# Diesel in Unleaded gas

**URL:** <https://community.cartalk.com/t/diesel-in-unleaded-gas/10300>\
**Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\
**Created:** [February 6, 2008, 4:57pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/diesel-in-unleaded-gas/10300 "2008-02-06T16:57:27Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![doubledipper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e79b87/32.png) [@doubledipper](https://community.cartalk.com/u/doubledipper)\
**Post date:** [February 6, 2008, 4:57pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/diesel-in-unleaded-gas/10300/1 "2008-02-06T16:57:27Z")

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From Alaska A fuel supplier recently put diesel in the unleaded gas tank by mistake. Our 02 Explorer experienced black smoke out of the tail pipe and would hardly start. The local gas station is going to drain the tank etc. What would be the long term affect on the engine. This cost is being paid by the fuel supplier

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**Author:** ![lars46](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4da419/32.png) [@lars46](https://community.cartalk.com/u/lars46)\
**Post date:** [February 6, 2008, 5:07pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/diesel-in-unleaded-gas/10300/2 "2008-02-06T17:07:01Z")

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Diesel fuel is a good lubricant. I don’t expect it would hurt anything except the catalytic converter. Diesel exhaust may plug it up.

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**Author:** ![Joseph\_E\_Meehan](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/joseph_e_meehan/32/21_2.png) [@Joseph\_E\_Meehan](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Joseph_E_Meehan)\
**Post date:** [February 6, 2008, 9:00pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/diesel-in-unleaded-gas/10300/3 "2008-02-06T21:00:54Z")

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Lars46 covered it well. That is about it. More damage is possible, but not likely. Expect that it may run a little funny for a tank or two.

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**Author:** ![mcparadise](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mcparadise/32/32_2.png) [@mcparadise](https://community.cartalk.com/u/mcparadise)\
**Post date:** [February 7, 2008, 12:31am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/diesel-in-unleaded-gas/10300/4 "2008-02-07T00:31:25Z")

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If it’s still running you have nothing to worry about. It may take a few tankfuls of gasoline to get rid of all the smoke, but you should be OK in the long run,

If the situation were reversed . . .

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**Author:** ![mconn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc348/32.png) [@mconn](https://community.cartalk.com/u/mconn)\
**Post date:** [February 7, 2008, 3:56am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/diesel-in-unleaded-gas/10300/5 "2008-02-07T03:56:50Z")

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Make sure you get a LONG term commitment from the supplier…trouble could pop up later. You’ll never know if you decreased the life expectancy of the converter by x miles for a while. The soot is really ugly stuff to run through the cat.