Doh! Just put petrol in my diesel!

I just went to fill up my Peugeot 306 1.9tdi and put £6 of petrol in before realising my mistake. The tank was nearly empty and I filled the rest of it up with £40 of diesel hoping this would dilute it. I drove the couple of miles home ok but that was probably using what diesel was still in the fuel lines. I'm wondering, will I get away with it? This chap here's done an identical thing and seems to think so:

http://www.usedcarmart.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=844

Will it get me to work tomorrow or is it likely to splutter and die on me?

Juzz, how silly, I did just that same thing myself a few years ago.
Peugeut 405 diesel, running on fumes, so I put a fivers worth in, but as I drove off I realised it was petrol. At the next station, 10 miles later I filled up with the diesel and then it would not start. Next day it started ok, spluttered a bit but was fine after that. The woes of a company car...

My theory was that a diesel enging is stronger and just a bit of petrol in it should be ok.

My theory was that a diesel enging is stronger and just a bit of petrol in it should be ok.

That's what I'm hoping!

I know some older diesel engines are pretty tough and will run on almost anything. Doing a bit of research on the net, it seems the new modern diesel engines such as the HDI types are a lot less tolerant. I think I'll take the gamble and see how it goes!

You should be fine. My old boss did the same in his BMW 330d and BMW told him no problemo, just fill it up with diesel and the two mix and burn almost as normal.

as long as you've got more than 60 % deez in the tank you'll be ok i'ts when there's more petrol than deez in it you'll have serious problems, all it will do at the moment is raise the flashpoint of the oil and burn better in fact.

Andy

[Alpineandy]

The HomeBoss did the same with her R5 Oilburner.
Phoned me from her mates house, moaning about how the car was running.
She said 'It got worse and worse as I drove here from the petrol station............ Oh No......... I've put petrol in her.... ten quids worth'
She walked to the garage, bought a can and did 3 journeys for diesel.
she had to turn the car over on the starter for 30 secs, then left it for 10 mins (repeat this twice more) then it started and ran her to the station for a fill up. 10 mins later the car was running fine.

When I was a teenager (at least 5 years ago) and worked in a petrol station, the Black Cab drivers would put 1/2 a gallon in the tank as a 'system' cleaner before their emissions check.

Cheers guys. Fingers crossed I'll be ok then. Took it for a good 20 mile run and it seemed to run fine.

Just thought i would add my experiance.When coming back from Manchester after watching Oasis at the city stadium ,me and the wife pulled into a petrol station in my GTA TURBO ,and i filled the tank with deisel , oooohhhh the horror on jennys face when i saw her , ijust knew what i had done .We got home at 4 in the morning on the back of a tow truck,the first one could not drain the deisel , at a cost of £150 plus vat plus petrol , and also couldnt load the car on the truck ,so we had to wait another hour for another AA truck.I drained it all the next day [deisel tastes foul ] and all was ok . NEVER AGAIN. he he he.

Well, that is about half a dozon of us that admitt to doing it, a few more have probably done it and not realised, and a load more that have not yet admitted it yet plus another load who dare not confess they have not just in case they do do it next week???

I'd guess in a life time nearkly every one has done it at some time or other.

Juzz, next you will want to try vegitable oil in your diesel, it's even cheaper than diesel if you buy it off the shelf at Tesco's, but even better value if you can get the used stuff from a chip shop or some where. All because it do't have so much tax on it.

Yes, in work the other day we were discussing using cooking oil. Only trouble is it makes your car smell like a chippy! Apparently, using vegatable oil as an alternative fuel is very popular in the States. More and more filling stations are selling it at the pumps and some farmers over here are looking into growing crops to produce fuel oil.

BTW my car has been running fine.

I travelled to work with a colleague for about a month with his car running vegetable oil and I laughed my head off when he told me what he'd done.

It was a 405 diesel and the most amazing this was you couldn't detect the slightest change when he switched the pumps / tanks over (you still start the car on diesel), not even a change in the engine note.

He'd gone for a fairly sophisticated set-up with heating elements that warmed the 'fuel' to make it less viscous...... HOWEVER a few weeks into this the fuel pump started to haemorrhage.

Veggie oil is simply too thick for a lot of fuel pumps and the engine just couldn't get the juice it needed. We'd gradually slow as we went up hills etc and the puddle of fat left in the company car park was beginning to become an embarrassment. It got worse and worse till he gave up on the idea - it was a laugh while it lasted though and apparently the later 405s have much better pumps that should cope without a problem.

Its even legal providing you get the correct form off the Inland Revenue and pay the duty!!!

[Alpineandy]

I know someone that usually puts a gallon of veg oil in his tank before filling with diesel. The only difference when it's running is a vague smell of hot cooking oil when standing behind it or when your stuck at the lights and the wind is in the correct direction.

Some car already have pre-heaters for the diesel.

There are several London taxis running on vegetable oil.....the thing to note (Darrens friend!) is that it needs something added to it for long term use, but I cant remember what....maybe meths???

If you add about a litre of engine oil to Kerosene (home heating oil) per fill, you can run most older diesel cars on it. The engine oil is to lubricate the pump. Totally illegal by the way!

[Alpineandy]

If you add about a litre of engine oil

One way to get rid of your old engine oil I guess