I am an idiot

[vibeinjackson]

I am on vacation out of state and pumped diesel gas into my 2006 Vibe. I drove for a few blocks and the car just died. Then I figured out my idiocy and had it towed to a local Pontiac Dealer. What kind of havoc have I done and what kind of repair bill can i see? The service dept was closed by the time we got the car there. As usal on the internet doing research I get extremes either its no big deal or its the end of the world. any advice would be appreciated?

[BlueCrush]

Rut Roh!Sorry to hear. Hope it's not too costly. I always wondered what would happen to the engine if I had done that.

[02csnow]

I believe it can all be flushed out. Since you did'nt drive too far, I don't think it could cause that much damage. Normally a flush at a dealership cost $80 to $100. But I am not exactly sure.

[Raven]

It's not a big deal. It's far worse to put gas in a diesel$$$.

[RePo]

Wow, that's a tough one. I drove a diesel car for many years.Normally, the nozzle on the diesel pump will be a larger diameter, and won't fit in a gasoline car filler tube. Did the gas station have the green handle and the oversized nozzle like they're supposed to?Fixing it is kinda messy. Have to disconnect the fuel line somewhere between tank and engine, and let the fuel pump pump out the entire tank. Then filler up w/ unleaded and crank it up. It'll run rough at first, but no lasting damage is predicted.

[vibeinjackson]

Thks for all your replies, no the station did not have an oversized nozzle and green handle. I am from NJ and not making excuses but the diesel pumps are usally on a separate island. I am in South Carlonia so word to the wise buyer beware and please pay attention when you fill up out of state

[mathteacher'04vibe]

Worst case scenario: Drop fuel tank to drain fuel--labor will run about $100+Easy way (takes forever): Disconnect fuel line and pump out fuel w/fuel pump--requires cycling key over and over since fuel pump only pumps a squirt at a time--this way is cheaper, but takes forever!I know this from experience--I used to work at a full-serve gas station that had self-serve diesel which most impatient customers would try. The problem with that was there was one pump with the small nozzle that will fit gas cars--other diesel pumps have a very large nozzle.Anyway, it shouldn't cause major problems--those occur with bad fuel (when it has water or other contaminents present).I have personally flushed a half dozen gas cars that were filled with diesel and they all ran fine afterward. Like I said, dropping the fuel tank is the fastest way to clean them and--it is also easier than cycling the key 10000 times.Sorry about your bad luck--good luck with the flush process!

[stewpid]

i work at a GM dealership and i have seen this before, we had to drop the tank, flush all the lines including injectors, and put a good full tank of gas in again and it will probobly run ruff for a little while untill all the diesal is out of the system

[Atomb]

Quote, originally posted by vibeinjackson »... I am from NJ ...it's a good thing they don't let you pump your own gas back home eh? not to worry...i've heard of this happening to others and they said it was just a hassle but didn't cause any damage.good luck!

[vibeinjackson]

Just got off the phone with the dealer. 725 this seems excessive Labor four hour jobchange plugstests on fuel pump cleaning agentHe has me over a barrel.

[Sublimewind]

That sux big time man.... I feel your pain... Stealerships are called that for a reasion, it's getting worse and worse to... But being that you are basicly STUCK, you really have no wother option... Again like everyone else said, the car should be fine, it's just the system isn't designed to deal with it.... reguardless 725 is frikkin crazy... god i hate dealership service departments... makes me want to punch babies in the throat....

[Whelan]

Ah from Jersey! They typically don't pump their own gas there. I worked with a girl from Jersey who used to make me or my cousin go with her during lunch to fill her tank cause she literally did not know how until we taught her.I was always skeeved letting other people pump for me. I just don't trust others to A)touch my car B)put the cap back on C)put the right fuel in D)touch my car.

[engineertwin2]

Quote, originally posted by Sunny »It's not a big deal. It's far worse to put gas in a diesel$$$.Sunny hit the nail on the head...diesel engines work without spark plugs. They use high compression (14:1 and up, but newer models are 19:1) and glow plugs to provide additional heat into the fuel during compression. Since gasoline explodes at lower compression ratios (typically 6.5:1 - 12:1) you can prematurely detonate - knock - the fuel.

[RePo]

Too bad the dealership is the last place to take a car for work. I had my Chevy Venture in a dealership to have the head replaced- they called with an outrageous estimate of $1,800. I backed in their repair shop with my U-haul tow dolly and a hooked that thing up and we were otta-there. Pulled it right over to a local shop, just half the price. Since the number$ are so outrageous- I'd call around for quotes, and some shops will included/price a tow for the car. Just give them the address of the dealer to pick'er up. If the dealer tried to push you too far- let 'em know it.

