Even though different sorts of nozzles are used for different kinds of fuel at gas stations, misfueling (putting wrong fuel in your car) is a very common mistake. The consequences of each misfueling are diverse, but it is important to know your machine and kind of fuel it needs. Don’t worry if you have put the wrong fuel in your car. You just need to know what to do next. Let’s see what happens when;
- You Put Diesel In Your Gas Car:
Know that a gas engine is not capable of combusting diesel. So, if you have filled the fuel tank with diesel instead of gas, just turn off the engine and tow your car to the nearest mechanic. He will drain the diesel out of the fuel tank, fuel rails and lines and the injector. You can do that yourself too, but you’ve just misfueled your car, so it’s better to let the professionals deal with it. No big damage is caused, but the repairing and cleaning the wrong fuel will cost you around 500 to 1,000 bucks i.e. Dh1800 to Dh3600. - You Put Gas In A Car That Needs Diesel:
Unlike the previous case, filling a Diesel car with gas can be more damaging. Diesel doesn’t only serve as a fuel, it is also a lubricant. Your car’s fuel-injector pumps need diesel and they can be damaged by the use of gasoline. Moreover, the gasoline combusts earlier as compared to diesel, which will cause misfires and knocking. This could lead to a seriously damaged engine that might need replacement costing you a lot. On realising your mistake of wrong fuel, stop your car and get professional help. - You Put E85 In A Gasoline Car:
If you have a car that is labeled as FFV (Flex-Fuel Vehicle), you don’t have to worry, because FFV cars are capable of running on both E85 and normal gas. But if your car is not FFV supported, it’s best to fill the tank with normal gas a few times and then consume all the E85 fuel. - You Fill Your Normal-Gas-Car With Premium Fuel:
Lots of people are under the impression that filling their fuel tank that only requires regular gas with premium fuel will evolve their car into Optimus Prime. Sorry to break it to you fellows, but the engines will adjust their timing to balance off the extra octane levels so you won’t be seeing a Transformer anytime soon. Nice imagination, though! - You Use Regular Gas in Your Premium Fuel Car:
On the contrary, filling your car with normal gas when it needs only premium fuel will result in severe damages. You will be hearing a rattling noise, known as “Spark Knock.” The engine computers will try to compensate for the damage, but you’ll keep hearing the noise. More importantly, your car’s efficiency would reduce due to the wrong fuel and it would end up consuming more fuel than before. The best way to keep the damage to the minimum is to switch back to Premium as soon as you can. Spark Knock can cause more damage than just a rattling noise.
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