What a ****

[londonsean69]

Me!!

Worked 2 hours over just to get some drawings ready for a meeting tomorrow, so knackered as I also had a late night last night (as in boozing)

Filled right up with petrol on the way home as it was running on fumes.

The van's a diesel

Can't syphon it as the tube don't go down (probably to stop theft) and there is no drain hole on the fuel tank.

Turned up with me mum in her fiesta to tow it, hitched it all up, then the Fiesta wouldn't start (goes shopping in it once a week but hasn't been used in a month)

Jogged back to the house (about a mile), picked up the battery booster and jogged back.

Eventually got it home, so will be sending it to the mechanic tomorrow.

Bugger

Now I'll just get

Sean

 

[zardoz]

Agh, tough break man. easily done though (touch wood)
i hope you didnt go too far,but apparently you dont even have to move for it to bugger up!!!

Petrol in a diesel
Petrol will strip your diesel engine of the lubricant used to keep it ticking over and cause metal components to grate against each other and disintegrate.

This runs the risk of damaging the fuel pump and fuel-injection systems, or wrecking an engine completely if used for a significant amount of time.

To make matters worse pre-ignition systems start fuel pumps in new diesel models when car doors are unlocked. This cuts out the time it takes for new diesel engines to warm up, but means that diesel engines can be ruined by petrol by simply unlocking doors.

The fuel pump and injection systems and filters will likely need to be replaced on new models, while an entire engine could be wrecked beyond repair if it has been run for long enough. Regardless of the extent of the damage, the repair bill could potentially run into thousands of pounds.

Avoiding turning the engine over or stopping as soon as possible is vital to prevent more damage to the engine in these circumstances. A fuel-tank drain could be sufficient in such cases to prevent damage.

 

[Wozzaaah]

Sorry Sean but............
Hope you can sort it easily, you're not the first and you definitely won't be the last to do it .

 

[simon718]

diesel needs to be flowing through the pump etc within 24 hours at the most if petrol has got that far, as it attacks the rubber seals very very quickly

easily done mate, what model/age is the van?

 

[londonsean69]

Agh, tough break man. easily done though (touch wood)
i hope you didnt go too far,but apparently you dont even have to move for it to bugger up!!!

About a mile, twas' the last station before home. I only noticed when it conked out on the roundabout - system is full of petrol

Mechanic friend says it's not as bad as the other way around.

I just hope it don't feck the seals on the fuel pump, they are about £700 new

Sean

PS - my auntie made me feel better, brand new €60000 Merc with the first tank

 

[londonsean69]

diesel needs to be flowing through the pump etc within 24 hours at the most if petrol has got that far, as it attacks the rubber seals very very quickly

easily done mate, what model/age is the van?

99 Astra

 

[madkayaker]

hard look easy done

 

[simon718]

itll be fine mate aslong as its sorted sharpish, pumped petrol out of plenty of diesels, did a combo once which probably had the same engine as yours, think it was in for about a day. i was always told petrol in a diesel was worse (used to work in a diesel fitters)

 

[londonsean69]

If it's sh@gged then it's sh@gged, only cost me £400 so will just get another one.

Either way, am dropping the keys off with the mechanic first thing

So, apart from Hitch's 'interesting' work colleague, who else has dropped a major clanger today??

Sean

 

[Wozzaaah]

Dropped a twanger ;-)

Not today but a few nights ago my nice shiny new guitar fell off it's stand and the head broke off .
Now, it was a present from my brother for my 40th 4 weeks ago and obviously I needed an identical one so luckily a major high street retailer beginning with A had one in stock to I reserved it then toodled off and bought it the next day.
Got it home, unpacked it then had a bit of a devilish thought, ("hmmmm" says I, "I could pull a fast one here" .)
Conclusion, old broken one put into nice new box then straight back down to 'A' for a refund as they didn't have any more in stock .
I must admit, I felt really bad doing it, the girl on the till was so sweet, she couldn't apologise enough .

