Petrol in diesel 1.9TDi :(

Hi

My better-half put £20 of unleaded in my 1998 406 1.9TDi yesterday!

Luckily she did not start the car as she realised what she had done in time.

Is there any way to drain the tank in-situ on my car or is it a case of the
fuel tank has to come out to be emptied? I can't see a drain plug on the
bottom of the plastic tank.

Thanks...

 

If it is the same tank as the 306 than IIRC the tank would have to come out
to be drained properly or could perhaps be pumped out after removal of the
level sender unit?

Jim

 

Can you disconnect a pipe at the bottom somewhere? If you can't then perhaps
you could cut the pipe then reconnect with a piece of fuel hose and a couple
of jubilee clips. Siphon? I'm sure that if you could get most of the fuel
out then a refill with diesel should see you ok.

 

If it is the same tank as the 306 than IIRC the tank would have to come out
to be drained properly or could perhaps be pumped out after removal of the
level sender unit?

Jim

Hi Jim

Am I right in thinking that the level sender unit is accessed under the rear
seat?

If so is it a viable theory to syphon all the fuel out once the level sensor
has been removed?

Cheers...

 

Hi, Malc

The pipes to and from the fuel tank are of a very rigid plastic construction
and I am obviously wary of disturbing them too much as I assume that in a
car of some 8 years of age these pipes would be quite brittle. Also the
pipes are clamped onto the tank with white clips that look like they were
over-engineered with someone who had far too high a development budget!

Regards...

 

It is in the 306

I would have to pass on offering an opinion on that as I see other
suggestions about removing fuel lines to drain. Seek more expert opinion
than mine - all I know is that there isn't a drain plug on my 306DT tank
either.

Jim

 

I would tend to agree. If the tank can be practically emptied via the top
after the sender unit is removed then it would seem the obvious way to go
but would this ensure the fuel lines are free enough of petrol to be safe
enough to restart after a complete diesel refill? On my 1995 306DT I would
be more than happy - only someone much more expert could tell you whether
you would be safe starting an HDI engine under those circumstances.

Jim

 

If you trace the pipe on the fuel filter back under the car maybe there's a
joint you could disconnect and gravity will do the rest. Have plenty of
containers ready.
Don't think a tdi XUD engine should come to harm with a little bit of petrol
through it. The hdi's aren't so forgiving.
DaveK.

 

there is a prime pump in the tank, disconnect the fuel line just
before the fuel filter , disconnect the stop solenoid at the high
pressure pump ( the only wire going there) and put the contact om,
the prime pump will empty your tank.

make VERY SURE you lead the fuel away from the car and DO not, i
repeat DO NOT have any ignition source near the fuel in any way. (
sugestion, extend the fuel tube)

maby you have to short the solenoid wires to get it working, again be
very aware you are working with a high explosive mixture.

oh yeah work in open space and have a foam extinguisher at hand

you dont need to cleam out the tank, just fill it up with diesel
again.


after your done replace the fuel filter, drive on a quiet road for the
first 10 miles or so to see all in normal again

happy motering


Marc

 

No there is not, that only applies to the HDI models.

A 10% addition of petrol will not do so much harm, so get what you can out
and fill it to the brim with diesel. The main problem is the lack of
lubrication as petrol will not give any. You could add a bit of two stroke
oil to make up for it, or, though it might be a bit illegal, a few litres of
rape seed oil, which will mix OK and won't smoke.
£20 would be a bit less than half a tank, so as long as you get at least
half of that out, and top it up you should be OK.
Of course, there is a rubber priming pump I think somewhere in the engine
bay, you could use that, (disconnect the pipe before the fuel filter) but it
would take a long time, and your wrist would ache after a bit too.
Oh, and don't be too hard on the culprit, many have done the same.

 

so how does it get the fuel out of thetank in the moterbay then?

or use that to pump up the fuel and than have it lower than the tank
itself...

had to do my mom's car twice....

 

The fuel pump pulls the fuel up the line from the tank. The seals on
the line are good enough to stop it falling back down when the engine
is stopped. If you do get air in the line you will have to prime the
pump using the bulb or priming pump to expel the air. Running the fuel
pump without fuel is a good way to ruin it as the fuel acts as a
lubricant.

 

Diesel Guard (Google finds it) should stop the problem in future. £12.50 inc
p&p.
I had one but it got full of water when the drain hole by the filler got
blocked. Started gurgling instead of talking.
DaveK.

 

Hi Guys,

Firstly and most importantly, a huge 'thanks' to all of you for the advice
you have all offered. I really do appreciate it.

This morning I towed the car down to my local garage and after detailing my
adventures in this thread they drained AND filled the tank with three
gallons of fresh diesel for exactly £46.66 inclusive of VAT. I did not argue
and considered this a bargain!

The car is driving like a good 'un and I've let the wife back in the house -
for now!

Regards

....

 

I guess the question now is ... how did they do it?
(And at that price clearly you can't live in London or similar
metropolis with a garage that charges so little ...)

Cheers

 

Hi

They disconnected a diesel pipe from the bottom of the tank, removed the
filler cap and let gravity do the job.

Your right, I don't live in London. I'm in Lancaster just north of Preston.
My local garage (who I have used for the last five years) charges £27.50 +
VAT per hour for labour.

As a point of interest how does that compare with London and other cities?

Regards...

 

Local Peugeot dealer just outside Glasgow is £48 an hour. Small two man
garage run by an ex Pug mechanic is £20 an hour (Glasgow North).

Jim