Wife filled CRD with unleaded!!!!!

panda-52 · **Posted:** Fri Aug 31, 2007 7:46 pm

I know mistakes happen but I still had a major meltdown when she called and told me. Luckily the car died after running less than mile and she realized her mistake and didn't try to get it running again. I guess the good news is since it was almost empty it's probably close to 100% gasoline in the tank. I know I need to drain the tank and replace the filter. My question, is there any way to purge the rail and or injectors before I try to start it. On pure gas it died quickly and completely so I think it may be difficult getting it started with that high a concentration in the fuel system. It see3ms like it would be better if I could drain/purge the rail before starting it.

Any help is appreciated.

Reflex · **Joined:** Mon Jan 29, 2007 8:48 pm **Posts:** 567

I have no idea how to go about helping you on this, however I wanted to express my condolences. I have a constant fear of this happening whenever anyone borrows my CRD for any reason. I think they think I'm nuts when I remind them that its diesel and only takes diesel.

Cowcatcher · **Posted:** Fri Aug 31, 2007 8:01 pm

Ouch. I have no answers for your questions but I feel you pain. I offer one piece of advice...don't take it to a dealer until you resolve the issue. Someone here bought a used CRD and had a friend at his Jeep dealer check the records. There was a note attached that the warranty was on "watch" because the CRD was know to have been filled with gas once.

Metal Man · **Posted:** Fri Aug 31, 2007 8:06 pm

My local dealer just had one filled with gas. I told the mechanic of my experience with VWs that is really isn't that big of a deal. My advise was drain the tank, change the filter and add some additive.
I talked to him when it was done and he said he pulled the tank to drain it. I'm not sure what all he did but he said it wasn't a problem and it fired right up.

panda-52 · **Posted:** Fri Aug 31, 2007 8:31 pm

Yeah, I think at this point that's the best course of action drain, change and pray. I'll post my results. I might try a little suction on the outlet at the fuel filter.

Bill.Barg · **Posted:** Fri Aug 31, 2007 8:37 pm

see what MrMopar64 had to say;

http://www.lostjeeps.com/forum/phpBB3/vie ... %2A#164802

Rush345 · **Posted:** Fri Aug 31, 2007 11:28 pm

Way back in 1978 I worked for a Cadillac dealership in the parts Dept. while there Caddy had just recently started using diesels. But at least twice a week some one brought in their Caddy having pumped gas into the deisel tank. This was a mechanics nitghtmare pull the fuel pump send it out to a special deisel shop to rebuild plus purging the entire system of gas. I don't remember the price to the customer but I can insure you it wasn't cheap. Of all the bad things you can do to a deisel I would state putting gas in the tank is suicidal. :cry:

In the imortal words Of MR. T I pitty the fool :twisted:

1TDI4Me · **Posted:** Fri Aug 31, 2007 11:51 pm

My experience has a slightly different twist. Nearly always driving a diesel vehicle, I have
found out, to my great relief, that the diesel nozzle at my favorite truck stop won't fit inside
the restrictive opening of the tank on my 350Z. :shock:

I'm thinking that this one wouldn't be too cheap to deal with, either.

nescosmo · **Joined:** Sat Jul 14, 2007 11:17 pm **Posts:** 202

panda-52 wrote:

I know mistakes happen but I still had a major meltdown when she called and told me. Luckily the car died after running less than mile and she realized her mistake and didn't try to get it running again. I guess the good news is since it was almost empty it's probably close to 100% gasoline in the tank. I know I need to drain the tank and replace the filter. My question, is there any way to purge the rail and or injectors before I try to start it. On pure gas it died quickly and completely so I think it may be difficult getting it started with that high a concentration in the fuel system. It see3ms like it would be better if I could drain/purge the rail before starting it.

Any help is appreciated.

Not a problem; Winter diesel in europe contain gas. all you have to do is empty the tank, take the intake hose and supply hose and put nitrogen to be clear of the gas, replaced filter then take the rail plug off and crank the engine, it will not start but will turn and what ever is left in the system will go back to the tank with the diesel fuel that you have put in, re install the plug run it and that is it........ Good luck

Nescosmo......

panda-52 · **Posted:** Sat Sep 01, 2007 6:14 pm

Well everything turned out OK. I emptied the tank, changed the filter and it started on the second try (probably cranked for a total of less than 10 seconds) and ran smoothly. Not at all like I expected. I ended up taking almost 20 gallons of gas/diesel mix out. Since my wife bought 16 gallons of unleaded that makes an 80% gas mix was in the tank. The mix that was in the filter when I drained it, felt and looked more like diesel than what came out of the tank. I suspect that holds true for what was in the rail also. As the stronger gas mix was pushed into the rail I believe the car died before it ever saw the 80% gas mix. Luckily she was driving at a low speed very close to home. When the car died it was less than 500 feet from my driveway.

