Latest News

Wrong Fuel in the Car - How Big is the Problem and What to do? DIY Guide
Thursday, February 7, 2019 IST
Wrong Fuel in the Car - How Big is the Problem and What to do? DIY Guide

How big is the Wrong Fuelling problem and how to deal with it, we tell you in our Do It Yourself Guide?

 
 

If you drive a car, vehicle breakdown is something which is inevitable and various studies have suggested that tyre puncture is one of the primary reasons of breakdown. Accidents, empty fuel and low battery also play a major role in vehicle breakdown. But one barely recognized cause of breakdown is wrong fuelling in the car. While two-wheelers run on petrol only (leaving aside electric drive), cars can be powered by two types of fuel – diesel and petrol. This leads to a confusion sometimes on what fuel the car is running on, resulting in wrong fuelling.
 
This problem is most common with the first-time drivers who are not aware of the fuel type of their car, or someone driving someone else’s car or language barrier while you are travelling. As opposed to the other form of breakdowns like tyre puncture, battery down or empty fuel - diesel in petrol car or petrol in diesel car can lead to major damage in your vehicle. How big is this problem and how to deal with it, we tell you in our Do It Yourself Guide!
 
How big is the problem?
 
Wrong fuelling is a big troublemaker as you can’t alone deal with this situation and have to visit a service station to get it sorted. The other breakdown causes can be tackled on the spot, be it flat tyre or empty fuel. Also, wrong-fuelling can lead to engine problems leading to irreparable damage to your car's engine. Here’s what happens when you put the wrong fuel in your car-
 
Petrol in Diesel vehicle - The engine can sustain a few kilometres of driving
 
Diesel in Petrol vehicle - The engine can suffer major damage within a few seconds of starting the vehicle
 
How to tackle wrong fuelling?
 
Wrong-fuelling has become a common occurrence these days all thanks to the rapid sales of vehicles. People are moving from two-wheelers to four wheelers and they don‘t know what type of fuel their car is running on? There are two possible scenarios after wrong fuelling of the car and both of them need a different approach-
 
You are aware of wrong-fuelling
 
- The most important thing to remember is - Don't start your vehicle
 
- Don’t drive your car no matter what, and if need be, push your car to the nearest parking bay
 
- Call an emergency roadside assistance or nearest garage
 
- If your vehicle has an automatic transmission, you might have to start it to bring it to neutral. Turn off the engine immediately once done.
 
You are not aware of wrong-fuelling
 
- Call the emergency services as soon as you realize the issue and stop the car immediately
 
What are the potential damages?
 
Wrong fuelling can lead to severe damage in the engine, however it is very difficult to assess the damage at the exact moment. The damage depends on how early you have detected the problem and called the emergency services. Here are the vehicle components you need to check and replace-
 
- Fuel pump
 
- Injectors
 
- Catalytic converter
 
- Fuel tank
 
- Valve guides and valve seats
 
 

 
 

How to recover the car?
 
Once your vehicle is contaminated with the wrong fuel, it's advisable not to start the vehicle and call mobile recovery service. Below are the various methods which can be used to recover your vehicle. Remember, you can’t repair the vehicle yourself as the damages are inside the engine and the only option is a service station-
 
Method 1 – Call a mobile recovery service, also known as emergency roadside assistance. The technicians of these services are trained and they will use a fuel hose to access the fuel tank and will empty it. Once the tank is empty, the car is filled with the right fuel. However, this method has limitations and can only be used if the fuel has not entered the fuel lines. If you have started your car and the fuel has reached the fuel lines, the technician will have to flush them, before refuelling.
 
Method 2 – If the fuel has reached fuel lines, the only option is to take the vehicle to the nearest garage. As mentioned above, if petrol is filled in diesel cars, they can run for a few kilometres and you can yourself take the car to the garage. But you have to get it cleaned and checked properly. The mechanic will use a static pump to remove the fuel or they can remove the tank to manually drain the contaminated fuel. A filter change can also take place depending on the damage.
 
Method 3 – If, however, you have filled your petrol car with diesel and manage to start it, the only option is to have it towed to the garage, as you can’t start the car again. The service station will analyze the damage and perform a complete overhaul, replacing the damaged parts.
 
Our advise is to put a sticker on the fuel cap to avoid any confusion.

 
 
 
 
 

Related Topics

 
 
 

Trending News & Articles

 Article
Tata Harrier’s 7-seater Version H7X Will Be Quite Different – Report

Tata Harrier’s three-row seat version in works, details out  

Recently posted . 2K views . 0 min read
 

 Article
How to make you car as silent as a Rolls Royce inside

Rolls Royce cars are extremely luxurious. While there are many expensive pieces of equipment in Rolls Royce cars, their most relaxing feature is the silence that ...

Recently posted . 2K views . 2 min read
 

 Article
India's Top 5 Mobile Charger manufacturer Brand 2019

The following list of India's Top 5 Mobile Charger manufacture Brand 2019  

Recently posted . 2K views . 0 min read
 

 Article
Mahindra XUV300 vs Maruti Brezza, Ford EcoSport, Tata Nexon – Price

XUV300 is the latest entrant in the compact SUV segment.

Recently posted . 2K views . 0 min read
 

 
 

More in Electronics & Gadgets

 Article
Classplus raises $9M to grow its Shopify-like platform for teachers and coaching centers in India

An India-based startup that has built a Shopify -like platform for coaching centers to accept fees digitally from students, and deliver classes and study material...

Recently posted. 793 views . 1 min read
 

 Article
Instagram Introduces Voice Messaging to Direct

Facebook has it, WhatsApp has it, Voxer has it, and now Instagram Direct supports voice messaging, too.  

Recently posted. 685 views . 0 min read
 

 Article
This app turns your phone into robot

The researchers demonstrated this app with robots watering a plant, vacuuming and transporting objects. A study on the embedded app, called VRa, was presented at DI...

Recently posted. 649 views . 1 min read
 

 Video
Amazing Domino Effect



Recently posted . 881 views
 

 Video
10 Cool Toys Every Kid Needs



Recently posted . 1K views
 

 Article
Top 10 Best Android Smartphones of 2018

There's certainly no shortage of excellent choices when it comes to selecting the Android-powered phone that's right for you in 2018. Now that Phonetober is...

Recently posted. 968 views . 3 min read
 

 Article
Comparing the A14 Bionic to a 15-inch MacBook Pro's 6 core CPU is meaningless, and here's why

The move to 5 nm for the A14 Bionic could offer the next iPhones a huge step up in performance compared to their predecessors and their Android competitors. However...

Recently posted. 766 views . 1 min read
 

 
 
 

   Prashnavali

  Thought of the Day

How to be positive – Say “I can,” instead of “I can’t!” Smile more. Be optimistic.
Anonymous

Be the first one to comment on this story

Close
Post Comment
Shibu Chandran
2 hours ago

Serving political interests in another person's illness is the lowest form of human value. A 70+ y old lady has cancer.

November 28, 2016 05:00 IST
Shibu Chandran
2 hours ago

Serving political interests in another person's illness is the lowest form of human value. A 70+ y old lady has cancer.

November 28, 2016 05:00 IST
Shibu Chandran
2 hours ago

Serving political interests in another person's illness is the lowest form of human value. A 70+ y old lady has cancer.

November 28, 2016 05:00 IST
Shibu Chandran
2 hours ago

Serving political interests in another person's illness is the lowest form of human value. A 70+ y old lady has cancer.

November 28, 2016 05:00 IST


ads
Back To Top