 

[Bigjoe]

Im sorry but Argos make enough money,i must admit ive done it a couple of times!

 

[londonsean69]

Woz - sweet as, and why not.

And before someone pipes up about how it affects everyone else, no it doesn't - that's dodgy insurance claims.

Argos rake it in, you're not the first and you won't be the last.

Happens mostly in womens clothes shops though, wear something for a big night out then take it back for a refund "didn't like the colour"

Sean

 

[Wozzaaah]

I have to admit, that's one of the most dishonest things I've done in my adult life .
Felt good though!!!!

 

[madkayaker]

we have all done that as some point. Broke a glass bowl on a customers light fitting went to diy shed to get replacement to swap the glass. The one i got to replace had been broken in store! So had to take that back get replacement and take replacement back next day!

 

[Archie]

Yup. I had a pair of headphones break out of guarantee so I did exactly the same. Bloody things shouldn't have broken anyway.

 

[Psymon]

'Bloody things shouldn't have broken anyway.' Agree with that statement archie.henderson I hate this throw away mentality of big mfr companies. I had a stereo given to me - was working 30 years after it was made. Same with various tools etc.
Something should not break after a small drop. Just had my dishwasher go - hmmmm, 2 years old. Hang on the last one we had lived for 8 years and then one before that was about 12 years old!
Why do companies pretend to be 'green' then put out the same old rubbish that they have been putting out every day for the past few years? The 'green' statement isn't anything to do with the environment. It's the colour of the customers money.

 

[chunkolini]

double headed thread?
First up, some ploonker put diesel in my motorbike, BMWR1100RS. Picture me at the checkout. 'It says diesel on my reciept' 'yes' she says 'but it says diesel on my reciept' 'yes' she says again. A snigger behind me. 'Oh yes so it does' as I run out of the door. Pillock. Cost me £150 to get it sorted, tank drained, injectors cleaned and recovery.

2nd up. 12 years ago I bought a goretex cycling jacket a factory second. Waterproof breatheable etc. The warranty says waterproof for 3 years guaranteed. About 2 years later it started to leak and had faded a bit. I sent it back, shiny new jacket, 3 years later same thing. 12 years later I am on my fifth one. Quality work from a multinational company.

Chunko'.

 

[londonsean69]

2nd up. 12 years ago I bought a goretex cycling jacket a factory second. Waterproof breatheable etc. The warranty says waterproof for 3 years guaranteed. About 2 years later it started to leak and had faded a bit. I sent it back, shiny new jacket, 3 years later same thing. 12 years later I am on my fifth one. Quality work from a multinational company.

Well, it's their own silly fault for offering a guarantee that's longer than the item will live.

Common sense really

Sean

 

[Archie]

Ah. Now dishwashers are something else entirely! Anyone here replaced an old dishwasher only to find the new one takes twice as long to do the cycle? Our one at home takes about 45 mins to do a thorough clean and it's getting on for 15 years old. Here though, we've got a 3 or 4 year old one and it takes 95 mins! Plus it doesn't clean as well. Apparently it's all down to some 'green' EU directive that says dishwashers can only use water at a certain temp and may only use so many litres of water. Great. So my dishes are swilling around in the same, filthy, luke-warm water for an hour and a half...

 

[aero]

I doubt a little petrol will damage the engine. Considering the crap I've run diesel engines on over the years....erm.....

You do need to drain the tank, I'd do it by disconnecting the fuel line at the pump and slaving in another electric pump to empty the tank.

So long as you get most of the fuel out and fill the tank with diesel completely an old hack like that will be fine.

Some of the common rail engines can get a bit funny, but if it a 'normal' mechanical pump you should get away with it.

It takes a surpisingly long time to shag a diesel pump by running it on fuel it wasn't designed to run on

Watch out for the disposal of environmental waste charge for getting rid of your petrol.