This is not your usual put petrol in a diesel thread

[m2287]

Soooo....

Today my car (s320 CDI 2003)randomly conked out and wouldn't start. It came up with an EPC error when it happened. I managed to pull over and called the AA out.

So the AA man came and scanned it, it said low fuel pressure in the fuel rail, we assumed the high pressure pump was dead.

Got a new pump on it tonight and it still wouldn't start, whacked one of the fuel lines to an injector off, cranked it and fuel came whooshing out so fuel is definately getting to injectors. Smelt the fuel and oh no, it smells like petrol ...

The thing is, we filled the car up on Friday at tescos with diesel and I have the receipt, I believe the tank is 80L and we put in just under 70litres, the receipt says diesel too, we triple checked it!

There is around 5/8 of a tank left and we have driven around 200 miles on it, surely it wouldn't have done so many miles on such a mix of hardly and diesel to a lot of petrol?!

 

[KillerHERTZ]

Drivers caught out by bad fuel finally paid back by Tesco | Cambridge News

Happened at Barhill in 2011 it would seem...

 

[renault12ts]

I wouldn't think it could. I got 5 miles once.

 

[st13phil]

You're assuming that the 70 litres you added was 100% petrol rather than 100% diesel. If there was contamination at the filling station it's more likely that a delivery of petrol was added to a non-empty diesel tank giving a mix of unknown proportions. I fancy an enquiry of the filling station is required...

 

[m2287]

Well the fuel doctor people are coming here now so I guess I'll find out soon... It does sortof run if I spray easy start up the intake! It's definately petrol though, it smells nice and evaporates off my fingers!

 

[m2287]

Also I rang the petrol station... They say no similar incidents have been reported

 

[AMGeed]

Tesco are getting very good at selling contaminated/wrong fuel.
A branch close to me was closed for 2 months and the fuel tanks replaced because of iffy diesel.

Back in business: Tesco Branksome garage re-opens after contaminated fuel causes two month closure (From Bournemouth Echo)

 

[brucemillar]

ASDA responded in the same manner when my wife's petrol C240 mysteriously conked out with a seized fuel pump and gunged up fuel filter 50 miles after a full fill of "petrol". Analysis showed a mix of diesel and petrol. ASDA just denied everything.

Sent from my iPhone using MBClub UK

 

[Ted]

Tweeted in the last hour...
https://twitter.com/roxannejarvis/status/582641363721850881

 

[st13phil]

Also I rang the petrol station... They say no similar incidents have been reported

As Bruce indicated, it's in their interest to issue a denial.

Why not talk to VOSA and/or HMRC and ask them to investigate?

 

[flango]

All these are great reasons why never to use supermarket fuel and great justification of why I never do

 

[m2287]

Tweeted in the last hour...
https://twitter.com/roxannejarvis/status/582641363721850881

That would be my mrs, I have no idea how Twitter works lol

 

[JamesOverton]

Sounds very iffy to me! I'd be on to Tesco let us know what the outcome is, I also always fill up at Tesco for the discounts on fuel

 

[zipdip]

I would have thought weights and measures at the local council could get involved,while they were sampling the tanks for contamination they could check all the pumps are giving the right amount

 

[BTB 500]

Tesco seem particularly prone to contamination problems/incidents - I would never use them myself. Of the big supermarkets Sainsburys seem to be better than the others ... I do fill the Vito up there if a Shell station isn't convenient. The SL only gets V-Power though.

 

[m2287]

So the fuel doctor people have been out, drained all the fuel but the car still won't start... The guy is adamant that the fuel in the tank was a mix of petrol diesel and something else.... Possibly water :/!!!!!

 

[V12]

So the fuel doctor people have been out, drained all the fuel but the car still won't start... The guy is adamant that the fuel in the tank was a mix of petrol diesel and something else.... Possibly water :/!!!!!

Did they drain just the tank or the whole system?

 

[E270 Owner]

You need to remove the fuel filter and purge the tank till pure diesel comes up the fuel filter input pipe then fit a new filter cycle the ignition 5-6 times to prime the system then crank away.

If its being a pain you may have to crack the injector unions open to bleed the air out.

Don't use Easy-start on that engine

 

[m2287]

Did they drain just the tank or the whole system?

The tank first and then the whole system from the outlet pipe on the fuel filter... There was no fuel coming from the rail in the end and it was 2am so we gave up!!!!

 

[m2287]

The tank first and then the whole system from the outlet pipe on the fuel filter... There was no fuel coming from the rail in the end and it was 2am so we gave up!!!!

Sorry it may aphave been the fuel return line on the high pressure pump that he drained it from.... It was a long day!