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Diesel in a gas vehicle

3K views 40 replies 15 participants last post by  mp06011999 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
So one of my work buddies comes in and says, "Hey can you cover the shop? I have to go get my daughter, she put diesel in the Honda Fit." $400 later the
dealer cleaned out the fuel system and got it started. I had to ask him this morning, "Hey did you remind them to put new glow plugs in it for you?" Didn't go over well :confuzeld
 
#2 ·
I don't know about your friend's daughter's case, but around here I can totally see people getting confused. Gas station have no rhyme or reason on the color of handles they use at the pumps. I've seen diesel pumps with black, green and yellow covers, and E-85 the same way (only reversed at stations with diesel). You really can't go by the color of the handle and have to look at the pump itself, and many pumps are dual, having gas on one side and diesel on the other or gas on one side and E-85 on the other.
 
#3 · (Edited)
Seems odd these days that that would even be physically possible. Most of the diesel cars sold in the USA the last few years have a special restriction plate on em that only lets the proper size nozzle fit. The new diesel nozzle is a little bigger than the unleaded one, possibly the old leaded one? The restriction plate won't let the unleaded one in, only the proper one. In my travels around the upper midwest that is the the size nozzle that 95% of the diesel pumps seem to have that are out mixed in the regular car areas. If you go to the truck area you get the really large one.

I suppose this person was maybe just so non mechanical that even though it didn't fit they just spent a long time dripping it in and letting it go through the little cracks in the restriction plate?

VW apparently was requiring customers with TDI's that were still under warranty but didn't come factory to get that restriction plate retrofitted so it must be somewhat of a standard in the USA. I recently saw a guy with a cruise at the diesel pumps trying to fit the big nozzle in, I told him he needed to come to the other side where they had the smaller nozzles and then if Chev didn't have the emergency funnel to go to a VW dealer and buy one. I don't know for a fact that the Chev had the thing that would not let the unleaded one in but it for sure had some sort of a restriction plate in it.
 
#4 ·
Around here, only BP has black pump handles for diesel. All other stations use green handles for diesel. I've seen all manner of handle color for various grades of gasoline. Gold, red,yellow,blue,silver,black etc. I've only ever seen green and black for diesel pump handles. Most stations make you choose the handle, then press the diesel button to get it to pump diesel. But I can totally see the clueless busy drones out there just grabbing a familiar color, and hitting the button with the flashing light... Paying no attention to what the button says...

I heard a while back that some software company put a "get $500 by responding to this yes or no answer" in a user agreement... The question was simply... "Did I read the agreement" it took three years to get a winner...
 
#5 ·
Around here, there's quite a few dedicated and non dedicated pumps with the smaller unleaded nozzle on the diesel pump. Only 3 of the big truck stops in town have a large nozzle. I'm pretty sure all handles are green for diesel though.
 
#6 ·
Alberta, most diesel handles are yellow...
 
#7 ·
Not that most people notice or care but in many urban areas gasoline nozzles have a vapor recovery hose, Diesel nozzles don't.

Maybe a more relevant way to think about it is if the price is too good to be true, it's probably not the right stuff for your vehicle.

Sixto
97 C2500 burb 190K miles
 
#8 ·
Not that most people notice or care but in many urban areas gasoline nozzles have a vapor recovery hose, Diesel nozzles don't.

Maybe a more relevant way to think about it is if the price is too good to be true, it's probably not the right stuff for your vehicle.

Sixto
97 C2500 burb 190K miles
Here, for the past 6 months gas and diesel prices have been swapping spots for which costs more, with it being equal at times.
 
#11 · (Edited)
Anybody who looks at nozzle color and think they know what product is coming out of that nozzle by color is crazy. I work on pumps and have for over 30 years. Most major oil have a color they want on their nozzles based on product but that doesn't mean an independent who happens to fly a major oil flag doesn't put whatever color he has on their or if the only nozzle I have on my truck is pink with polka dots on it, I'll guarantee I'm putting it on. Mobil wants green on their regular gas if its a 6 hose pump, but black if its a unihose pump. Shell wants blk on gas and green on Diesel. Others have no color code. Look at the decal, don't look at the color of the nozzle. Look for cetane ratings, look for dyed diesel fuel, look for low sulfur diesel fuel, look for octane stickers etc

Maybe the easiest way is to look at the nozzle boot, diesel is going to be slimy as it doesn't evaporate, gas generally won't be
 
#12 ·
The last few weeks diesel has been cheaper than unleaded in my area too. All summer its been close. Most expensive fuel right now is non ethanol premium which I think I paid $3.30 for earlier this week. Diesel was like $2.54, unleaded $2.59.

