Diesel in my Citroen c5 1.8 16v.....wooops

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collister68
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Diesel in my Citroen c5 1.8 16v.....wooops

Post by collister68 »

I've managed to put 20 litres of diesel in my c5 1.8 lx & as I didn't realise drove about a mile before I had to pull up,I've managed to drain the tank & fill with fresh fuel & a shot of redex,the car runs but sounds like its misfiring & lacks in power even though I've put redex through the system & cleaned up the plugs any ideas what damage if any I may have done or how long it might take to sort itself out?
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Re: Diesel in my Citroen c5 1.8 16v.....wooops

Post by Stickyfinger »

Diesel in a petrol just needs working through I think....petrol in a diesel can kill it's injectors/pumps due to lack of lubrication.....I think you have done it the right way round.
(open to correction)
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Re: Diesel in my Citroen c5 1.8 16v.....wooops

Post by RichardW »

Unfortunately diesel doesn't vaporise when injected, and it's possible you've got liquid fuel in one or more cylinders and hydrauliced it, bending something. I'd get a compression test done.....
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Re: Diesel in my Citroen c5 1.8 16v.....wooops

Post by Mdon »

I'd say run it for a few miles and you'll probably find it'll sort itself out, as sticky finger says diesel in a petrol isn't as bad as the other way round.
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Re: Diesel in my Citroen c5 1.8 16v.....wooops

Post by Stickyfinger »

RichardW wrote:Unfortunately diesel doesn't vaporise when injected, and it's possible you've got liquid fuel in one or more cylinders and hydrauliced it, bending something. I'd get a compression test done.....
I never knew that was possible Richard, that seems an extreme result.
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Re: Diesel in my Citroen c5 1.8 16v.....wooops

Post by Gibbo2286 »

I've sorted a lot of these, never had one that didn't come right once the system cleared itself of the diesel.

My old neighbour put £20 of diesel in her Nissan Primera then when she realised what she'd done she filled it up to the neck with unleaded and drove on, it smoked a bit but no other ill effects.
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Re: Diesel in my Citroen c5 1.8 16v.....wooops

Post by GiveMeABreak »

I did the opposite many years ago when they changed all the fuel pump colours and topped up my Diesel HDi Xantia with Petrol! My mechs were amazed I'd driven 40 miles to the garage without the car blowing up - given how combustible the petrol is in comparison with the diesel and on top of that going into a high pressure diesel injection system to boot! Although they drained the tank and flushed it, it drove progressively worse and kept stalling and cutting out over the next few weeks. Had to main dealer it and have the fuel pump replaced as it totally crippled it! It was fine after that, but has made me paranoid at the petrol pumps from now on!
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Re: Diesel in my Citroen c5 1.8 16v.....wooops

Post by Stickyfinger »

Yep: did the same in my C5tdi....filled the tank with petrol...oops.
Realised at the pump so I was lucky and just parked the car up.
I borrowed a 12volt petrol pump and a 3x large jerry cans, opened the rear access cover and pumped it out in the car park :) then filled it full with Derv. I was lucky :)

It was great in the lawn mower for a couple of years and starting a few garden bonfires :)
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Re: Diesel in my Citroen c5 1.8 16v.....wooops

Post by GiveMeABreak »

"Got the damned LPG and petrol mixed up again"!

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Last edited by GiveMeABreak on 25 Mar 2016, 23:54, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Diesel in my Citroen c5 1.8 16v.....wooops

Post by myglaren »

My daughter put diesel in her brother's Mondeo (petrol) in Switzerland. It was never the same again :(
On a trip to Stockholm me and may mate filled up the Volvo PV 444 petrol with diesel. Didn't make any difference to it at all, if you discount the battleship style smokescreen for 300 miles :)
I think those engines would run on coal.
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Re: Diesel in my Citroen c5 1.8 16v.....wooops

Post by GiveMeABreak »

At one time they might of done - but not the modern engines - a Sales Executive for a well-known photocopying company leased new Volvo S70s (cant remember the exact model) and they had aluminium heads or blocks (can't remember it was years ago) that kept cooking. Needless to say they dumped them all and went with some other manufacturer as they were off the road more than on.
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Re: Diesel in my Citroen c5 1.8 16v.....wooops

Post by myglaren »

This would have been 1970 and the car was at least 20 years old then.
Had sat in a barn for at least 10 years.
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Re: Diesel in my Citroen c5 1.8 16v.....wooops

Post by GiveMeABreak »

They did make some solid cars back then, problems happen when they try to get clever - remember the Triumph Stag - I think that was another one that had issues with part Aluminium engines too!
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Re: Diesel in my Citroen c5 1.8 16v.....wooops

Post by collister68 »

I had roughly 10 litres of unleaded in the tank before I put 20 litres of diesel in,I drove for about a mile or so before having to pull up,I did the usual ringing round managing to recruit a couple of helpers,I took the fuel pipe off the injector rail & drained the tank as much as possible then added 20 litres of unleaded & started her up which went well even with smoke pouring from every orifice but then as if I wasn't unlucky enough a rag fell into the drive belt got tangled up & snapped it so had to drive home with no altonator or power steering,the car ran fine for five days then all of a sudden started running like a bag of spanners!it's now not firing right with pinking from the top end & pop..pop..pop..pop from the exhaust,I've cleaned up the plugs twice & cranked the engine without plugs to shut any diesel from the pistons but it still runs the same & the engine light flashes & beeps,have I killed it or will I kill it driving it round?
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Re: Diesel in my Citroen c5 1.8 16v.....wooops

Post by lexi »

Are you sure the timing belt has not jumped? Worth checking as a tiny bit of belt may have got in there
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