Unleaded petrol mixed with Diesel in a Chrysler 2.5CRD

Hi

My dizzy wife just put 11 litres of unleaded PETROL (gasoline to our
Cousins in the US) in her DIESEL Chrysler 2.5CRD (2003 model)

There was probably about a quarter tank of Diesel in it before she
refuelled so 11 litres of unleaded petrol went on top of that, THEN she
realised her error and put 40 Litres of DIESEL in on top of it !

Result, probably about a mixture of 5 parts Diesel 1 part Petrol !!!

One Guy in the Garage said she must NOT move the car as it would damage
the engine and needed to be drained out completely etc etc etc

Then an RAC man on a bike ( who was refuelling himself ) said that most
Diesels will run just fine with a little bit of Unleaded mixed in, he
went on to say that my missus could run it on sunflower oil or chip pan
fat too ?

The garages are shut for the weekend of course and she already drove it
home about 3 miles without noticing a difference

Who is right, The RAC man or the Garage attendant ?

Has she ruined it already?

Thanks in advance

 

The RAC man.

No.
My advice would be to just keep using it, and frequently top up with diesel
to reduce the petrol ratio.
Mike.

 

God bless you Mike !

 

() gurgled happily, sounding much like they were
saying :

If this is a common rail diesesl (hence CRD?) then you may very well be
stuffed. The lack of lubrication from petrol can very quickly kill the high
pressure pump.

Both, yet neither.

Potentially. Just keep topping it up with the right stuff, and if you've
not buggered it yet, you probably won't.

If you want to be certain, get the tank drained before starting it again.
Your call. A new pump could cost thousands.

 

I believe if you read the owners manual, you are allowed a small amount
of gas to dilute the diesel if you need to in an emergency to get to a
place with the proper fuel.

I don't remember what engine/vehicle I read that for though....

Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's
Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view!
Aug./05 http://www.imagestation.com/album/index.html?id=2120343242
(More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page)

 

When I used to drive to Russia, we used to mix petrol (or paraffin,
depending what we could get) in with the diesel in winter to prevent it from
waxing and in approximately the same ratio too. I also know someone who did
the same thing in a Land Rover recently and it just smoked for a while until
all purged. Personally I would imagine it will be fine.

 

Adrian wrote:

If that's the case, then let me ask the obvious stupid question: If it's
a matter of lack of lubrication, is there some oil that could be added
right away on a one-time basis to make up for the lowered lubrication to
save that pump (of course without causing other problems)? It sounds
like in reality from other posts that it should be OK anyway, but I was
just wondering about mitigating the possibilities for damage.

Bill Putney
(To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
address with the letter 'x')

 

[Snipped Text]

How bloody wrong can you be mate! Your advice could cost this chap
thousands.

Absolutely not. We have bulletins from the manufacturers now (in my case
Honda) that suggest even priming the fuel system can cause damage to the
fuel system on the latest high pressure common rail diesels.

If it hasn't been run, then DO NOT START IT. You can then get away with
a simple drain off clean out an refill. If it has been started, then
your troubles begin.

You have two choices, carry on and take a chance, or replace every
component on the fuel system.

The common rail systems run at very high pressure - somewhere up to 2000
BAR is normal (yes, that's over 20,000 psi). The pumps reply on the
diesel fuel to lubricate it. One or two sources I found using Google
suggest that the material of the bearings is damaged by petrol.

If the pump is driven by the engine, and you opt for option 1, then
there is a chance that the pump can sieze later on. If this happens,
then it'll cause drive damage to the drive system of the engine, and
possibly the head too. I'd expect this to cost up to £10k.

The manufacturers are recommending that we change all the components of
the fuel system, and flush the lines and tank (On BMWs you have to
replace the tank too) - this includes the pump, injectors, filters and
high pressure pipes. Costs for this start at about £3k.

If you take it to a dealer and get them to flush the tank it might only
cost a couple of hundred pounds.

It depends on how much you want to gamble really.

 

This is car-dependent. Modern cars with high-pressure common rail
injection systems - and this one has such a system - are often ruined by
even a tiny amount of petrol, because the pump is insufficiently
lubricated by the mixed fuel. Failure occurs within a few thousand
miles, not immediately.

With older cars, certainly most IDI engines, there is no problem.

To be on the safe side, put a good dose of pump lubricating additive
into the tank (don't drive this car to the shop to get the stuff), then
ask a Chrysler dealer for advice. If they say it's already b0rked, you
have little to lose by continuing to drive it until it needs the £5000
repair. On the other hand, they may tell you it's no problem.

 

.. Costs for this start at about £3k.

**** me, my car only cost a couple of hundred pounds!

 

Bill Putney () gurgled happily, sounding much like they
were saying :

Not that I've heard of.

Besides, since they've driven 3 miles, it's entirely possible that the
damage has been done - as Andy's said, even priming the system *can* cause
the damage.

 

Yes

The CRD bit is "Common Rail Diesel"

OOOPS !

Shoud I bung some oil in the tank ?

HELP !

 

Diesel fuel 'will' still be lubricating it, or are you suggesting that 'any'
dilution of the diesel 'will' result in damage to the fuel pump?

One or two sources I found using Google

See my previous point.

If this happens,

Of course that is the manufacturers recommendation. I wouldn't expect it to
be otherwise.

I would agree that ideally the tank should be emptied, but IMO, under the
circunstances, the risks in not doing so are small for the OP.
He's been offered conflicting advice. It's now up to the OP to decide.
Mike.

 

Then you'll know what you'll be doing with it I guess

 

[Snipped Text]

Yes, I was talking to the recovery chap that bought the last one in, and
BMWs actually prime the fuel system as the doors are unlocked. Bummer!

 

[Snipped Text]

No, I'm not suggesting anything of the sort, the manufacturers
specifically state it.

Aye, but in this case the gamble is for a clean and flush of the fuel
system, or the risk of a new engine *and* replacement of the entire fuel
system.

Surely it's wiser to take the safe option here - especially if the
engine hasn't been run yet. The clean and flush will offer a fully safe
solution.

How do you know that though, AFAIK we haven't yet had a chance to find
out what the consequences are. We do know they *can* be catastrophically
expensive, and possibly even dangerous.

It's quite possible that the manufacturers have actually tested the cars
under these conditions and perhaps might know what they are talking
about. Just go an see what kind of R&D Honda have, and you might have
some idea how much they test things.

Yes, the wrong advice and the right advice.

 

<uk.rec.cars.misc , , >
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If you do decide to take the risk and top up the tank every 30 miles or
whatever - bounce the car before putting more diesel in .

Or at least thats what somebody told me .

 

Home made winter mix ratio? This is what it sounds like.

Anybody know the difference between Petrol and kerosene?

PDH

 

Why not just siphon it out, and start fresh?

 

in advance
amage

Are you an AA member? If so, their patrols can contact tech support who will
be able to advise the maximum dilution ratio for any miss-fuelled vehicle.

HTH

Chris