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[vibeinjackson]

Got the car back no major damage except for my ego and wallet. I feel like Clark Grisworld. I will pay more attention from now own, where I come from diesel is marked much better and always away on a separate island. Thanks for the support.

[mike7311]

Your lucky, the last car I worked on that had accidentally ran diesel had hole in number 4 piston. You need to watch your gauges closely for the next couple hundred miles. If something looks out of wack, stop the car immediately and take it back to a repair shop.

[vibeinjackson]

made it back to NJ just fine ran the car with no issues all the way home. We have let GM/Pontiac know about the situation. I do not have much faith in the system but we will see what happens.

[WaveAction]

hopefully everything gets sorted out and nothing major happens

[djb383]

Adding a gallon of diesel to your gas tank every 2-3 tank fulls acts as a superb upper cylinder lubricant and fuel system cleaner/conditioner. That small amount will only make a gas engine run a little better. However, as you found out, with a full tank of diesel, a gas engine will not run. The spark is not enough and the compression is not high enough to ignite diesel. This very same thing happened with my neighbor's Accord and it's simple to correct. The hardest part is disposing of the diesel as you don't want to put it in a diesel engine because it now has some gasoline mixed with it. Either drain (if there's a plug) or siphon (if no plug) the diesel from the tank. Fill the tank with gasoline, disconnect the fuel line at the engine, turn ignition to "on" (not start) for a few seconds so the pump will replace the remainder of the diesel with gasoline in the fuel line. After reconnecting the fuel line, the engine should start. It may run rough for a few seconds, until the last bit of diesel is replaced with gasoline in the fuel rail. The neighbor's Accord is running fine and this happened 2 years ago. There ain't no way on Gods green earth that diesel will burn a hole in a piston. Maybe gasoline in a diesel engine but not diesel in a gasoline engine. Holes get burned in pistons from too lean a mixture and/or pre-ignition. Glad you're up and running again and no harm will come to your engine. Like I said, a small amount of diesel in you tank every so often is an excellent fuel system cleaner and lubricant.

[keithvibe]

Quote, originally posted by vibeinjackson »Thks for all your replies, no the station did not have an oversized nozzle and green handle. I am from NJ and not making excuses but the diesel pumps are usally on a separate island. I am in South Carlonia so word to the wise buyer beware and please pay attention when you fill up out of stateNot to mention it's against the law to pump your own gas in NJ.So your not normally pumping your own gas to begin with.

[vibebob]

I had a VW diesel and the diesel car pump nozzels are the same size as gas nozzels, most have the green cover on the handle. I made damn sure I was pumping diesel when I first got it and then made double damn sure I was pumping gas when I got the vibe.my stepbrother put diesel in a company truck while passing through on his way to Houston. he got it towed to a ford dealer (dodge truck) and they drained the tank, flushed the lines and cleaned the plugs. It ran fine afterwards.he got so lucky on the trip because the truck had expired registration, expired state inspection, no tail light (he drove at night) and bald tires. I told him he needed to play the lottery he laughed and said he had alredy spent his luck on the trip.

[djb383]

Wow, the company your stepbrother worked for had a real crackerjack fleet manager that would allow a company vehicle on public streets with expired registration/inspection and bad tires/lights.

[Atomb]

Quote, originally posted by keithvibe »Not to mention it's against the law to pump your own gas in NJ.So your not normally pumping your own gas to begin with.a shiny gold star if you can name the only other state where this is true?

[engineertwin2]

Quote, originally posted by Atomb »a shiny gold star if you can name the only other state where this is true?Oregon! Do I get a star?

[vibecrxsi240sxse]

Against the law in NJ to pump your own gas? Who does it ?

[Atomicpunk]

A gas engine can run on diesel, I had to go fix a welding machine that a guy added 5 gallons of diesel to. The Ironworker was welding and decided to chech the fuel level, it was low so he dumped a 5 gallon can of diesel in the gas tank. The 4 cylinder Continental was running rough, backfiring, and smoking but running. When you put the engine under a load it would stall, no power. Just drained the fuel and added fresh gas and flushed the carburetor and it ran fine.Also Briggs & Stratton made engines that you started on gasoline and when up to operating temperature you could switch over to run on kerosene.