Oh #$@!! the green nozzle was Gas, not Diesel!!!
 

This weekend I drove my 300D with a mixture of 3 galllons gas and 10 gallons diesel.
What side effects could I have encountered?
At 2 am in the morning on the way back from Montreal, I pulled up to a Diesel Pump with its familiar green nozzle. I was tired and distracted and disoriented and then reached for the nearest green nzzole and shoved my Visa Card in the pump.
I caught the mistake too late. I drained some of the gas but stopped because it was unsafe and jsut too dangerous. I topped off the tank with diesel, but I think I still had 3 gallons of gas.

I think there is a similar thread on the same topic, whereas the owner's daughter accidentally filled up with gasoline instead of diesel.

Fortunately, she caught the oversight and called home instead of attempting to drive the vehicle.

I would have thought that pump nozzles (and associated vehicle filler diameters) would be made in such a way that you couldn't insert a gasoline nozzle in a diesel (like when leaded and unleaded pumps coexisted way back when)...

Different size nozzles were required cause it was illegal to put leaded gas in an unleaded car. It isn't illegal to put gas in a diesel:p

Top off the tank (with Diesel, obviously) every day for about a week, with the goal of lowering the percentage of gas to diesel to a minimal level.

If you've got at least 70% diesel in there, you should be OK...Keep topping it off like PaulC just said.

Mike

You beat me to it!
 

I was going to start a thread tonight on the exact same subject. Last Friday on a 750 mile cruise to my Moms, I wasn't even half way there and pulled into a Mobil (not a regular for me) to fill up. On the way into the island my grandson said " there's the green one that you use". I swiped my card, grabbed the green nozzel and started pumping. I just happened to look at the LCD and noticed the price was $1.69 and not the $1.59 that the sign on the street said, and just below the price it said "Regular". BAMB! I let go and much to my delight I had only pumped a hair over 0.1 (one tenth) of a gallon. The delight cancelled out any chance of any angry. I told the lady that worked there, who just happeded to be out at the pumps putting up some new advertisements. She told me that just the other day a guy filled up a U-Haul, she told him not to start it.....he did.......he got towed off...
I'm always on my wife for not reading lables at the store...nuff said.

Jim,

It is easy to fill a diesel with unleaded. The unleaded nozzle is much smaller than the diesel filler opening. Not to mention, most self-service stations today use the same size nozzle for both pumps. Only the stations that cater to truckers provide the larger nozzles on diesel pumps. This allows for faster filling of the tank, not to prevent the unleaded user from getting the nozzle in his tank.

Carrameow,

Mixing unleaded into a diesel engine can lead to detonation of the engine. If allowed to run for a prolonged time in this condition, the engine and injection pump could both be damaged. An excessive 'knocking' noise would be an indication that something is drastically wrong.

I would not be overly concerned in your case, due to the low percentage of unleaded. You can always drain or siphon the tank if you are worried about it. DEFINATELY be aware of unusual knocking, this could indicate that the damage has been done!

If you do not drain the tank, then stop at every station you can and add a gallon or two for the next few weeks. After that you should be safe to run it dry before filling up with the "good" stuff.

G-Benz,

The one who's daughter filled up her diesel with unleaded was Larry Bible. You have a good memory because that was about 15 months ago.

When I first undid the hose on the back of the tank to drain, boy that was TERRIFYING--gas all over the place! luckily I had a Plastic 5 gallon tank for the lawnmower and was able to catch a lot. But the shower of gas really was a scry experience and a stupid thing to do.

my SD owners manual shows the percent of gasoline mixed with diesel allowed by MB for cold weather starting ,look in your manual if it;s not there I'll get my self loose from the computer and get my manual out of car....
William Rogers.....