Need Advice - Wrong Fuel

jackoh

jackoh

jackoh

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Joined
5 Oct 2004
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Cardiff
Hi all, foolishly put petrol in a diesel mondeo this morning - 2002 TDDi.

I haven't started the car, has anyone had any experience of emptying the fuel? I have been quoted £200 by a few garages but I'm sure there's a simple enough method to doing it myself.

Thanks in advance for any replies.
 
Get to machine mart, pick up a drill pump for £20, empty the tank yourself by pushing a pipe down the filler neck.

OR pull the pipe off the inlet somewhere in the engine bay, then use the tank pump to drain the tank.

Drill pump is safest as you won't be putting petrol through the tank pump.

http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/details/cpp3000-drill-powered-water-pump
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/DRAPER-18937-...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_3?hash=item4a9f6db40b

I've used both methods and both work. Don't forget to brim the tank with diesel when you start it up to dilute any last traces of petrol.

Plastic bodied pumps are best, they have rubber impellers working against a plastic surface, low chance of a spark!
 
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Did you fill it.

If its just a bit, then brim it with the sad stuff.

Edit. I thought the noozels don't fit at the pumps? Or is it the other way round?
 
Do not start it until you've fully drained the tank, older Diesels would be ok with anything upto a 50/50 mix (Although a pain to start!), but modern diesels really do not like petrol.

You might have troubles pumping it from the filler neck due to the anti-syphon.

A garage will probably be quoting you to drain the tank and flush the rest of the system, which shouldn't be necessary if you've not started it or turned the ignition on. £200 does sound a little excessive to simply drain the tank.
 
SB118 said:
Get to machine mart, pick up a drill pump for £20, empty the tank yourself by pushing a pipe down the filler neck.

OR pull the pipe off the inlet somewhere in the engine bay, then use the tank pump to drain the tank.

Drill pump is safest as you won't be putting petrol through the tank pump.

http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/details/cpp3000-drill-powered-water-pump
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/DRAPER-18937-...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_3?hash=item4a9f6db40b

I've used both methods and both work. Don't forget to brim the tank with diesel when you start it up to dilute any last traces of petrol.

Plastic bodied pumps are best, they have rubber impellers working against a plastic surface, low chance of a spark!
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Wont he have anti tamper on his tank, meaning he can't just shove a hose down there?

Called the AA when it happened to us a couple of years ago, wasn't even a member and I think it was ~ £150. Apparently it makes up something stupid like ~70% of their call outs.
 
As said, as long as it hasn't been started then you can just drain the tank and refill with diesel and it should be fine.

How did you manage to put petrol in it anyway just out of curiosity ?
 
ajstan said:
Diesel in the pipes?



Probably by not paying attention :P Maybe some girl that caught his eye on the forecourt :D
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Ha yeah I got it away from the pump by pushing it. I have no clue how I managed to put petrol in, combination of a busy mind and an early morning - absolutely outraged with myself at the time but what can you do!
 
Edward01 said:
Wont he have anti tamper on his tank, meaning he can't just shove a hose down there?
Click to expand...

Some tank do, some don't. If there is an anti syphon, just lift the back seats and lift out the fuel pump/level gauge sender.

Jez said:
I'd quite like to order that for moving some kerosene around, it says not for flammable liquids, do you think it'll be ok anyway? :)
Click to expand...

I've been using a plastic/rubber pump with petrol/diesel/kero/veg for years and not had a problem.
However my official answer is using this pump will lead to you dying a horrifically painful death as you skin melts off.
 
I'd follow the advice to pump it out yourself and then just fill with diesel, it wont do any harm even with a few litres of petrol left in the system, it all mixes in. You ought to move the car from the forecourt before pumping it out using a pump that isnt EX rated though!

I recently drove the misses car right after my dads, hers is diesel and his is petrol, both blue golfs and i put 3l of petrol into the diesel, swore a few times, filled the rest with diesel and drove off without problems, that was 6 weeks ago!
 
Dano said:
It really isn't an uncommon event.
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I know, yet I have no idea how people get it so wrong. I mean apart from anything else there is usually a nice big label to tell you want to put in it in most modern cars :p ...but even that shouldn't be needed on people's own cars ...I can understand it on a hire/courtesy car though ...especially as some of the very new 4 cylinder petrol engines now sound amazingly like diesels.
 
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