What Happens When a Diesel Engine Is Fuelled with Petrol?

 

Did you ever asked yourself what happens when you fuel a diesel engine with petrol? Or perhaps you have already been a victim of this action and are now suffering the consequences first-hand. Don't blame yourself or your driver, it happens frequently. In either case, combining petrol and diesel in a car can result in headaches and severely harm the engine.

One may imagine that combining petrol and diesel fuel by accident happens frequently, especially in petrol stations with pumps for both fuels located close to one another.

Due to the potentially severe consequences, putting petrol in a diesel engine, considerable attention must be used. Do not start your car if you combine these fuels by mistake. To have the vehicle recovered to a car garage, choose a mechanic by conducting an online search for car garages in Reading. The fuel system must be completely drained and flushed by the mechanic before he can resume driving your car.

What happens when petrol and diesel are combined?

You might have mixed these two fuel types if you own a car and have dealt with fuel for a while. While mixing diesel and petrol fuel is not recommended, there may not be as much of an issue as initially thought.

But how much did you refill, exactly? Will a diesel engine be damaged by a little petrol? Let's investigate.

Effects of petrol in a diesel engine

Early detection of this issue may allow you to prevent serious harm to your engine. On the other hand, if you continue to drive for a long time while using the incorrect or mixed fuel, you could encounter the following problems:

1.      No ignition - Neither diesel engines nor petrol engines are built with automatic ignition systems as the fuel must be ignited with a spark.  Therefore, there won't be a spark to ignite the petrol when you pour it into a diesel engine. Since both fuels are combined, there will be insufficient ignition to ensure smooth engine performance.

2.      Black smoke - Since petrol cannot ignite in a diesel engine as diesel burns at 52 degrees Celsius and petrol at -40 degrees Celsius, respectively, there will be a lot of black smoke. As a result, a sizable amount of fuel will be wasted. Due to the considerable amount of unburned fuel, the exhaust tailpipe will emit a lot of black smoke. This smoke smells awful and will give you a horrible impression. Soot accumulation will cause numerous fuel system sensors to clog if you neglect it for a while. This issue will make an emissions test fail, so check MOT status and have it fixed.

3.      Shock wave damage - Both petrol and diesel engines have a number of moving parts, including pushrods, wrist pins, pistons, con rods, camshafts, and crankshafts. These engine components may be damaged by the shock wave from an unexpected ignition. Additionally, it may result in engine knocking. Search online for garages in Reading as soon as you combine petrol and diesel to prevent this from happening, and then have your car recovered so that a mechanic can make the necessary repairs.

4.      Fuel system damage - Your fuel pump, injectors, and fuel filters will be damaged if petrol gets into your diesel fuel tank. These make up a diesel fuel system's essential part. To achieve peak performance, you must replace all of the fuel system's components if they are not functioning properly. As was already mentioned, this will cause a MOT test to fail the emissions test. You can conduct an online search for 'check MOT history' if you're curious about if it has ever failed an emissions test.

5.      Lack of lubrication - Many people are unaware that petrol is a solvent, and that diesel is a type of 'Oil' that lubricates engine components. As a result, using petrol in a diesel engine will result in inadequate lubrication. If you've ever wondered what occurs when you put petrol in a diesel engine or vehicle, the reason is that there is insufficient lubrication, causing metal to metal contact. Components of reciprocating engines will sustain damage as a result of the metals rubbing against one another.

6.      Damage to the engine - If you discover you accidentally filled petrol in a diesel engine in good time, you can still recover your engine before the damages become too severe to fix. However, if you keep on driving for a while, you can wind up ruining the entire engine. And as you are aware, one of the priciest parts of a car is the engine.