If you ever have this happen to you I suggest siphoning the fuel out through the fuel filter inlet hose rather than dropping the tank. You will need vacuum pump and the various connectors that allow you to pull a good vacuum to start the siphon and it will take several hours. But I think its a lot safer, avoids spills and or trying to handle a heavy tank. It also leaves no evidence that the tank was dropped, a sure sign of a contaminated fuel condition. True it may leave a very small amount of mix in the tank but a little extra additive should take care of that. Although I considered it I would not suggest disturbing the injection system. After reading the manual I concluded the risk of doing more harm was greater than letting any gas/diesel mix work its way through the system and hopefully back to the tank.

It is a labor intensive process and leaves a lot of gas/diesel mix for disposal. At $80 or more an hour I'm not surprised a dealer would charge $500 to do this job. Getting a fuel filter on Saturday proved interesting. The closest dealer didn't have one in stock. I called two others that are about 10 miles apart, both 5 star rated. One wanted $140 and the other wanted $45. I know where I'm taking my business from now on.

I'm feeling a lot better tonight.
Cheers

TDI4BY · **Joined:** Sun Apr 02, 2006 11:56 pm **Posts:** 644

I used to work at a shop that was across from a Station that had all green handles on their pumps. We ended up buying a sweet fuel evacuator pump thing because we would get one every week or so. One of the guys that worked there would always fill his old Pontiac with the mixed fuel and burn it. It smoked like crazy and ran like garbage but it was free fuel.

Goglio704 · **Posted:** Sat Sep 01, 2007 9:55 pm

panda-52 wrote:

Getting a fuel filter on Saturday proved interesting. The closest dealer didn't have one in stock. I called two others that are about 10 miles apart, both 5 star rated. One wanted $140 and the other wanted $45. I know where I'm taking my business from now on.

I'm feeling a lot better tonight.
Cheers

The $140 was probably for the filter and head as an assembly. That's about what they cost. It seems to be a common mistake in the parts departments. Glad things turned out OK.

retmil46 · **Posted:** Sun Sep 02, 2007 1:39 am

That's another advantage to having a lift pump installed now - if I ever get in the situation of having to dump a tank of crappy fuel again, just disconnect the supply line, flip on the key, and let the beast pump itself down.

BlackLibertyCRD · **Posted:** Sun Sep 02, 2007 1:07 pm

retmil46 wrote:

That's another advantage to having a lift pump installed now - if I ever get in the situation of having to dump a tank of crappy fuel again, just disconnect the supply line, flip on the key, and let the beast pump itself down.

The lift pump should be wired so that it stops running in 30 seconds when the engine is not running. That is in case of accident or busted fuel line that the vehicle will have less of a chance of becoming a flame thrower.

Pablo · **Joined:** Thu Feb 02, 2006 10:06 pm **Posts:** 1201

TDI4BY wrote:

I used to work at a shop that was across from a Station that had all green handles on their pumps. We ended up buying a sweet fuel evacuator pump thing because we would get one every week or so. One of the guys that worked there would always fill his old Pontiac with the mixed fuel and burn it. It smoked like crazy and ran like garbage but it was free fuel.

Mobil huh? I almost screwed up at Mobil one day-- I was about to insert the green nozzle when I saw the unleaded on it. The diesel pump handle was yellow. I wrote the company a nastygram asking them why unleaded had green pump handles and the diesel had yellow. Apparently the international standard specifies yellow for diesel, so that is why they used yellow instead of green. I stopped giving Mobil any business-- gas or diesel. I have not see a Mobil station around here, seems like they are all going to Exxon.

brew1 · **Posted:** Tue Sep 11, 2007 8:40 pm

Pablo,

All the diesel pumps here in Wisconsin have yellow handles, unleaded are green. I've traveled to several other states in the Midwest and have never seen a diesel pump with a green pump handle.

Seems your fuel supplier is a little bass ackwards if their diesel pumps have green handles.

ATXKJ · **Posted:** Tue Sep 11, 2007 8:50 pm

I've seen both
it's like the older stations have Green handles but as they upgrade or as new stations are built they're going to the Yellow handles.

BlackLibertyCRD · **Posted:** Tue Sep 11, 2007 8:51 pm

brew1 wrote:

Pablo,

All the diesel pumps here in Wisconsin have yellow handles, unleaded are green. I've traveled to several other states in the Midwest and have never seen a diesel pump with a green pump handle.

Seems your fuel supplier is a little bass ackwards if their diesel pumps have green handles.

We bass ackwards here in DE and WA too. The green handle matches the green diesel fill cap on the CRD. Sure hope I don't have to fill in WI for I get mixed up with the color codes. :lol:

Pablo · **Joined:** Thu Feb 02, 2006 10:06 pm **Posts:** 1201

The yellow is an international standard and the green is the old US standard. That is what mobil said in the letter they wrote me anyway. I can understand the diesel going to the international standard-- but they should not change the other pumps to green at the same time. That is bad, at least I caught it.

brew1 · **Posted:** Tue Sep 11, 2007 11:39 pm

I've been using diesel in my JD tractor for years and the 5 gallon fuel containers that I fill at the local truck stop are yellow, have been for quite a few years. You guys using green 5 gallon fuel containers in your states to the match the green pump handles or are you using the red 5 gallon gas containers?

Just curious.

Wife filled CRD with unleaded!!!!!

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