What are the consequences of filling a diesel car with gasoline by mistake?
3 Answers
Diesel car filling with gasoline by mistake will have the following consequences: Abnormal vehicle operation: Since gasoline has a lower carbon content than diesel, after driving for a period of time, the vehicle will experience symptoms such as lack of power, unstable idling, engine shaking, white smoke from the exhaust pipe, and other abnormal phenomena, eventually leading to the vehicle stalling. Engine damage: The working conditions of a gasoline engine are different from those of a diesel engine. The ignition point of gasoline is much lower than that of diesel. Putting gasoline into a diesel engine will cause premature combustion of the fuel, leading to abnormal operation of the diesel engine, damaging the entire engine's components, and causing significant losses.
Last time I worked on a diesel Land Rover that was mistakenly filled with gasoline, the condition was horrific. Diesel engines require high-pressure environments for fuel auto-ignition, but gasoline's viscosity is too low to lubricate the injectors, causing metal components to grind dry. It might run a few kilometers right after startup, but soon the fuel pump starts making clanking metal friction noises. When I disassembled the engine, the entire fuel filter was clogged with gummy residue, and the high-pressure fuel rail was blocked by abnormally combusted carbon deposits. The worst part was the worn injector needle valves allowing diesel to leak directly into the engine oil, ruining the entire lubrication system. This kind of mistake costs at least five figures for a complete fuel system flush, and if you're unlucky, you'll need a full engine replacement.
My neighbor Lao Wang once did this - he filled his diesel pickup truck with 95-octane gasoline. Just three kilometers after leaving the gas station, he noticed the accelerator felt weak, with white smoke coming from the exhaust pipe carrying a gasoline smell. When he stopped to check, the engine was shaking like it was doing tap dance, and after completely stalling, it wouldn't start again. The tow truck driver said in such cases the fuel tank needs immediate draining, but residual gasoline can still corrode rubber seals. Now his truck has ridiculously high fuel consumption, and the repair shop says all the fuel injectors were damaged by additives in the gasoline. A reminder to everyone: always double-check the pump nozzle color at gas stations - green indicates diesel.
