Toyota Starlet (1990 - 1996) - Accidentally put diesel in, advice please

Honest John Back Room » Motoring discussion
View Threaded
Tue 2 Dec 2008 15:07
Accidentally put diesel in, advice please - stokie
I've accidentally put 7 litres of diesel in my petrol car (1992 Toyota Starlet 1.0).
The tank was almost empty before. On the advice of a couple of motorists at the pumps I added some unleaded petrol (11 litres) to 'dilute' the diesel.

The car now runs rather badly, needs lots of choke and throttle in a low gear, smokes, wants to stall etc.

What shall I do?

My local garage advised running it until nearly empty, then filling with unleaded.
They advised against constantly topping up with unleaded as this would cause the diesel to stay in. They said if the running got too bad they could drain it for me, and also suggested a set of new spark plugs.

What would you do? Is topping up with more unleaded a good idea? Anyone with experience of this?

Thanks
Stewart
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Tue 2 Dec 2008 15:14
Accidentally put diesel in, advice please - Glaikit Wee Scunner {P}
I'd have filled the tank right up with petrol stright away to maximise the dilution and the octane rating. Surprised it is still running on nearly 50/50 diesel petrol.Not a good idea.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Tue 2 Dec 2008 15:16
Accidentally put diesel in, advice please - massey
I would be inclined to fill up to max with unleaded, it will soon burn off

Edited by massey on 02/12/2008 at 15:17

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Tue 2 Dec 2008 15:20
Accidentally put diesel in, advice please - oldnotbold
Fill right up, and top up again when half-full.

Edited by oldnotbold on 02/12/2008 at 15:21

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Tue 2 Dec 2008 15:36
Accidentally put diesel in, advice please - Carse
If you follow the advise above and fill it up to the top and then again when half full. It will be a good idea when all the Diesel is spent to take the spark plugs out and give them a thorough clean.

Carse
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Fri 12 Dec 2008 21:29
Accidentally put diesel in, advice please - yokel38
Well I think I would have drained the tank personally, although as i see you mention the word 'choke' I presume this is the old carb type 1E engine. It's obviously not as disaserous as it would be on a fuel injected engine. Another point, running the car until the tank is practically empty isn't a particulary good idea on older cars, you never know whats residing at the bottom of your fuel tank ready to be dragged into the fuel lines.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Fri 12 Dec 2008 22:12
Accidentally put diesel in, advice please - Hamsafar
Fill right up with superunleaded and avoid labouring or high rpms, it will just be like oily petrol, but as it is now it will be likely to damage something.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Fri 12 Dec 2008 23:14
Accidentally put diesel in, advice please - Andrew-T
>You never know what's at the bottom of your fuel tank ready to be dragged into the fuel lines.

If it's at the bottom of the tank it will be there whether the tank is full or empty, so the dragging can occur at any time. Apart from grit etc, the usual impurity at the bottom of a fuel tank is water. In cold climates this can freeze to a slab, with predictable consequences.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 13 Dec 2008 08:34
Accidentally put diesel in, advice please - oldnotbold
Eldest daughter ran the 97 Corsa 1.2 dry, and guess what - injector system was fouled up afterwards. Chugging, stalling when hot, very poor starting, all cured with a strip and clean. Moral - don't run them dry.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 13 Dec 2008 08:51
Accidentally put diesel in, advice please - krs one
I filled up my brand new lawn mower with diesel a few weeks back. Sadly, I don't think turning the car upside down and pouring all the diesel onto the lawn will be an option for you.

After much huffin "n" puffin with the starter cord, I got the thing going again, even if it did create a rather large mushroom cloud.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 13 Dec 2008 10:29
Accidentally put diesel in, advice please - Simon
At this stage I too say fill it to the top with unleaded and it will soon sort itself out.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 13 Dec 2008 19:25
Accidentally put diesel in, advice please - none
I know from experience that some of the diesel will be (combusted ?) and that some of it will drain past the rings and into the sump.
Keep an eye on the oil level !
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 13 Dec 2008 20:32
Accidentally put diesel in, advice please - Ian (Cape Town)
andrew, if there's crud in the tank, it will go into solution with the petrol IF there's very little fuel about - due to the amount of sloshing about that occurs.
Experiment with a milk bottle, some water, and tea leaves to see the effect.
Running the tank lower than quarter is a no-no for me, for this very reason.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link

10 warranty myths exposed

Here’s how to sort the fact from the fiction when it comes to car warranties.

Cheap Car Warranties

Looking for a garage you can trust? Honest John's Good Garage Guide has thousands of reader recommended garages, plus how-to guides and tips on servicing.

The Good Garage Guide