AndyCrews Posted September 27, 2015 Report Share Posted September 27, 2015 Just had to have my Spitfire recovered. Refuelled and 2 miles down the road starts spluttering and clouds of blue smoke. Then the penny dropped...I'd filled with Diesel. AA are coming to pump the tank tomorrow. The car will start and run. Any ideas about what damage might have been done. The AA man thought it would be OK once the tank had been cleaned. Its not making any strange noises. Going to be an expensive lesson. Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Posted September 27, 2015 Report Share Posted September 27, 2015 No damage at all. Except to the wallet. Just fully drain the tank and fill with petrol. The difficult bit is disposing of the mixture after, nobody wants it for anything. I helped a friend out by sorting his car after just such an incident, and used the mix as a degreaser. Not brilliant, but gets a lot of crud out of stuff. Then finish off with a better solvent. Otherwise to the tip....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
68vitesse Posted September 27, 2015 Report Share Posted September 27, 2015 Probably none, petrol in a diesel car is the expensive one. I have used diesel to soak the bores of a petrol engine which has stood for some years, loads of smoke when finally started. All the best Paul Beaten to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougbgt6 Posted September 27, 2015 Report Share Posted September 27, 2015 I think I recall a Top Gear episode where they filled a petrol engine car with diesel and a diesel with petrol to see what would happen. The diesel engine was wrecked but the petrol tried to run and was OK afterwards. Diesel fuel pumps are lubricated by the fuel and anything other than diesel will wreck it. I once got compensation out of Tesco who sold me, and several dozen others, a tank full of water contaminated diesel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted September 27, 2015 Report Share Posted September 27, 2015 just take the plugs out and clean the oily soot off them before you try to start it. i had a collegue who used contaminated petrol in his rover engined ski/power boat then 'mayday mayday ' it wasnt always a good idea Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomL Posted September 27, 2015 Report Share Posted September 27, 2015 Hi Andy, You must be kicking yourself! I think, like the other contributors, that this will not have done any lasting damage. If it were my car, I would run it with a bit of Redex in the first few tankfulls. Let us know how you get on once the tank's bee drained. Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mishmosh Posted September 27, 2015 Report Share Posted September 27, 2015 The fuel will work fine in an old tractor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eddie Posted September 27, 2015 Report Share Posted September 27, 2015 I think the AA have special vehicles to deal with such occurrences, which are very common. I have been told that the petrol/diesel mixture is sold or given to the army to be used in tanks, which will run on whatever fuel is available. Not sure if this is true but it's a good story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD Posted September 28, 2015 Report Share Posted September 28, 2015 Confession time. I did this to SofS, halfway back from Le Mans and very, very early in the morning (that's my excuse) Nine litres of diesel in a 40 litre tank, top up with petrol and soldier on. Binman riding shotgun in the support barge said that I was putting out seven shades of blue. It went on running, then and for a long, long time thereafter. But even after two more fill ups with high octane petrol, it was still missing, so I had to stop and clean out the plugs. No soot, just oily diesel between the insulators and the body of the plug. It was roadside, so no facility to wash them out with a solvent and blow them dry, which would be best, but just wiping inside with tissues did the job. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyCrews Posted September 28, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 28, 2015 Many thanks for the replies. Cost if wasted fuel included over £300. Ouch! Tank and fuel lines have now been cleared. It did start this morning, very reluctantly, and poured out smoke until the carbs cleared. Having run it on the drive for a bit, its still smoking a little, but seems to be OK. Will take for a proper run later. The pumped out fuel is taken to a central processing plant in Sheffield and turned into an industrial degreasing product. AA man said he had done six incidents on Saturday. While he was here one of my neighbours owned up to doing the same thing recently, fortunately he realised before he started his car. ADDED. Have now refuelled with correct diet of Vpower Unleaded and done a few miles. Car going well and smoking has now stopped. Fingers crossed no damage other than to my wallet. Andy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Crook Posted September 29, 2015 Report Share Posted September 29, 2015 You can use dirty fuel in a steam wash that uses derv or you could sell it to someone that has oil fired central heating. Or if you have one of those big old stoves that heat greenhouses, burn it in one of them , just a few ideas . Saves waste Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted September 30, 2015 Report Share Posted September 30, 2015 The pumped out fuel is taken to a central processing plant in Sheffield and turned into an industrial degreasing product. Or cheaper brands of whiskey… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted September 30, 2015 Report Share Posted September 30, 2015 my uncle tried that but it took the Crem a week to put the fire out !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougbgt6 Posted September 30, 2015 Report Share Posted September 30, 2015 Ah, cheap whisky, the golden throat nargler. What's worse? A mouth full of petrol or a mouth full of diesel? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted September 30, 2015 Report Share Posted September 30, 2015 Both !!! if you swallow deisel .... dont F*rt as it works on compression ignition you could be in for a surprise Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted October 1, 2015 Report Share Posted October 1, 2015 I didn’t think a f*rt was compressed… it was released? Hence it can be lit at the exhaust port but doesn’t spontaneously combust? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Posted October 1, 2015 Report Share Posted October 1, 2015 I am NOT trying that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougbgt6 Posted October 1, 2015 Report Share Posted October 1, 2015 When I was a teenager I knew someone who could fart to order. Not only that, his party trick was to light the methane evacuation with a match! A sure puller with the girls! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted October 1, 2015 Report Share Posted October 1, 2015 Im sure mine are compressed before escape Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD Posted October 2, 2015 Report Share Posted October 2, 2015 What WAS this guy drinking? Nhoj (Not John, oh, no, I was the other end of the house when this was posted) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyCrews Posted October 2, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 2, 2015 Entertaining piece of thread drift! Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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