Ok, so you have just been to the petrol station and in your usual mad rush between seeing to the kids, running errands or fighting the rush hour traffic in your daily commute, your car starts to do funny things and you're not quite sure about it. First thing, don't panic, get yourself to the side of the road and then think about the next 5 warning signs of wrong fuel or fuel contamination in your vehicle.
1. Car Jumping
If you have just left the forecourt and got down the road and your vehicle begins to jump suddenly, this is the number 1 warning sign you have just put the wrong fuel in your tank, this could be petrol in your diesel car or vice versa, but you will know if this happens.
Every time you accelerate it will feel like the car loses power and jolts backwards and forwards as the petrol sticks to the pistons and then acts as a solvent causing damage to the pumps and corroding the lubrication which in turn means you have metal on metal, this can cause long term damage, but not if you get it drained quickly. There are many parts of a diesel engine that is not compatible with petrol, these parts can also be damaged too.
Every time you accelerate it will feel like the car loses power and jolts backwards and forwards as the petrol sticks to the pistons and then acts as a solvent causing damage to the pumps and corroding the lubrication which in turn means you have metal on metal, this can cause long term damage, but not if you get it drained quickly. There are many parts of a diesel engine that is not compatible with petrol, these parts can also be damaged too.
2. Smokey Exhaust
One tell tale sign of a common mis-fuel is the smokey exhaust. If you notice your exhaust smoking heavily then stop the car right away and turn off the ignition. This can be the petrol heating with the diesel causing extreme heat and burning on the exhaust and you don't want to be forking out for a new exhaust!
3. Engine Misfires
Sometimes you will hear a big bang or maybe a few splutters depending on the type of vehicle you have. Most cars will misfire, so too will vans and bikes. Lorries and larger vehicles may jolt too as the pistons struggle to cope without lubricant. Again, stop the engine and seek emergency roadside help.
It's not all bad news....
The good news is that putting diesel in a petrol is far less serious than if you were to put petrol in diesel. You are unlikely to have done any permanent damage to your engine or fuel system. A full flush of the fuel lines and tank is essential to remove any contaminated fuel. Once this flush has been carried out and the vehicle has cleared the remaining residue diesel from the system, your car should run fine.
If you have just had a fuel drain, then we recommend that you change your fuel filter afterwards just as an extra precaution, but again, you should be fine as long as the fuel has been drained thoroughly and the engine flushed through too.
The plus side, your car will be ok, don't read the horror stories on forums about needing a new engine, or your car being written off, it's a simple fix.
If you have just had a fuel drain, then we recommend that you change your fuel filter afterwards just as an extra precaution, but again, you should be fine as long as the fuel has been drained thoroughly and the engine flushed through too.
The plus side, your car will be ok, don't read the horror stories on forums about needing a new engine, or your car being written off, it's a simple fix.
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