I mistakenly started pouring disel fuel in the gas tank of a Honda Van with Gasoline engine. After pouring about 3.7 Galon, I noticed the problem. Then I poured about 7.6 galon more of Gasoline 89 (to dilute (?) Disel fuel). I was fearful but had to drive about 65 miles to come back home. I was afraid, the Van engine may start knocking and will stop. Thank God, nothing happened yet.
My questions are the following:
1. What can go wrong because of the mixed fuel?
2. What do I now to take care of the possible damage to the engine or any other problem?
3. Do I keep driving to use up the fuel or siphon it out?
2006-10-02 18:33:56 · 11 answers · asked by anasiruddin 1 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Safety
It will run rough due to poor octane!
Dilute it with more gas, preferably of higher octane!
2006-10-02 18:44:18 · answer #1 · answered by Anarchy99 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hello,
The octane rating of diesel fuel is so small, that the mixed fuel's overall octane rate can be so low that the mixture can be exposed to self-ignition way before the top dead centre in the compression stroke (normal gasoline mixture is ignited around 5-30 degresse before top dead centre to time the combustion flame traveling downward towards the piston crown so, that the flame cloumn reaches the crown as soon after top dead centre as possible). I don't know about your van and your engine, but I think your van has a low compression ratio (e.g. older engines, V-engines usually), that's why you didn't have a serious consequence. Your van may have knock sensors, with which the engine management senses that the current spark advance is too large and the ECU reduces advance (at the sake of perfomance and ecomony).
In such cases (tanking diesel into a gasoline car) there are octane-booster additives which can increase the overall octane rating high enough (but still insufficient !!!) to get to a service station in 'limp home' mode.
Draining the fuel (don't use it!!!), flushing the fuel lines (e.g. Kleen Flo has a fuel systems/injector cleaner additive) and changing filters should solve the situation.
Good luck!
Regards
2006-10-02 22:21:05 · answer #2 · answered by Blazs (Skoda 120GL) 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You did the better of the two errors. You see, a little diesel fuel mixed with lots of gasoline in a GASOLINE vehicle will most likely cause the engine to misfire slightly. That is the slow burn of the diesel preventing the air/fuel mixture burning properly in the combustion chamber.
However, had you mixed gasoline in a DIESEL engine, even just a little bit, the gasoline would pre-detonate...that is, it would ignite while the piston is on its second stroke, or "compression stroke" and cause the engine to try to "reverse", thereby bending connecting rods and blowing pistons. It would be noticed within the first few seconds. The engine would blow beyond repair before you would know what happened.
If you've had no problem with your diesel fuel mixed into the gasoline within the first few minutes, you should be fine. I'd bet any diesel fuel would be totally gone by your third fill up. Even at that, it'll be so deluted you'll never notice it.
2006-10-02 18:53:43 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
1. You can partially ruin the engine because of the paraffins, aromatics and yes, bacteria, clogging your injectors. A new set of injectors will set you back a couple $$ and the labor $$$.
2. Empty the tank, pickup, and pump, disconnect the filter, flush the fuel lines with gasoline, reconnect the filter, use injector cleaner. I'd prefer STP or Gunk.
3.It's not worth risking the bucks, siphon/pump out the diesel/gas mix and refill with gas. So you lose roughly $25-30 now, can you afford $250-300 for new injectors?
2006-10-02 20:31:42 · answer #4 · answered by Drgeeforce 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Diesel fuel has a higher burning temperature and it takes more to ignite it. It contains more oil and your engine will smoke like a tire fire. I would siphon it out. If a little bit is left behind it will get diluted with the next tank of gas. I would fill your next tank with the HIGHEST octane (most expensive) fuel your state allows to burn off the diesel fuel. But you should be all right.
2006-10-02 18:37:39 · answer #5 · answered by Mr. Curious 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hope you read all the answers then let the mechanic tell you what to do.
All these people are KNOW NOTHINGS.
Be leave me the best thing is to drain out the tank.
Sure it will burn but it will screw up the injectors, by oil fouling them with the fuel. your fuel pump that was made to pump only gas, will be screwed up with the fuel
These people have never faces this in real life and I have. It seems that when you know nothing about this you can tell others what thy think, but thy are not the ones that have to face the repair bill.
So take it from a mechanic and get the tank pumped out and then cleaned. And stop listing to jerks and lesion to a mechanic
2006-10-02 19:31:00 · answer #6 · answered by goldwing127959 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Don't know what kind of car, or how old....
However on older cars with carburators, a cheap way to clean your carburator and engine was to pour small amounts of diesel in the throat of the carburator. That was cheaper than the carb cleaners at the auto parts stores, and worked better. Reason small amounts were poured, was not for fear of engine damage, but more to keep the engine from stalling. Don't know, however, how it would work with fuel injection vehicles. What's the injector cleaner made of????
2006-10-03 14:55:27 · answer #7 · answered by Louis C 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It'll give you great lubrication but won't harm anything. As for putting gasoline in a diesel, that's a whole other story! You'll probably notice a little better gas milage also.
2006-10-04 01:34:29 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It also may effect your O2 sensors. The question will also be if you siphon out what will you do with 10 g of gasoline? cant dump it or it will get in to the water tables,
2006-10-02 18:45:08 · answer #9 · answered by theevilfez 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It might smoke more. Dilute the tank with more gas or drain the tank
2006-10-02 18:37:31 · answer #10 · answered by ? 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