I know this has been discussed before but just a particular query.
My sister got a C3 hdi , about 18 months ago , and the dealer filled it with petrol instead. She got 5 miles and it ground to a halt, returned to dealer, petrol removed and filled with diesel.
Car has been fine since, not a hint of engine problem and I think she is now over 30k miles. Is it safe to assume that no damage has been done by this fuelling error at this stage?
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Putting a few litre of petrol into a nearly full diesel tank will do no harm whats so ever but trying to run on neat petrol is another thing,only time will tell. I know hindsight is a marvelous thing but she should have refused the car .If you went to the garage and said you have filled up with petrol they would want to change everything in sight and charge a small fortune all they have done is drained most of the petrol and refilled with diesel.The problems will be premature replacement of injectors and pump etc but you will not now know whether this is normal or because of the original problem and you will not have leg to stand on trying to make a claim.
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Why oh why don't they just make diesel fuel systems out of the same material they make the fuel systems on petrol cars out of?? Petrol and diesel are both hydrocarbons, there isn't much chemical difference so surely the same materials would suffice? Its not like one type of engine runs on concentrated acid or something!
Or am I missing something obvious here?
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It's not the materials that's the problem though, it's the mechanics.
The diesel pumps work at much higher pressure and require the lubricity and 'body' of diesel to prevent damage. They also burn differently and if you put petrol in a diesel, it will still be on fire in the exhaust manifold, so valves, turbocharger etc... will be flam bayed.
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I can only give you my experience of the same problem albeit a few years ago now on a 1990 Peugeot 2.5 turbo diesel.
I put 60 litres (the low fuel warning light was on) of unleaded into it and then drove some 20 motorway miles home; the car cut out as I turned into my driveway after suddenly becoming hesitant for the last mile or so. It was when trying to start it and becoming aware of the smell of petrol that I realised what I had done - cue, sinking feeling....
I simply drained it all into containers and gave it to a friend for his stock car racer and filled back up with diesel. I drove that car for a further 2-3 years, around 60k or so miles more before selling it on with over 200k on the clock without any problems.
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1990 Peugeot 2.5 is old tech, not one of the common rail diesels running at huge pressures.
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Look what Screwloose wrote in reply to a problem pug ,it will give you an idea of the costs you could face in the future.Its in the thousands alarming.
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Quoting from the thread that screwloose was involved with:-
That's quite normal. As postmanchris says; when the H/P secondary pumps on a common-fail engine let go, they fill the whole diesel system with hardened steel frag and the whole lot has to be changed - typically £2.5-3,000. [The Bosch-only HDi system's in-tank L/P pump was modified after a lot of problems.]
Bearing in mind that an Hdi engined car can be bought new for under £7,000 how can the HP Injection system cost £3K? I think we should be told!
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I should imagine that the engine price does not include the injection system.
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You've lost me there Andy! A Citroen Hdi can be bought for less than £7K with a complete engine and ready to drive away but the pump and injection system costs up to £3K, or so we are told.
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You've lost me there Andy! A Citroen Hdi can be bought for less than £7K with a complete engine and ready to drive away but the pump and injection system costs up to £3K, or so we are told.
Many hours of labour to remove and replace components.
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With injectors apparently costing £500 each from main dealers, this price can be reached without problem. Its the astronomical mark up on spares that distorts the logic.
I am glad my V8 is fed by 2 Strombergs!!
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