Liviu Marcus
It is such a goofy thing to do, but people pour diesel into their petrol cars. Nevertheless, this common mistake is still very problematic and could lead to bigger concerns if taken lightly.
What to do if you have put the wrong fuel
When you realise that is already late and you have realized that you did it, you must do the following.
- If you have not even moved off from the filling station, do not start your car. Inform the station staff to help you move and push the car to a side. Put the car in neutral and move it to a safe spot till help arrives from your workshop.
- If you have started moving with the wrong fuel on your car, immediately find a safe spot to bring your car to a stop. Shut down your engine completely. Call for help from any car services you are familiar with or at ease with to help you with the situation.
Damage from pouring petrol in diesel car
Pouring petrol in diesel car can hurt your car way more than the other way around. Diesel engines and fuel pump uses diesel itself to lubricate its parts to a great degree, whereas petrol is a poor lubricant. This causes the metal parts in the engine and fuel pump to work under greater resistance that chips off metal from the parts and running it inside the fuel lines can clog your fuel lines and ultimately damage your engine.
Also putting petrol in a diesel car is way more common and easier as the diesel nozzles are bigger in size than the petrol ones. So, petrol nozzles easily fit inside a diesel tank.
Although pouring petrol in a diesel car is not that common just because the diesel nozzle does not really fit in most of the petrol, but still some individuals manage to pour it in their car accidentally. It is also not as catastrophic as petrol in a diesel car, but it can still damage the engine. Diesel can clog up on the spark plugs causing misfiring and making the car emit smoke due to the unburnt diesel inside. Your petrol engine may eventually stall on diesel completely.
Repairs
In case of pouring petrol in a diesel car, the repairs may cost you a lot if you happen to start the car on petrol. In case of running the engine on petrol for a considerable amount of time, you may need to replace your fuel pump, fuel lines and even engine repairs depending upon the degree of damage done.
Whereas adding diesel in a petrol car can much easily be repaired by cleaning off the spark plugs and draining all the diesel out and replacing it with petrol. Simply running it back on petrol for 5 to 10 minutes will self-clean most of the diesel from the system.
Conclusion
Do pay attention at the boards on the filling station before pouring fuel inside your vehicle. Avoid using phone while refueling, also a little sticker inside the fuel lid, about the fuel type can also remind you to recheck what fuel you should be pouring in.
