Petrol Added to Diesel Tank - How do I drain my tank?

[MKings]

Hi Guys,

Firstly I'd like introduce myself. My name's Mathew and I live in Epping NSW. I'd suggest to you my wife knows more about the inners of a car than I do (which I'm soon about to confirm). I can drive though.

I've joined your site as I need some help fixing a small error which has just happened. I've filled our tank + sub with Petrol. As in I've filled them both up - I only noticed as I pulled out of the servo and looked at the docket when stopped at the lights. The price wasn't right and then I realised I wasn't at the normal pump <sigh>.

Anyway - I did panic some what and once I got home - Figured I shouldn't have driven it <2nd sigh>. It still had 1/4 tank in it when I filled it and I didn't smell nor notice anything strange on the drive home (which would be about 5km). So with that Said - Is there a manual online or on this site by chance which might explain how to drain my tanks?

When speaking with our mechanic (after he stopped laughing) he said I should be able to drain the tank, replace the filter and try cranking it over after adding some diesel.

Any help/links would be great.

Cheers,
Mat

[growler2058]

G'day mate welcome aboard.....um bumma. Not sure myself about a drain but I'd be siphoning it out. Ya can buy hand pumps, then after its empty crack the injectors and manually pump until you get diesel comin out. Hopefully someone can instruct you better. Get to an auto shop n buy a cheap Gregory's manual for pics and better instruction, good luck with it

[MKings]

Yeah cheers Growlers..

I found and paid for the service manual but as of yet have found anything really helpful RE draining the tank. I'll have a go tomorrow in any case. Fingers crossed the Oz day holiday doesn't make it that much harder when trying to source filters/pumps etc.

Cheers,
Mat

[Ben-e-boy]

I have put [petrol in mine and I topped it up with diesel ( put about 50L of petrol in and topped it off with 130L of diesel) I just drove til it was empty toped up with diesel and changed the fuel filter

[Col.T]

This is a bit late but I'm sure I'm not the only dope in the world so it may help later.
Also as I can't scan drawings in it's a bit wordy but it's said that patience is a virtue. Pity I didn't get any!

The single tank TD42 was simple. Use a siphon to drain the lot ( take your time and keep fiddling with the siphon to get it all). Add as much diesel a you can because of course, the more you add the lower the petrol percentage. Use the hand pump on the fuel filter to chase out all the petrol in the line and filter. Was a while back and I can't remember if I cracked the water drain or the line from the filter to the fuel pump to dump and catch the petrol as it pumped through. Once clear, just crank her over to (slowly) start. See the last bit re drain plugs in tanks.

The dual tank 3.0l CRD was slower. Couldn't get the siphon into the sub tank for God knows what reason ( pipe bends or too large a tube?). Siphon out main tank then use the sub tank pump to empty it into the main. I was assured that running that pump from the battery with the ignition on wouldn't damage anything even though it takes close to 20 min.. Then re-siphon main tank. Take your time, fiddle and get as much as you possibly can.
Then as above add as much clean diesel as you can. On top of the fuel filter there are 3 'take off/input' tubes. One is a 'T' with one tube up and in and the other side back down to the engine. Ignore this whole assembly. One line comes up from the centre of the filter, hangs a right and goes back towards the block. Release the screw-in clip holding this rubber line to the alloy 'riser' out of the filter, attach a tube from the riser to a bucket or something and using the plastic bulb pump petrol out until you get clean diesel. If the tube you attached is long enough, it will actually siphon the juice out once it's started and you can use that now free hand to suck a beer while you wait. Once it's clean, the only petrol in the system will be the short line from the filter and if like me you only realised what you'd done when the motor died, you've already put more than that through the injectors and it seems pure petrol stops the diesel motor before damage occurs. Well, mine anyway. Replace the line from the filter. Start her up. May be slow to go but mine was only a few seconds and not very long before back to smooth. Hallelujah!!

Can't remember if the old TD42 had a drain plug on the tank (think it did) but the 3.0l CRD does not. Seems it doesn't matter.
Biggest pain with the whole stuff up isn't the waste of money but how to get something to hold about 120l. of now not quite clean unleaded and then what to do with it.
New filter? Dunno. I think with the petrol mix up it's not needed as the diesel seems to pump through pretty clean. With water though, reckon I would.

Hope you're brighter than me but if not good luck, it's not too dificult


Col.

[Rustyboner81]

hahaha nice one :D

[Rustyboner81]

how's it goin mate.... have a win?

[mudski]

How far did you have to drive to get home? Correct me if I'm wrong but I thought driving a diesel engined vehicle with petrol in it would have very detrimental effects to the engine causing it to just, stop. Are you sure the servo attendant just didn't charge you for your fuel? And not charged you for someone elses fuel? Take the fuel cap off and take a sniff. You will soon know if its petrol of diesel as they smell very different to each other.

