2013 Dodge Challenger overheating

My Daughter added Disel in her 2013 Challenger. We drained the disel from the gas tank. We also clear gas lines, cleaned out fuel injection and we replaced gas pump. It ran for a few weeks and now ita been overheating and cant find a solution. I know we can take it to a Dodge dealer but its costly so we have it parked until we have funds. I appreciate any advice. Thank you in advance.

The over heating is not related to the diesel fuel mistake . And it would be best to have this towed to a shop as over heating can ruin the engine .
Did she say how she managed to put the wrong fuel in ?

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You’re probably going to need a fuel trim test. The diesel may have damaged an o2 sensor and the engine is running too lean, which can cause overheating.

Thank you very much. We appreciate your time.

Inspect the cooling system, check if the coolant level is full and the cooling fans are working.

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At 18 years old and with her first car…she didn’t know…she thought Disel was like Premium. Same question we asked her…she managed to use the pump labeled Disel and colored green.

You’ve made me curious about how this happens, not as obsessed as you, but I went to a newly built large name gas station. I don’t recall which one. I scanned my card and picked up the regular gasoline pump handle and inserted it in my tank. Just before I squeezed the handle I noticed the handle was green. I panicked and removed the nozzle and put it away cancelling my purchase. It seems to me that every gas station I’ve been to Green means diesel. Well at this store green was for regular gas. I was so uncomfortable using green for gas, I took the diesel handle out and tried to insert it into my car. It would not fit. So I figured the green fit, so it must be gas, and it was. I don’t know how someone can get diesel in a gas car like that. I would assume there must be stations somewhere that allows diesel nozzles into gasoline vehicles. But standardizing pump nozzle colors would be helpful.

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I understand you being curious…I was curious and kept asking where she had pumped gas and so I looked…it was labled Disel and somehow it fit into it…I’m guessing just the tip but was able to without spilling any gas. We are from South Texas and Have “Circle K” and 7-11 Convenience Stores. If it wasn’t labled I could have made them pay for the damage. Lesson Learned…for me too, not teaching her the basics.

I understand the lack of funds difficulty, but I’ve been through 4 young drivers myself. You really don’t want to let this car overheat because that is multitudes more expensive. She needs to know to pull over the second the temp gage rises higher than what has historically been normal. Best if you take it in to a shop. In my experience it’s best to take it to a trusted independent shop because they are much less expensive than the dealership.

Thank you for advice. Just last week I called a Dodge Dealer and it will cost me $180 to have it diagnosed, which I believe that’s the best thing to do. I think when it comes to Dodge, I should have the dealership look into it. Thank you for your time and response.

There is nothing special about a Dodge that requires a dealer shop.

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Trusting your service people are key. If you take the time to research independent shops, you should be able to find a good reputable place that is honest and have knowledgeable techs. A good place to start is by asking family and friends for reviews of places they have been. You can go online to research things to look for in a good shop. I can tell you where to go and where not to go in my area, I’m sure you may find someone, preferably someone with some automotive knowledge, that can lead you to the right places. It’s been my experience that a good independent shop can do just as good and many times better than a dealership and for a lot less cost to you, especially for the type of problems you are having with your vehicle. Use the dealership this time if your in a hurry, but I would recommend you shop around soon. Just saying this because you said money was tight. If you use the dealership, keep your invoices. Then find a good independent, and ask them what they would have charged including diagnostics. I think you may be surprised :wink:. The biggest hurdle is finding competence and honesty. There’s a lot more of that out there than people realize. But you have to do the shopping to find it.

You are right… but here not many mechanics know what they are doing. They know just enough about Ford and Chevy.

The Dodge dealership should be a good choice. It might be a little more expensive than an inde shop though. One idea, use the dealership for this problem, but start asking friends, relatives, fellow church-goers, co-worker who they use to fix their cars. Then choose 2 or 3 likely ones from among the list and go for a visit, interview the shop owner/managers. Are they able to explain their repair philosophy in a way that makes sense? Does the shop look well organized, clean shop, clean restrooms, customers seem in a good mood, etc.? Do this when you have nothing in particular that needs fixing, your goal is to find a shop that has a good repair philosophy and works on Dodges. IMO a good repair philosophy should be something like" “we’ll use our training and professional know-how to solve your problem, and if the first attempt isn’t successful we’ll keep working on it until you are satisfied with the result.”

Great advice…I’ll begin with their public reviews. Thank you for your time.