Thread: Unleaded...I can’t believe it happened!

Sounds like you were lucky!

Sounds like the PUMA engines are tougher than we think!

Hope there's no long term issues, and it keeps going happily.

Originally Posted by Brid

But I can’t understand how it could drive 8km on 70% petrol, before any sign of anything wrong!!

It didn't. It drove 8km on the fuel in the lines, the filter and the diesel in the bottom of the tank. Diesel is heavier than petrol.

When you say you drained the tank - where, how, into what ?

Sorry to jump in and I'll probably get flamed for only talking from experience but as an RAC patrol in the UK I saw a lot of misfuels, a few years ago when diesels where just getting popular the dealers used to insist all lines, filters, pumps, injectors where changed as irreparable damage would have occurred. This didn't last long before people just started draining the systems and changing the filters with no apparent damage. In fact the RAC in the UK have specific Fuel patrols to carry out exactly this and is endorsed by most dealers ad hire car firms. What I did find is that the Petrol and Diesel didn't really mix and if the majority of fuel in your tank was Diesel and you'd only topped up with petrol it could run for quite awhile, I had an Audi drive 60miles with no problems, until she turned it off and it wouldn't restart, cracked the injectors and it was just petrol coming out. What I'm trying to say is the myth is still pretty much alive in Australia that you will destroy a common rail by misfueling, it's what the dealers and garages want you to believe as it's a huge money earner.
Now before someone jumps up and down saying I'm talking bollox I'm happy to have an adult debate without getting personal

Think Ned is on the Money

I filled a Telstra Ford Ranger with Unleaded, drove similar distance,
about 5km (but downhill) the motor would only idle roughly then died.

I got it RACV towed home, The RACV man told me the Fuel system would need replacing, It was Friday arvo & I needed to go home & not to a repair centre so he relented called me an idiot and towed me home.

At Home I disconnected the fuel line from the injector pump & used a facet pump to fill 4 jerry cans, didnt flush any lines or anything, put one Jerry of Diesel into the tank & it started pretty much away & no problems since whatsoever.

The missus did something similar with our old turbo Pajero some time ago. Drove about 8 km and then there was a loud backfire and a big cloud of black smoke out the exhaust. The fuel tank was drained into drums, and the filters changed. No apparent damage, and it ran just fine for ages. Disappointingly the mower didn't take to the diesel/petrol mix, and I still have some of it in a drum somewhere.

Originally Posted by goingbush

Think Ned is on the Money

I filled a Telstra Ford Ranger with Unleaded, drove similar distance,
about 5km (but downhill) the motor would only idle roughly then died.

I got it RACV towed home, The RACV man told me the Fuel system would need replacing, It was Friday arvo & I needed to go home & not to a repair centre so he relented called me an idiot and towed me home.

At Home I disconnected the fuel line from the injector pump & used a facet pump to fill 4 jerry cans, didnt flush any lines or anything, put one Jerry of Diesel into the tank & it started pretty much away & no problems since whatsoever.

What you'll find (and I did a short stint in an RAC garage in Australia) is Patrols are encouraged to push for the car to be taken to a garage (preferably an RAC one) for a new system. I saw a RRS while in this garage and I think the quote was upwards of $7K, it got me thinking about setting up a business purely for misfuels in Perth but i think I need to wait until Diesels become more popular I'm sure the RRS driver would have preferred to pay $400 for a drain and flush than $7k for a full system as most insurance doesn't cover it (read the small print )