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[Lifeinavan]

Hey friends,

Something terrible just happened. Me and my woman bought our Cali like 1-2 months ago and today I sent my girlfriend to the gas station for the first time (you're already guessing it). She filled it up with Ethanol instead of Diesel. The tank was pretty much empty when she got there, filled it up and drove straight home (750 meters).

I told her before she left, DIESEL. I asked her when she got home, "and you filled it with diesel right?". The reply I got was "Yeah, E85 Diesel". Face palm, Rageface all of it. WHAT THE Hell IS E85 DIESEL? THERE IS EITHER E85 ETHANOL OR DIESEL".

So we walked to the gas station and she pointed out the pump she used, of course, Ethanol.

So my question now is. How mucked up is our car? She claims she felt nothing wrong with it, no warning lights or anything but she could be lying (to afraid to tell me the truth) but I hope not.

What do you think happened? Is our summer plans mucked up now??

 

[Hotel California]

As i am not a mecanic but if the engine was still running back home and turned off on the drive i suggest you don't start it again and drain the whole system or let the Cali towed to a garage to do so....could be the diesel left in the fuelhoses and filter was enough to get home so maybe the chance is that no fuel got to the engine

 

[Meoncoast]

do you need to swear to us about it

 

[Lifeinavan]

Sorry, that's what I said to her, not to you..

 

[fred]

The ethanol will be at the top of the tank as it's lighter, but you need to get it out. Best case scenario no damage (except £150 to drain the tank and clean the lines), worst case fuel pump, piston rings, fuel injectors, circa £4000. Call a misfuelling recovery specialist asap. Your insurance company may pay out on this.

 

[WelshGas]

Sorry, that's what I said to her, not to you..

As an absolute minimum the tank has to be drained, fuel filter will have to be changed, maybe twice and fuel lines to the injectors drained. Diesel, about 20L, put in tank and filter and the fuel lines to the injectors purged. Re-drain tank. Refill with fresh diesel, change filter. Reconnect everything. Cross all fingers and start. Hope it works out for you.
Diesel in a petrol car can be more damaging than the reverse.

 

[DavidofHook]

Take heart, I put petrol in mine but didn't drive it. Green flag towed it off the forecourt took it away and drained it all down. It has been fine since.

Make sure your water tank filler is locked, after cleaning Green flag tried to refill my emptied tank through the freshwater filler!

 

[snowy55]

As an absolute minimum the tank has to be drained, fuel filter will have to be changed, maybe twice and fuel lines to the injectors drained. Diesel, about 20L, put in tank and filter and the fuel lines to the injectors purged. Re-drain tank. Refill with fresh diesel, change filter. Reconnect everything. Cross all fingers and start. Hope it works out for you.
Diesel in a petrol car can be more damaging than the reverse.

In addition to the above.

You also need to consider changing your girlfriend.
It may save you money long term

 

[Lifeinavan]

So I just got the verdict. My insurance will cover all costs, 150 euro in fee if its only the sanitation+filters and 800 euro if the engine/parts needs to be replaced. The workshop estimated the costs to be around 10.000 euro in the worst case scenario.

Pew.

 

[DavidofHook]

So I just got the verdict. My insurance will cover all costs, 150 euro in fee if its only the sanitation+filters and 800 euro if the engine/parts needs to be replaced. The workshop estimated the costs to be around 10.000 euro in the worst case scenario.

Pew.

Brilliant! Pleased for you.

 

[Amarillo]

My insurance will cover all costs

Good to hear that.

My two-year-old has a toy. There are four solid shapes (cylinder, triangular prism, cube and hexagonal prism) and a box with openings on the top (circle, triangle, square and hexagon). The cylinder will only fit into the box through the circular opening, the triangular prism will only fit into the box through the triangular opening, the cube will only fit into the box through the square opening and the hexagonal prism will only fit into the box through the hexagonal opening.

Why can't filling stations and vehicle manufacturers come together and invent a similar system for filling motor vehicles?

 

[Rich20]

Good to hear that.