[Col.T]

........HANGING FELLOWS,
Didn't have to drive it home. We're talking totally stuffed, cactus, she no go at no more than 300M. from the servo..No time for black smoke, no time for any apparent damage, no time for nuttin. Could go on much more descriptivly but wont. Must say that it seems you don't damage anything. The wagon simply stops before damage. Couldn't say about small amounts of petron in the tank, just talking about a full load of ULP.
The nice man from RAA (your state auto club) supplied a tow truck. Also I had a pit to roll it over which not only saved lying on my back for a face full of ULP but made the whole thing easy.
Funny thing though, having done it twice with two models/engines, I just can't get enthused to do it again
Cheers
Col.

[mudski]

Ahh sorry mate, I thought you drove utility home...

Tapout or knockout

[happygu]

Mat,

you should have this fixed by now, but I would just drain the tank and purge the fuel line, and wouldn't worry about changing over the filter.

You can put some petrol in with your diesel and it won't damage the engine ( All petrol will cause it not to run though )

You shouldn't have damaged your motor in any way. The only real damage I think you can do, is to keep cranking and cranking to get it started as this may damage the Fuel Pump through lack of lubrication

[BigRAWesty]

Yea drain it and top it up with the right juice, then hand prime it right threw to the fuel pump to minimise the cranking time..

Kallen Westbrook
Owner of
Westy's Accessories (http://www.nissanpatrol.com.au/forums/showthread.php?15134-Westy-s-Accessories.-A-small-back-yard-builder.)

[pjwooly]

I've just done the same thing today..yep full tank of unleaded.Had this thing 12 years and never done this.I got about 3k's from the servo when a cough and kick of black smoke from the wagon told me sumthin' aint rite.
Pulled over.She idled ok but when i got underway again...same thing.Missus checked the docket and said unleaded..."BUGGER".RACQ guy said dont drive it till you drain all the fuel which i had allready started doing asi was on a hill and just popped the drain plug.Thankfully we were covered by RACQ and they came and towed us home.

Drained as much asi could from the tank,then added the real diesel again to the tank.Pulled the fuel "out" pipe from the filter(faces the firewall) and started pumping to clear what was left of the ULP from the tank.
If you pull the rubber pipe (hose) from where it joins the copper pipe on the firewall you can then bend it to direct it too a small container cos it pumps it out pretty well.So once you got all the nasty stuff out....

Hook that back up then release the grub screw on top of the injecter pump and just pump till you have diesel from there(sniff sniff).

Took her for a run and all seems good now but i will replace the fuel filter also tomorrow just for peace of mind.

So this is what happens sometimes when you go to a servo that you never go to..."sad excuse i know".

Cheers...and hope it helps sumone else sometime.

[Morton]

I did it once, said "sorry Boss" & handed him the keys, "it is up the road" & walked off, he wasnt the happiest bloke 2 days later when he got the mechanics bill but I won a nice 'tender' job that week, softened the blow somewhat, he could never joke about it though lol, some Bosses have no sense of humour

[happygu]

I've just done the same thing today..yep full tank of unleaded.Had this thing 12 years and never done this.I got about 3k's from the servo when a cough and kick of black smoke from the wagon told me sumthin' aint rite.
Pulled over.She idled ok but when i got underway again...same thing.Missus checked the docket and said unleaded..."BUGGER".RACQ guy said dont drive it till you drain all the fuel which i had allready started doing asi was on a hill and just popped the drain plug.Thankfully we were covered by RACQ and they came and towed us home.

Drained as much asi could from the tank,then added the real diesel again to the tank.Pulled the fuel "out" pipe from the filter(faces the firewall) and started pumping to clear what was left of the ULP from the tank.
If you pull the rubber pipe (hose) from where it joins the copper pipe on the firewall you can then bend it to direct it too a small container cos it pumps it out pretty well.So once you got all the nasty stuff out....



Hook that back up then release the grub screw on top of the injecter pump and just pump till you have diesel from there(sniff sniff).

Took her for a run and all seems good now but i will replace the fuel filter also tomorrow just for peace of mind.

So this is what happens sometimes when you go to a servo that you never go to..."sad excuse i know".

Cheers...and hope it helps sumone else sometime.

Good to hear that you got it all running OK so fast PJ.....that is a good result. I probably wouldn't worry too much about changing the filter out, as it wont affect you at all.

[DX grunt]

Many years ago, my mate, who owned a patrol, lost the diesel cap and got a substitute one.....a ULP cap. Another mate borrowed it and we got to the bowser just in time to see the guy put the ULP nozzle into the diesel tank. Thankfully nothing went in.

[Sharee]

Many years ago, my mate, who owned a patrol, lost the diesel cap and got a substitute one.....a ULP cap. Another mate borrowed it and we got to the bowser just in time to see the guy put the ULP nozzle into the diesel tank. Thankfully nothing went in.

I worry bout that when family borrow mine...cap says unleaded and she's a diesel. This bloke once told me 20odd years ago they used to mix petrol with diesel to make there winch trucks run better. Don't know how true this is.