This morning my wife put about 7 gallons of gas in the diesel tank. The car is now parked about 5 miles from home. What to do to get it home to drain? Thanks ahead of time for responses.

Brad

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Brad
1981 300TD - daily driver
1963 Chevy II
2001 F-250 7.3 Power Stroke

I would tow it. If it has not yet been run, all the better, and less hassle to purge just the tank than the whole system.

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Think Alternative Energy!
300CD '80 (now gone but not forgotten...)

She drove it about 5 miles before it started to sputter.

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Brad
1981 300TD - daily driver
1963 Chevy II
2001 F-250 7.3 Power Stroke

What DOES happen if you run gas through a diesel engine?

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" We have nothing to fear but the main stream media itself . . . ."- Adapted from Franklin D Roosevelt for the 21st century

OBK #55

1998 Lincoln Continental - Sold
Max 1984 300TD 285,000 miles - Sold
The Dee8gonator 1987 560SEC 196,000 miles - Sold
Orgasmatron - 2006 CLS500 90,000 miles
2002 C320 Wagon 122,000 miles
2016 AMG GTS 12,000 miles

The gasoline presumably sat on the top of the diesel.

Consider yourself lucky at this point.

Tow it.

These are tough, tough motors. Don't worry. I have seen folks do all kinds of weird things mixing fuels, ie intentionally putting gas and veg oil in their Benz. She will be fine most likely, just don't run her anymore till you have the system purged.

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Think Alternative Energy!
300CD '80 (now gone but not forgotten...)

If it is any consolation, I once put about 80 gallons gas into a 150 gallon tank on a bus in Mexico. Their fuel nozzles are green for gas !!
What a toxic nightmare that was to deal with!

Can happen to anyone...

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Think Alternative Energy!
300CD '80 (now gone but not forgotten...)

If you don't use too much, nothing negative. We've been running about 5-8% gasoline in the tractor for years in the winter. Helps with cold starts.

If you DO use too much, I've heard numerous horror stories, some probably apocryphal and some probably not. One common statement on the matter is that the gasoline combusts more violently and sometimes combusts at the wrong time in the firing cycle, causing severe engine damage.

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~Michael S.~
Past cars:

1986 300SDL
1987 300SDL
1982 240D
1982 300SD


Current:

1987 300SDL

You've got me wondering now, how do they say diesel in spanish?

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1980 500SE/AMG Euro
1981 500SEL Euro
1982 380SEL
1983 300TD
1983 500SEC/AMG Euro
1984 500SEC
1984 300TD Euro
1986 190E 2.3-16
1986 190E 2.3
1987 300D
1997 C36 AMG
2003 C320T 4matic

past: 1969 280SE 4.5 | 1978 240D | 1978 300D | 1981 300SD | 1981 300SD | 1982 300CD | 1983 300CD | 1983 300SD | 1983 380SEC | 1984 300D | 1984 300D | 1984 300TD | 1984 500SEL | 1984 300SD | 1985 300D | 1986 300E | 1986 560SEL | 1986 560SEL/Carat | 1987 560SEC | 1991 300D 2.5 | 2006 R350

I am adding this: If he is extremely lucky the gasoline loosened up a bunch of crap in his fuel system and it plugged up his fuel filters (if not the secondary filter will need to be changed anyway).
It all depends on how much diesel was still in the tank.
Where I used to work a customer came in with the same problem but he dumped a bunch of ATF Dextron into the tank; after which he drove 4 miles to us. He did not put 5 gallons into the thank. more like 1 1/2-2 before he realized he was putting gas in. He also had a 1/4 tank or so if diesel fuel.
In his case the result was that it burned off the parts of the injector spray nozzle pintal that was exposed to combustion.
Besides the injectors it can damage the IP Elements (Plunger & Barrels) and score up the supply pump piston.
He won't know until he runs it on diesel again; there may not be any obvious problem at all if he is lucky.
If after running it only on Diesel Fuel he has some problems the Fuel Supply pump pressure should be checked; if OK the Injectors pulled and tested.
If the injectors are OK and it runs erratically after that I would expect that the IP Elements (Plungers & Barrels) were damaged.

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

Drain the entire system, new filters ,fresh fuel and run it!!!!

If you can't deal with the tank filter to drain it. I"m gonna suggest that you can disconnect both the supply and return fuel lines before the filters, and use compressed air in either the return or supply line, and put a hose on the other line and run it to a catch can. 5 gallons at a time? and with low pressure, maybe 5 lbs of air, pump the fuel/gas mix out of the tank. You may not get it completely empty, but you'll get enough so you can fill the tank with diesel and put this misdeed behind you.-(edit add) On another note, this same thing happened to my wifes brother. His wife confided many years later it was a 5 bj mistake. good luck.

I put six gallons in my '85 SD. She made it about a block from the station. I had her towed home. I then took my little $20 12volt fuel pump and connected a hose from the 12volt pump to the fuel line coming from the tank and pumped all the gas/diesel into the tank of my '84 Chevy Silverado. Man that truck ran like crap for about two weeks!

That 12volt fuel pump has been one of the best $20 I have ever spent. I've pumped oil out of an engine with it. I've even "flushed" out a few A/C systems with it (acetone). Of course I flushed the pump out first before I did those A/C systems. Works great!

Kevin

Hate to admit it, but I did just that to my 300SD about 4 years and 70,000 miles ago. I just filled the rest of the tank with diesel, drove off down the highway, but accelerated slow and ran the speed limit, and then every 50 miles or so, filled it up again for a few weeks every 50 or so miles. Car still runs fine. Starts in dead cold winter. Still has plenty of pep too.

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Thank You!
Fred
2009 ML350
2004 SL600
2004 SL500
1996 SL600
2002 SLK32
2005 CLK320 cabrio
2003 ML350
1997 C280 Sport

If you are Cervan nothing happens. Well maybe some flames out the tail pipe.

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1987 300TD 309, xxx 2.8.2014 10,000 mile OCI


Be careful of the toes you step on today, as they may be connected to the ass you have to kiss tomorrow. anonymous

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