Wrong Fuel - what have I damaged?

[sdg111]

This happened four months ago. My intial anger and disbelief have faded, however a problem seems to exist.

E320 CDi S210 2001, 117,000 miles

Middle of July I go to the petrol station to fill up a gallon petrol container for my lawnmower, then, unbelievably, put the nozzle in the Merc. My excuse is that I'd only had the car three months and it is my first diesel. Anyhow, I've beat myself up about it enough, honest.

60 litres later, still not aware, I drive the mile and a half home and then the penny drops. The car gets towed, flushed, new filter and re-fuelled.

No apparent damage, including a 400 mile trip to Penrith and back.

However, over the last six weeks, on about six occassions, I have noticed a stutter/vibration at the start of a journey. It last about 10-15 seconds, then goes away not to return for the rest of the journey. At all other times the car drives, accelerates etc as normal.

I've read extensively on this and am aware the fuel pump and injectors may be the problem. The car's going into the garage on Monday for something else so thought I'd get this checked out.

My question is, what is the likely damage and is this going to be a repair which may not be worthwhile given the age of the car?

 

[television]

It all depended on how much diesel there was in the tank at the time, if ½ full it would have done no damage at all

 

[Xtractorfan]

Could be any number of things ..after 4 months any problems would have manifested themselves by now ...One thing you do need to do is change the gearbox oil and filter if not already done ..and get your mechanic to check it over....Some of the indies on here may have come across your symptons

 

[sdg111]

Thanks gents.

Malcolm, unfortunately, the car had less than two gallons in it, hence why i was going to the garage. If I hadn't filled up that stupid container it would never have happened! :cry:

Does the fuel contaminate the gearbox oil?

 

[television]

Nope,, the fuel goes no where near the gear box, the fluid in the box is a separate item.

If you use an indie, rather than a normal garage they usually know exactly what it will be

 

[Alex Crow]

If you only drove 1.5 miles, you had the tank emptied and then filled with diesel, and it has been fine for 4 months, don't worry.
Whatever problem you have now, it almost certainly has nothing to do with the petrol you put in.

I have seen cars that have done hundreds of miles on petrol, and after a fuel change have been fine for thousands and thousands of miles.
Often the only reason the misfuelling gets diagnosed is a hot starting complaint, a sniff in the fuel tank is usually enough to detect paetrol, and they NEVER put petrol in....
QUOTE 'must have the wrong fuel in the tank at the filling station'!!
One guy was going back to sue the garage, but I did not hear any more about that one........:roll:

 

[holbay]

QUOTE 'must have the wrong fuel in the tank at the filling station'!!
One guy was going back to sue the garage, but I did not hear any more about that one........:roll:

Now that one made me laugh..George..

 

[sdg111]

Alex, thanks for the reply. That's quite a comfort actually.

It did cross my mind that it may be completely unrelated. I'll tell them the problem and see what they say. Thanks again.

 

[ODDBALL500]

Hi all,

Older school lorry drivers used to put unleaded/leaded petrol in small ish amount to diesel tanks to stop the fuel from waxing in cold/freezing conditions, I know diesel these days does not have this problem but it was ok (ish) for unleasded/leaded fuel into diesel engine BUT not the other way around, thats why you cannot get a diesel nozzel into a modern petrol engine fuel filling cap, just one of those stupid things I keep in my head after hearing when I was a wee lad.

Simon

 

[Alex M Grieve]

QUOTE 'must have the wrong fuel in the tank at the filling station'!!
One guy was going back to sue the garage, but I did not hear any more about that one........:roll:

Miss-fuelling by the delivery drivers does happen (they refer to it as a cross-over when they deliver petrol to the diesel ground tank, or vice versa).

The best evidence is a tank full of petrol, and a receipt which says you bought diesel. (because of the nozzle sizes, it wont happen the other way round).