What happens if you make a mistake while putting gas in the car?

Every year around 72,000 drivers in Spain accidentally add fuel that does not correspond to the technology of their vehicle.

If you have a vehicle that you use frequently, Your normal routine includes visiting a gas station from time to time to refuel., Filling the car’s fuel tank is one of the issues associated with owning a vehicle and, although it is almost a mechanical task, we can make this mistake. put the wrong fuel in our car, It may seem like a ‘silly’ failure, but approximately 72,000 drivers per year put fuel that is not compatible with their diesel or gasoline car.

Making a mistake while filling fuel can have fatal consequences for our car. And for our pockets if we don’t realize it in time. If fortunately we realize our mistake at the gas station itself, the most important thing is not to start the car engine under any circumstances, and not before taking the car to a workshop or completely emptying the fuel tank. Call our insurance support service. Same gas station so that we can replace it with proper fuel. Every car requires a type of fuel, just like you must use the right lubricant or the right coolant.

What happens if I use the wrong fuel?

The composition and properties of diesel and gasoline are not the same, similarly the operation of a diesel engine is different from that of a gasoline engine., As a result of these differences, using diesel in a gasoline car can damage the injection system and engine, while using gasoline in a diesel engine will also affect various components of the injection system. Therefore, If you make a mistake while adding fuel, realizing it in time can be a win,

In fact, If we discover our mistake and we do not start the car, the only thing that will be required is to empty the fuel tank in a specific way. Filling it with diesel or gasoline depending on the right option. In such a situation, everything will remain a small ‘story’, whereas If you start the engine or drive the vehicle, this mistake can be very costly.Because it is very likely that we will suffer, in the best of cases, hundreds of euros in losses if the vehicle is damaged.

Refueling a diesel vehicle with gasoline will damage the injection pump as soon as the vehicle is started.

gasoline in diesel engine

If we accidentally pour gasoline into a diesel engine and realize it in time, The first thing that needs to be done is not to start the engine., If we do not realize the error and the vehicle starts, almost automatically Both the fuel injection pump and gasoline filter will be damaged., If we attempt to drive with this error in fuel the injectors may also be damaged and in general a large part of the injection system will be affected as gasoline is much less lubricated than diesel.

The car will initially start, drive erratically, make strange noises and eventually stall., At this point we can already tell you that the workshop bill is not going to be cheap, as the gasoline filter will have to be replaced and almost certainly the fuel injection pump. In addition, it is common that injectors or other components of the injection system also have to be replaced as a precaution. Replacement of all these elements can easily exceed 2,500 euros,

diesel in gasoline engine

If we accidentally filled diesel into a gasoline car, it is not easy to do this because the tank mouth is small, the most common thing is toThe engine starts and after a few thrusts the vehicle stops., Gasoline engines are more delicate than diesel engines in these cases, so the malfunction can be very serious. In this case you will have to empty the fuel tank and bleed the entire circuit. From the beginning, It will be necessary to replace the injectors and check if the error has also affected the catalyst,

The problem arises when the car circulates and diesel reaches the engine again and again. In a gasoline engine the air-fuel mixture is compressed in the cylinder and does not explode until the spark plug is generated. On the other hand, in a diesel engine, only air is compressed in the cylinder until the last moment of fuel injection. A different operation that may result in increased temperature, higher number of signals, etc. rupture in combustion chamber, If this point is reached, The cost of a breakdown can exceed 3,000 euros,

Pouring diesel into a gasoline car is a more complicated mistake because the hose nozzle is wide and does not fit into the tank entrance.

what to do if a mistake happens

As we already guessed, The most important thing in case of a fault is not to start the engine., If we did not realize the error in time, but we did it when we were already driving, we would have to Stop the engine in a safe area as soon as possible, The usual thing is that, at this point, it is the car itself that ‘warns’ us, because whether a gasoline car has been filled with diesel or otherwise, the vehicle itself will behave strangely and eventually stop.

Assuming that we have managed to locate the error and we have not started the engine of our vehicle, The most logical solution is to call our insurance support service, since they will send a vehicle that will drain the fuel from the tank, with as much left in the engine as possible. It should be noted that the driver is always at fault when refueling, unless the person adding the wrong fuel is a gas station employee. Then, The ticket must be kept and the person in charge of the establishment and the insurance company informed of this circumstance., Additionally, it is advisable to submit a complaint form.

removing wrong fuel

The vehicle that the insurance sends us It will have an electric extraction pump that will remove the misplaced fuel into a tank approved for this purpose., Depending on the type of vehicle we have, this emptying can be done with a semi-rigid tube through the mouth of the tank, but it is possible that the drain gauge will have to be removed depending on the model or type of tank. Another option is to do it through the transfer pump, bypassing this pump via a relay and isolating the hose to keep the fuel injector in place.

as can be seen, The task of fuel extraction is not simple and therefore should not be undertaken on an individual basis., Although the fuel that we have accidentally poured can be removed with a rubber tube and bulb, this method leaves more residue of the wrong fuel and is also a much more dangerous method because diesel or gasoline can spill. It is always recommended that this procedure be performed by an expert in a controlled environment and with relevant safety measures in place.,

Emptying the fuel tank should be done by professionals and follow a specific protocol

tank cleaning

Once the tank is empty, a cleaning process is carried out in which we as the owner of the vehicle will be a part, controlling the amount of fuel present in the tank at all times and the execution time. First of all, It is recommended to fill the fuel tank with approximately five liters of correct fuelSince this small amount will serve to ‘clean’ the tank and, if necessary, the injection system in the engine.

It is advisable to force this fuel consumption And don’t leave it in the tank for long periods of time. Actually, the most common thing is that these five liters of water gets spent quickly. To completely fill the bottom tank, Next, as the final part of the process, Once approximately one-fourth of the total fuel in the tank is consumed, we will refill the tank to its maximum capacity. To end this episode arising from a mistake while refueling, because as they say, to err is human.