My two-year-old has a toy. There are four solid shapes (cylinder, triangular prism, cube and hexagonal prism) and a box with openings on the top (circle, triangle, square and hexagon). The cylinder will only fit into the box through the circular opening, the triangular prism will only fit into the box through the triangular opening, the cube will only fit into the box through the square opening and the hexagonal prism will only fit into the box through the hexagonal opening.

Why can't filling stations and vehicle manufacturers come together and invent a similar system for filling motor vehicles?

Diesel pump is black, unleaded is green. Is it not the same as measure twice, cut once? Mine also says diesel inside the filler flap and it says diesel on the pump handle. As adults we should be able to make that simple association.

 

[Californiaman]

Diesel pump is black, unleaded is green. Is it not the same as measure twice, cut once? Mine also says diesel inside the filler flap and it says diesel on the pump handle. As adults we should be able to make that simple association.

Except in the Republic of Ireland where I've certainly encountered green diesel pumps (sadly, it was when a friend was filling his petrol motorbike with it!)

 

[Amarillo]

Diesel pump is black, unleaded is green. Is it not the same as measure twice, cut once? Mine also says diesel inside the filler flap and it says diesel on the pump handle. As adults we should be able to make that simple association.

Mistakes still happen.

I can count with one finger the number of times my wife has filled up our diesel car: she is far more used to filling up a petrol car. It just takes an absent-minded moment, and the older I get the more such moments I have.

 

[Alan]

Does any one know if the "fuel angle"misfueling kit bought in the club shop could have stopped this happening?

Alan

 

[WelshGas]

Does any one know if the "fuel angle" fuel kit bought in the club shop could have stopped this happening?

Alan

Yes. I've tested it . It will not allow a Non Diesel nozzle to fit, or a damaged Diesel nozzle. 2 local garages, one of them a Tesco station, each changed a Diesel nozzle that had been damaged when I pointed out that the nozzles were no longer true.
In fact I find it strange that most petrol vehicles have fillers that will not accept Diesel nozzles but not the opposite.

 

[CALI FATE]

Mistakes still happen.

I can count with one finger the number of times my wife has filled up our diesel car: she is far more used to filling up a petrol car. It just takes an absent-minded moment, and the older I get the more such moments I have.

Do you think its a woman thing

 

[cpjb@btinternet.com]

No I think this sort of thing applies to everyone.

Quite a few years ago we decided to go to Calais for the day, and my Mrs said why don't you top up the oil in the car before we go? Don't know why because it was a brand new Laguna - but not knowing much about cars at the time it seemed like a reasonable idea, so I topped it up .

Twenty miles on the other side smoke started issuing from the bonnet - we were almost on fire. Seems I had forgotten to screw the oil cap back on. Anyway, after being taken away by a guy with his truck to Hesdin several hours later (anyone tried spending 5 hours in Hesdin on a Sunday!) we were ready to roll again.

To cap the end to a perfect day I rolled back into the guy's car behind me on the channel tunnel train on the way back . Happy days.

 

[snowy55]

When filling vehicles I always look at the pump and at 5 litres, STOP, recheck that I'm putting the correct fuel in.
It saved me once when I was filling up a diesel car with petrol, filled the rest with diesel and it was all ok.

 

[bigmac77]

Do you think its a woman thing

My brother and father have both done it twice., none of the women in our family have made the same mistake. I think it is a lack of concentration thing.

 

[Alan]

I bet there's more people that's dropped their guard and done some of these mistakes that would care to admit
Many years ago (here I go again) I was checking the plugs on a strait 6 Jag when the wife called me,came back 10 minutes later and decided to call it a day
Slammed the bonnet down,forgetting the plug socket was left on a plug in a vertical position.......+:./';

Alan

 

[Spotlight Kid]

Everybody makes mistakes. Men have more difficulty admitting them though!

 

[DavidofHook]

Do you think its a woman thing

No, I have done it once (with my nice new Cali, a bit like you, ) Also, last week I managed to put engine oil into the patrol tank of my nice new lawn mower Stupid or what? But blokes can do it too!
So a shape thing as Crsipin Family suggested seems a good idea.

 

[GrannyJen]

Do you think its a woman thing

No

I have never done it, but I know someone who has..... wiped the terribly macho look off his face that did

 

[CALI FATE]

ooooooh touched a nerve there