Can petrol damage a diesel engine?

[ireneral]

I have put petrol in a turbo diesel car engine by mistake. How much damage will i have done as i travelled about 60 miles thereafter (there was still a quarter tank of diesel in the engine before i fuelled up)

[Harley]

Petrol can certainly damage a diesel engine as it runs at such high compression.You dont say how much petrol you put in but if you filled the tank to 3/4 petrol then I am afraid you could have done some serious damage. You must drain off the residue in the tank straight away.

[gbjlb]

hahaahahhaahaaaa

[benjamin]

I know of someone who put petrol into a brand new BMW diesel,and saw it engulfed in flames soon after - be careful.

[seb brown]

Am afraid as you will have probably done a lot of damage. Having travelled 60 miles, the petrol will have gone all through the car's engine, so a lot of parts will be affected. Even filling the car with the wrong fuel but not driving it can be expensive to sort. I used to work at a car company, where a customer made the same mistake, and the whole fuel tank, injection system and connections etc had to be replaced. Obviously the thing to do is get to a garage for professional advice, but i definitely wouldn't drive it any further.

[ajmmac]

i have a sister-in-law who put diesel in her petrol car b4 she got home--she made it home ok--just a half a mile or so but it wouldn't start next day--she was a member of the AA but not for home call outs so she got her father to tow her about 5 miles up to a layby on a nearby dual carriageway and she called the AA--the mechanic was baffled she could have got the car so far and was highly suspicious--but he fixed it anyway

[Quaye]

Petrol doesn't have the Lubricating effect that Diesel has, so the Part (Injector pump) which increases the pressure of the Fuel (in order to atomise the diesel for combustion) certainly may have had its life shortened a fraction, but if the car runs ok, and you don't do it too often! i wouldn't worry.

[BASSTETT]

ask my hubby about that, he put �20 worth in vw polo, we did manage to get to wales and back from B'ham, although we did have to get out and push when engine got hot. on older diesels its not so much of a problem as long as diluted, but in new car you are *****d

[Raydude]

in avery small way no- however if you place perol in a diesel engine you will certainky damage it as Petrol has a different octane rating to diesel and diesel is and oilier fuel - in essence - dont mix petrol and dieel!

[Dieselguard]

You should protect your Diesel engine by installing the Diesel Guard� audible fuel type warning system. When filling your vehicle it alerts the user as to the correct type of fuel they should fill up with by playing a voice message. It is most affordable priced at around �15. A small price to pay if you were to get it wrong. It is available to buy online at Diesel Guard� dot com. Over �80 million is payed out in repair bills due to diesel misfuelling every year. The AA say it happens to 120,000 motorists per year but the actual number is more like 300,000. Diesel misfuelling could ruin your week and cost you thousands, it makes sense to fit the Dieselguard.

[council]

I recently 15/2/06 put 40 pounds worth of petrol into my new Vauxhall Signum 2.0 dti - bad day a work!!! drove around 1.5 miles when the car spluttered a few times and then conked out! We then towed the car to the garage and they drained the tank and the pipes, replaced the filters and put in the diesel and the car thankfully is fine - I am just 250 pounds lighter and am currently buying a gizmo to make sure I don't do it again.