What A Muppet
 

today i put unleaded petrol in my diesel vw passat anyone know the best way to get it out.only done about 4 mile so hopefully no damage.

Re: What A Muppet
 

i got a vw passat tdi aswell, i was told that putting petrol in a diesel wasn't as bad as putting diesel in a petrol, was also told if you put a higher percentage of diesel in with the petrol the car will run (badly) till the tank is used up. let me know how you get on.

Re: What A Muppet
 

cheers for that, im happy its not too bad then.id been out on the bike then got straight in the car lol

Re: What A Muppet
 

Heard the same - expect it will run a bit LUMPY ;)

Re: What A Muppet
 

Be carefull as it could damage the injectors & pump, depends on how much petrol you put in, if it was nearly a tankfull then you wont be able to alter the mix by filling the rest with diesel. The injectors & pump aparently get lubed by the diesel, if there is too much petrol in the mix than diesel then it wont get lubed and will seeze up, very costly.

There are varing reports on if its ok or not, so decide yourself if you are willing to take the risk and not based on reports from other people.

Re: What A Muppet
 

Think i will drain the tank to be on the safe side.

Re: What A Muppet
 

Fifth Gear on the telly ran a test on wrong fueling both types of cars. They said both types were fine and it was just a con all the work garages recommend you do to drain the fuel etc. etc,
But they obviously weren't taking responsibility if you damaged a modern diesel as they were using bangers.
How many litres did you put in?

Re: What A Muppet
 

I would drain the tank m8, no questions asked. what is £40 or so compared to £1k plus for repairing the engine? I am not sure but I think petrol is lighter than diesel. Which would mean that unless you had totally empty tank you should be OK as you still drove on diesel. But I may be mistaken ???

Re: What A Muppet
 

You didnt say if it was a modern high pressure common rail engine, or an old tractor engine. I'd be draining a modern engine, its the older ones that are more tolerant to petrol, chip fat, creasote etc.

Re: What A Muppet
 

It's as these folks say

One of my neighbours has put petrol in her diesel Landrover 4 times :shock:, and kept driving it, and it's still going strong, but then it does seem to have more in common with a tractor than a modern car engine.

My brother (Mercedes technician) says that it's very unadvisable to try to keep driving with a modern diesel, esp those that have 'common rail' type injection as they run at a very high pressure and use the diesel to lubricate the fuel pump.

I'd syphon it out to be on the safe side

Re: What A Muppet
 

Diesel in a Petrol engine will stuff up the catalytic convertor and possably the Lambda sensor.

Re: What A Muppet
 

if you only put a fiver in, fill it up with deisel, should be ok, mine was:rolleyes:

Re: What A Muppet
 

Should be impossible to do because the filler nozzle shouldn't fit in.

Re: What A Muppet
 

Dont under estimate the persistance of some people and the possability. Remember everything is possable.

Re: What A Muppet
 

:D :lol: true

Should be a good reminder tho'. Leaded petrol when it was still popular did the same.

Re: What A Muppet
 

Well, after my spill last Friday I was sat in an RAC van chatting to the RAC fella when a guy pulls up behind in a Vauxhall Astra diesel and says to the RAC guy, "I've just put unleaded in my diesel car. Only £5 worth before I realised, so I filled the rest up with Diesel. Do you recommend whether it's safe to drive or not? or should I get it drained?"
The RAC guys "official" response was, "Diesel contains lubricants to lubricate different parts of the fuel system. Regardless of whether you put extra diesel in or not, some of the unleaded may have already started to go through the fuel system. I would recommend you don't drive it and get the entire fuel system drained as soon as possible. If you wish to drive it, that's your call, but I've given you my advice."
The guy said he only had a few miles to go so he would risk driving it home. Dunno if he made it tho.

Pete

Re: What A Muppet
 

be careful here - it wasn't quite as simple as that, and common rail diesels are far more sensitive.
Drain the tank (it's fine if there's a few litres left inside) and fill up with diesel, it should be fine .

Re: What A Muppet
 

I know a woman with an ancient landy 110. Hasn't been serviced for 20 years, and she says she never looks at what she puts in at the station - still runs fine!

Re: What A Muppet
 

But they run like a bag of bricks to start with!

I'd say if it's an old motor then it won't be harmed by a gallon or 3, whereas I wouldn't take any chances with a modern EFI lump due to all the fancy dooberrys controlling emissions, you wouldn't catch me paying a garage to undo a fuel line though!

(this is petrol in a diesel, the other way about is a big no-no as it will knock like mad)