Dumping the wrong fuel for a car sounds silly, but it is a mistake many car owners make. Unfortunately, not all drivers know what to do in this situation.
Will diesel ruin a gas engine? How to minimize the damage to the car? Let us help you answer these questions.
What Is The Difference Between Diesel And Gasoline?
There are many types of fuel used for cars, such as alcohol, CNG, ethanol, etc., in which gasoline and diesel are always the two most popular types.
However, both are crude oil products, the physical properties of these two types are not the same.
Gasoline is a compound of hydrocarbons, poorly ignited, volatile, and has a high calorific value. It has a rather characteristic odor and is much thinner than diesel.
Diesel (or Gazole oil) is a liquid fuel refined from kerosene and industrial lubricating oil. They are heavier than gasoline and kerosene and have an evaporation temperature of 175 – 370 degrees Celsius.
It has a light yellow color, quite similar to A95 gasoline’s color but is denser; especially, it does not cause equipment wear when used.
In the automobile market, engines using these two types still account for most consumer demand.
Compared to gasoline engines, diesel engines need more machine parts; repair parts need specialized machines and highly qualified technicians.
However, it gives lower speed, poor acceleration, large size and weight, and noise when operating.
Will Diesel Ruin A Gas Engine?
Usually, at petrol stations, experts always design a standard diesel pump nozzle larger than the tank mouth of a gasoline car to avoid confusion.
Compared to pouring gasoline into a diesel engine by mistake, this case is rarer but still exists.
Because oil is heavier than gasoline, the oil will settle and enter the combustion chamber first when it is mistakenly poured.
This is a big problem and can cause many serious consequences for the entire engine, such as:
Fuel Pump Problems
Because diesel is so dense, the vehicle’s fuel pump is difficult to handle. It will have a hard time getting this more viscous solution through the fuel system, putting a lot of stress on the pump.
This can even damage the device if it is already degraded or has pre-existing faults.
Clogged Fuel Filter
The gasoline filter on a car is responsible for filtering fuel before putting it into the combustion chamber, including residues and impurities accumulated in the gasoline tank for better engine operation.
However, the consistency of diesel makes it difficult to pass through the fuel filter as easily as gasoline. When it cannot move, there is a risk of clogging.
This affects the process of supplying fuel to the engine and the operation of the vehicle.
Clogged Fuel Injectors
The oil that does not burn completely will cause a lot of smoke discharge, gradually turning to jam because soot clings to the cylinder wall a lot, jamming the piston.
Vehicles traveling at high speed and stalling can lead to a broken crankshaft, damaging the engine.
The amount of gas left in the fuel system may be enough to get you to travel a short distance, but then the engine may stop in the middle of the road and require the help of a tow truck.
Signs Of Putting Diesel In Gasoline Cars
Filling the wrong one for cars is no longer rare because the number of vehicles using diesel engines is increasing.
This usually happens due to the subjectivity of the vehicle user or the lack of concentration of the gas station staff.
Most cars today do not have a warning system, so this mistake is difficult to recognize.
Even if you don’t know your car has been filled with the wrong type, you can immediately feel a few irregularities as soon as you leave.
You will see the engine shake, smoke a lot, strange noises appear, the car runs very hard and constantly misses. The car can also turn off suddenly while moving.
In this case, if the car owner does not pay attention, it will cause serious consequences.
How To Fix Diesel In A Gas Engine?
Compared to gas in diesel engine fix, doing the opposite will require more complicated tools and manipulations. So first, you must be really careful when refueling the stations.
Suppose you accidentally fall into the situation of misusing diesel fuel for a gasoline engine.
In that case, you need to handle it promptly, as quickly as possible, because the longer you leave it, the more serious the damage will be. Let’s keep a few points in mind:
Do Not Start The Car
The treatment, in this case, depends on the amount of diesel poured into the tank (more or less 10%) and whether the engine is old or new. From there, new users have different treatment options.
However, in any case, the first thing that you need to remember is to DO NOT start your car. Those who have a bad habit of keeping the engine running while refueling must immediately turn off the engine.
Some people don’t even realize their mistake until they leave the gas station and see smoke coming out of the car. At that time, you should quickly pull over to the side of the road and turn off the engine.
Call A Tractor
Trying to keep driving is not a good idea and will only worsen things. Instead, quickly call a tow truck and ask for help.
This helps prevent permanent damage, which means your repair bill will also be shorter.
Go To Mechanic
According to expert recommendations, if the amount of diesel poured in is less than 10% of the fuel tank capacity, your car is of an old model, and does not use electronic fuel injection, the fix may be simpler.
All you need is to keep filling the tank with gasoline to dissolve the oil. Although there will be a little more smoke, the car will still run normally, just a little more smoke.
With more modern engines, you need to flush the diesel out of a gas engine quickly. It’s not as simple as scooping water out of a bucket, so it will take a lot of specialized tools and skilled technicians.
Thus, quickly take your car to a repair center to take care of it soon.
Is It Expensive To Fix Putting Diesel In A Gasoline Engine?
The cost to perform this service depends on the calculation of each repair shop, but you should also prepare yourself because the number may not be small.
For mild cases, you only need to discharge all the fuel in the tank; the cost will range from 200 to 500 dollars.
However, in the case of oil that has entered the pipeline or engine, the steps are more complicated, and you can expect to pay up to $2,500.
That’s a big bill, but worse; insurance companies won’t support mistakes like this. Thus, with the idea of “prevention is better than cure,” you should do a few things to avoid pouring the wrong fuel:
- Stick the fuel type decal for the vehicle at the mouth of the fuel tank.
- Get off the vehicle when refueling, clearly inform the type to be filled, and check that the staff is correct.
- When lending a car, you should fill up the tank or warn the borrower carefully.
Conclusion
Above is information about the question: will diesel ruin a gas engine? This is an uncommon error but can cause a lot of damage to your engine.
Hopefully, this article will contribute to helping drivers have a quick way to handle it and avoid refueling when using the car.
Thanks for reading, and see you in the next posts.