Until I got my 13 VW I didn't know there was a difference between the small diesel nozzle and unleaded but there is. The diesel one is slightly larger so the ones you think are unleaded may actually be what is apparently some sort of diesel standard size. All but 2 places I have been with that car over the last 2 years have had the correct size. Both the problem places were small farmers union co-op sorts of places. One place had an unleaded nozzle so it would not go into the car, the other had the big diesel one which also won't go so both times I had to use the emergency funnel thing and only put enough fuel in to get to the next town where they then had the correct one.
 
#13 ·
Its odd seeing diesel less than gas, haven't seen that around me in 15 20 years. Is VW the only one using that filler neck that won't allow a 5/8" spout in it? I've had complaints about it, store saying the person couldn't fuel up and it was the small spout instead of the old style leaded fuel spout. I try to keep the 7/8 spout on m y customers diesels but once and awhile I 'll see a unleaded spout on a diesel pump. It its all I had on the truck its going on:HiHi:
 
#15 ·
Was 7/8 the leaded size? Or back when lead was common was there no standard?

VW / Audi I think started factory installing the 'misfueling guard' for the 2013 model year and attempted to retrofit cars that were under warranty back to 2010 ish. I don't know for sure if others are doing it too my guess is yes since VW is apparently not having a problem with it and it may save the manufacturer from warranty fights when someone puts gas in em.

A quick search on google and it appears that the concept started in the UK. There is mention of them related to Ford and BMW around 2009.
 
#16 ·
7/8 is leaded spout, not sure why its that size though. Originally there were no restrictions in tanks so once cars got Cats they had to put in restriction so you only filled it with unleaded. I remember folks knocking the restrictions out though.
 
#18 ·
Its been too long but was unleaded cheaper than leaded?
 
#19 · (Edited)
It surprises me that people mistake a gas nozzle for diesel. I can SMELL diesel like crazy. If I don't smell and see diesel all over the handle, then I trace the hose to the pump to make sure what I grabbed. People have crossed the hoses before. Meaning they've hung the diesel nozzle on the gas pump and gas nozzle on the diesel pump.

I carry a box of those food prep gloves in my truck because diesel nozzles ALWAYS have some amount of diesel fuel on them and once it gets on your skin I smell it all day.

Btw, before you go home, nothing better at covering up the smell of stripper perfume than a little diesel fuel ;-)
 
#20 ·
Btw, before you go home, nothing better at covering up the smell of stripper perfume than a little diesel fuel ;-)
I have done this... it's true.
Get a little engine oil on ya... walk in and she'll tell ya to go shower...

It doesn't help explain panties or lipstick though...
 
#22 ·
My friend filled up his '12 TDi Jetta, from empty. After a short drive, it stopped running and bunch of money later, it was filled up with diesel. He went back to the fuel station and found that all the pump handle were green!
 
#24 ·
That would be BP...
 
#23 ·
Butt dialing in a strip club takes on a new meaning. ..
 
#27 ·
Its strange but I think I can smell gas more than diesel now. I used to hate the smell of diesel but now I must be so used to it I don't even notice. On a moderately humid day I can smell the difference between ethanol and non ethanol gas.
 
#31 · (Edited)
About 30 years ago I ran a drill crew we had two rigs that were almost identical. One was gas one was diesel both had the big 50 gallon saddle tanks with the big openings. So one day one of my crew takes the gas one to our Maintenance yard to fuel it up and then came out to the job. We start to drill and all of sudden the rig starts running like crap. I noticed the exhaust smell and told my operator to shut it down. I ask the guy who fueled it what he put in it, he gets this look on his face and says "oh ****". Had to call our shop they had to send out a semi wrecker to tow it back to the shop. They weren't very happy with my man.
 
#32 ·
A friend of mines wife put diesel in a brand new suburban with only 1,100 miles on it needles to say he got to buy her a brand new engine. I also read a story in the paper here in okc about a filling station putting gas in there under ground diesel tank they indeed up replacing several Diesel engines because of there mistake, so I always do a smell test before filling up my trucks.
 
#33 ·
A friend of mines wife put diesel in a brand new suburban with only 1,100 miles on it needles to say he got to buy her a brand new engine. I also read a story in the paper here in okc about a filling station putting gas in there under ground diesel tank they indeed up replacing several Diesel engines because of there mistake, so I always do a smell test before filling up my trucks.
Why does diesel in a gas Suburban = destroyed engine? :confuzeld
 
#34 ·
I have an uncle who is a... thrifty fellow. He is a tech for a Dodge dealer and had a 1970-something Datsun pickup he drove to work for many years. When customers towed in their Cummins that they filled with gas, he would keep the diesel/gas mix and run it through his Datsun and drive to work for free for a while, sputtering and smoking along. Sometimes he would have to dilute some if it was too much diesel.
 
#35 ·
I was wondering about needing a new engine too. Usually when that happens you are looking at mostly labor which can really start adding up but it sure does not require a new engine.
 
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