Most car owners know that you can’t put petrol in a diesel car. But some people find it difficult to remember which fuel goes in which car, especially when they are in a hurry. After all, both cars are powered by an engine, right? There are some key differences between the two engines. Petrol engines run on petrol and diesel engines run on diesel. If you accidentally fill your diesel engine with petrol you risk damaging the engine components or even catching fire. Read on to find out why you shouldn’t put petrol in a diesel car and what to do if you do...
If you put petrol in a diesel car, you will destroy the engine because petrol and diesel are completely different fuels. The only similarities between the two are that they both come from crude oil, and they are both flammable. That’s it. There are many different components in a car engine, and if you mix the wrong fuels, you can damage almost all of them. E.g. The spark plugs in petrol engines run on electricity, while the spark plugs in diesel engines run on fuel. If you put petrol in a diesel car, you will damage the spark plugs, and you will have a very difficult time replacing them. Similarly, there are different types of fuel pumps in petrol and diesel engines. If you put the wrong fuel in your car, the fuel pump will break very quickly and you will be unable to fill your car with fuel again. If you let this happen, you will be unable to drive your car.
- A petrol engine is an internal combustion engine in which fuel is ignited by a spark plug. The combustion process inside the engine creates pressure that turns pistons which rotate a crankshaft.
- A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine in which fuel is ignited by the heat produced when the fuel is compressed. The combustion process inside the engine creates pressure that turns a crankshaft.
- Petrol engines mix the fuel with air before injecting it into the engine, diesel engines inject the fuel directly into the cylinders.
- Petrol engines have spark plugs which ignite the fuel, and diesel engines have glow plugs which preheat the air in the cylinders.
- Petrol engines use spark plugs to ignite a mixture of gasoline and air, diesel engines use glow plugs to ignite compressed air and diesel fuel.
- If you put petrol in a diesel car, you will damage the fuel pump and the fuel injectors because petrol and diesel are two different fluids. The wrong fuel will cause the air inside the fuel pump to become clogged with gas. Similarly, the wrong fuel will clog the fuel injectors that push the fuel into the engine.
- The clogged fuel injectors will be very difficult (if not impossible) to clean. If you do manage to clean them, they will probably be ruined after the next time you drive the car.
- The clogged fuel pump will have to work much harder than normal and will probably break very quickly.
- You will smell the mixture of petrol and diesel, and you will know that you put the wrong fuel in your car.
- If you drive the car after mixing the wrong fuels, the engine will break down and you could even destroy the engine.
Adding the wrong fuel to your vehicle is an easy but costly mistake to make. Most of the time misfuelling is a result of people putting petrol in a diesel car. If you realise what you’ve done before you start the engine, then we can help by simply draining the fuel tank.
However, if you start the engine then the fuel lines will also need to be drained. While it might seem like a disaster all is not lost. At Wrong Fuel Removal, it is our goal to have you back on the road in as little time and stress as possible.
Our fast and friendly service takes away all the worry of accidental misfuelling. We’ll come out to you with all the tools and diagnostic equipment to get the car running smoothly once again.
Mixing the wrong fuels can cause severe damage to a car’s engine. If you accidentally put petrol in a diesel car, let the engine sit for a few days to let the fuel pump and fuel injectors clean themselves. After that, drain the car’s fuel tank and replace the fuel pump. Run the car on diesel fuel after the new fuel pump has been installed. Let the car sit for a few days and drain the fuel tank again. Repeat this process until the fuel injectors are clean. If you put diesel in a petrol car, the damage will be less severe, but the car will not be able to run. Let the car sit for a few days, drain the fuel tank, and fill the tank with the correct fuel
