you fueled with petrol with the correct type of fuel – diesel. This would only compound the problem and make your car prone to other mechanical problems it never had. The car would be unable of running smoothly. You could also damage the fuel pump further. The engine would eventually fall apart and become useless.

The other myth you should be wary of is that only the manufacturer of the car you drive is capable of fixing the problem. The local mechanics are able to do a stellar job and return the car to you in a great condition. Therefore, your warranty should not make you have to wait for the mechanics from the main dealer or manufacturer to arrive. All mechanics have the knowledge, skills and training required to do a great job. Moreover, the problem needs quick fixing, which would not be possible if you choose to wait for the manufacturer to send mechanics.

DIY solutions are not a good idea. Therefore, avoid trying to solve the problem yourself. Don’t attempt to drain the fuel tank yourself. Furthermore, improper handling of petrol could have disastrous effects to everybody and everything around you. Draining the car of wrong fuel is a tough job. Moreover, you need towing services. You can’t ask a friend to use a rope to tow your car to a safe place before draining it of the wrong fuel. If a friend has to tow you, check that he has an A-frame or fixed rigid tow bar first.

In addition to this, a DIY approach is bad if you lack the cleaning agent needed to flush out the contamination in the fuel injectors and lines. The rubber seals are not exempt from the contamination. Therefore, the rubber seals also need flushing to clean them. Flushing the rubber seals isn’t the only work that the mechanic does. He also has to assess the seals to see whether further damages have taken place. If the level of contamination is too intense, the rubber seals and other contaminated parts would need replacing.

Petrol is smelly. The engine is smelly too. Without the right skills and tools, you could spend more than 2 hours draining the wrong fuel out of the diesel car. The actual time you end up taking to do this job well depends on many factors. It depends on the amount of petrol you wrongly pumped into the diesel car. Before commencing this job, you would need goggles, breathing masks and some gloves. Without such tools, you would have to contend with the problems that are likely to occur after inhaling petrol fumes.

How to Prevent Misfuelling

Nevertheless, if you’re careful, there might never be a need for remembering the guidelines mentioned above. You’re not helpless. You have options. You can make it hard or impossible to commit the costly mistake that could render your car’s engine useless. Don’t forget that the cost of repairing an engine damaged by mis-fueling could run into thousands of dollars if you notice the problem late. If you notice the problem while at the gas station, it would only cost you a few hundred dollars to ask the mechanic to pump the petro out of your diesel car.

You can prevent misfuelling by taking the following measures:

1. Confirming whether your car runs on petrol or diesel
2. Informing everyone who drives the car the fuel it uses
3. Labelling the fuel tank with a sticker marked ‘diesel only’
4. Double-checking fuel pumps at all gas stations you visit
5. Checking the receipt to confirm whether you filled the car with the right fuel

Next, you should look at the possibility of installing a device that makes it impossible to put petrol in a diesel car. Technology has made such devices easy to access and use. Such a device has environmental benefits since it doesn’t produce wastes or contaminate the surrounding. With the device installed, you’re likely to see your insurance premiums falling drastically. The device is a money-saver in addition to being hassle-free way of preventing a potential financially crippling problem. The device prevents mis-fueling physically. It’s easy to install or maintain.

It doesn’t pay to be in a rush while at the gas station. Take time coming out of your car. This helps to bring your mind to the surroundings in case it was wandering all over the place. Taking time is a great way of being at peace, which is necessary if you’re to avoid filling a diesel car with petrol. Keep reminding the workers at the gas station that your car runs on diesel. If you personally pump fuel into your car, check the pump to ascertain that it’s labeled ‘diesel’. Don’t proceed to fuel until you read the pump. Do not ignore the pump’s nozzle too.

Quick Summary

Petrol in a diesel car is a major problem. It can set you back financially, especially at a time of the month when your finances are not in great shape. Therefore, you must be careful to avoid pumping petrol into a car that runs on diesel. Nonetheless, if the mistake has taken place, your main option would be to stop the car, turn off the ignition and call a mechanic to drain the engine for you. Failure to do this could affect your finances greatly and make you unable to drive the car until you replace the damaged engine and the heavily contaminated components.