What are the consequences of putting gasoline in a diesel car?

Most cars today usually use two main types of fuel: gasoline and diesel. For many objective reasons, gasoline-powered passenger cars are more popular, but today the advantages of diesel make it gradually widely used on many SUVs and pickup trucks.

In fact, up to 95% of fuel misfueling cases occur in diesel vehicle users. It is very difficult for a gasoline vehicle user to fill up with the wrong fuel, because the diesel fuel nozzle at the pump is larger than the gasoline nozzle, and cannot fit into the fuel holes of gasoline vehicles.

If you have just put the wrong fuel, it may not be a big problem because we can mix gasoline with diesel at a ratio of 5% without any problems. But if the amount of diesel is less than 95%, you need to drain the fuel in the tank.

In case of pumping the wrong gasoline for a diesel engine

If you mistakenly pump gasoline into a diesel engine, the oil is heavier than gasoline, so it settles at the bottom of the tank and will enter the combustion chamber first. The vehicle can still operate for a certain period of time with the remaining oil. But when the oil runs out, the gas mixture, when sprayed and compressed at high pressure, will spontaneously explode, ignite, expand and generate work. Since gasoline has a lower compression ratio than oil, gasoline will spontaneously explode early, generating work before the piston completes its upward stroke. This will certainly create pressure that pushes the piston back, causing it to bend or even break the connecting rod, crankshaft, and completely damage the engine.

In case of pumping the wrong oil for gasoline engine

If you pump the wrong oil into a gasoline engine, the oil will quickly enter the combustion chamber. The engine will only run for a short time before it dies, sometimes only starting up and not moving. Because in a gasoline engine, the gas-fuel mixture will be ignited by a spark plug.

Oil is a fuel with a higher compression ratio than gasoline, and cannot spontaneously explode in the combustion chamber of a gasoline engine. The moment the spark plug ignites is when the piston completes its upward stroke, so the successful detonation of the oil-gasoline mixture does not cause a negative impact on the piston, and the danger is low. When the input fuel is flooded with oil, the engine will be abandoned and then stop working because it is difficult to start.

How to handle

1. If detected while refueling, do not start the engine.

2. If the car is running, turn it off immediately (some drivers have the bad habit of keeping the car running while refueling).

3. Call a tow truck or repair service to have the car towed to the garage to flush the fuel tank and fuel lines: If you accidentally pumped gasoline into a diesel engine, it is best to flush the entire engine system. If you accidentally pumped oil into a gasoline engine, there is no need to do this.

How to prevent

When refueling, you should turn off the engine, get out of the car and observe while refueling, do not sit in the car and leave the job to the gas station staff. Getting out of the car to observe not only helps you avoid the risk of pumping the wrong fuel but also allows you to see what is going on around you, and determine the location of the fire extinguisher in case of an accident.

If you use a diesel vehicle, you can put the word DIESEL on the fuel tank cap as a warning. When lending your vehicle to someone else, you must remind the borrower to be careful to fill the vehicle with the correct fuel.