My diesel Dodge sprinter was recently filled with gasoline & driven appx 2 miles before shutting down. It was towed to the dealership. The fuel station has accepted responsibility. There has been direct communication between the fuel station and the dealer. My (paranoid)concern:that the gas station will make a “back deal” with the dealer to give me less than full repair, and/or that i am ethically required to disclose this when and if I sell the vehicle & so lose value. Any advice?
EM
The stations insurance will cover the cost and the dealer has no incentive whatsoever to do less than a proper fix and lots of incentive to do more than the minimum (they’ll make more $).
You have absolutely no reason to disclose anything when you sell. Putting gas in a diesel engine does no permanent damage, it’s been properly repaired by a dealer shop, and used vehicle sales in most (possiby all) states are “as is” unless otherwise specified in writing.
- mountainbike
Putting gas in a diesel engine does no permanent damage
Really, do you have a basis for that statement? I know someone who bought a new diesel engine for his benz after his daughter filled it with gasoline and attempted to drive home from college (she said the pump handle was green).
Eric, exactly how did it “shutdown” after 2 miles, did it just stall or did something more “dramatic” happen? I would contact the dealer and ask them exactly what their diagnosis is and what it will take to fully correct the condition. I would also want to see the results of a compression test. You need to know that it is being completely repaired. It is still you vehicle, regardless who is paying for the repair. I agree that you are under no legal obligation to disclose this when you sell it, but if it’s fully repaired (as it should be) there will be nothing to disclose. I would also be very careful about signing anything to release them from future liability.
And we might want to look at the pricey injector pump. It is lubricated by the fuel it pumps. Gasoline offers little lubrication.A compression test will reveal MOST other damage possibilities…But YOU know more about it than WE do. YOU were driving it. YOU heard the engine complaining. Just how strident were those complaints??
OK guys, I probably should have said “internal damage”. Gasoline being much higher octane it won’t cause preignition and bearing damage, it simply won’t fire at the temperature that the air is heated to on the compression stroke, so the engine stops. The gas gets squirted in and nothing happens.
That was my thinking, anyway, but Caddyman made a good point about the injector pump.
Anyway, the station has freely accepted responsibility and the vehicle’s being repaired at the dealer’s shop, so I stand by the statement that the OP need not be worried. The problem is repairable with no after effects.
- mountainbike
Gasoline being much higher octane it won’t cause preignition and bearing damage, it simply won’t fire at the temperature that the air is heated to on the compression stroke, so the engine stops. The gas gets squirted in and nothing happens.
Not to be nit picky, but are you saying that gasoline will not pre-ignite at a 20:1 compression ratio (that’s about twice the compression of a gas engine)? You can’t compare the cetane rating of diesel (about 40-45) to the octane rating of gas. Cetane is actually the opposite of octane, a higher number means it will combust more easily. Also, gasoline combusts much faster than diesel, my diesel engine injects the fuel at about 24 degrees BTDC. There is a risk of internal engine damage.
I almost fell into that trap too…Gasoline has an autoignition temperature of 475 degrees F. Diesel autoignites at 410 degrees…
However, should the injected gasoline ignite, the detonation would be explosive…
I can’t think of a better place for an explosion than inside a cylinder during the engine’s power stroke…
I still maintain that no internal damage could have occurred and the engine stopped because the gasoline simply sprayed and the air wasn’t hot enough to cause ignition. Remember that the fuel sparying onto the compressed air absorbs heat (as all expanding fluid does ref: Bernouli) and cools the cylinder, unlike in a gas engine where the fuel mix is compressed (heated) and the spark is then presented in the compressed, preheated mix.
That’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it!
- mountainbike