Self Inflicted Wound

**petevtwin650** · 20 Aug 08, 08:19 AM

Just got back from a 5 day trip to Bonnie Scotland.

Bike behaved impeccably.

However due to my dumbness I manged to put 11 litres of diesel in the tank. Luckily I realised just as the last drops brimmed the tank.

Fortunately I had already taken the tank off once so knew the simple procedure. Manager of the petrol station was a bit of a pain as we had to do all the draining into water containers off his site, but he didn't make me move the stricken bike so can't really complain.

Tried to get rid of the diesel/unleaded mix was the hardest bit. Luckily a guy in a battered Transit drove in and happily if not a bit suspicously took away the foul mix.

Filled it back up (16.52 ltrs to brim) and she fired straight up. Even seems to have cured some of the low speed fluffiness.

Total cost: 20 quid unleaded and 12 quid for the 2 containers. Much cheaper than if I had of ridden her away I'm sure. Close call.

So, be careful out there and watch those nozzles.

Note the tank resting on my fleece.

Anybody want some dodgy fuel?

God, I needed that!

**Grib_** · 20 Aug 08, 08:35 AM

Whoops! Lucky you spotted it in time

Saw somebody fill a XR650 with diesel on a ride a few years ago...didn't make much difference to it apart from the extra smoke

**MarkST** · 20 Aug 08, 09:00 AM

You wont **** up a petrol engine by putting diesel into it, but you will **** up a diesel engine by putting petrol into it.
Bad luck Pete, and I admire your honesty.
Good shots of the event btw.

Mark.

**DukeDesmo** · 20 Aug 08, 09:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MarkST

You wont **** up a petrol engine by putting diesel into it, but you will **** up a diesel engine by putting petrol into it.
Bad luck Pete, and I admire your honesty.
Good shots of the event btw.

Mark.

Indeed but I'd change the filter if I were you, especially if you ran the fuel pump with the diesel in the tank.

Otherwise I trust you had a good trip?.......

**petevtwin650** · 20 Aug 08, 09:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grib_

Whoops! Lucky you spotted it in time

Saw somebody fill a XR650 with diesel on a ride a few years ago...didn't make much difference to it apart from the extra smoke

Did that with my Sv a few years ago too, but only a fivers worth and just ran it through. It was a carbed one too.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MarkST

You wont **** up a petrol engine by putting diesel into it, but you will **** up a diesel engine by putting petrol into it.
Bad luck Pete, and I admire your honesty.
Good shots of the event btw.

Mark.

General concesus Mark was not too run it at all.

We all make mistakes don't we, or do we?

Quote:

Originally Posted by DukeDesmo

Indeed but I'd change the filter if I were you, especially if you ran the fuel pump with the diesel in the tank.

Otherwise I trust you had a good trip?.......

Luckily , never ran the motor Tim.

Trip story and pics to come. Just downloading them now.

**geo7863** · 20 Aug 08, 01:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MarkST

You wont **** up a petrol engine by putting diesel into it, but you will **** up a diesel engine by putting petrol into it.
Bad luck Pete, and I admire your honesty.
Good shots of the event btw.

Mark.

Whys that then? as I understand things.... you have two types of engine, CI and SI, Compression ignition, and Spark ignition..with ignition being the operative word... Diesel ignites under the extreme pressure on the compression stroke CI, and petrol doesnt..it needs a spark for that....SI

So one would assume that a petrol engine wouldnt run anyway with diesel in it, and vice versa...obviously they do run for a while as the excess 'proper fuel in the system, fuel lines etc etc...burns off first. So I would also assume that as a heavier more 'greasy' fuel Diesel would clog up the finer components in an SI engine, such as carb jets etc etc.....

Or is it the additives, the lead 'replacers', the solvents and the detergents in the two types of fuel that does the damage?....

Incidently I have mentioned it before somewhere but I managed to get a Caterpiller bulldozer CI engine running backwards once... as it was still a suck, squeeze, bang and blow engine, just like a petrol one, I still can't fathom out why, okay it sucked the fuel/air mixture in when on the blow (exhaust) cycle and pushed out the burnt fuel on the Suck (induction) cycle... and I had air roaring down the exhaust pipe and sooty shoite coming out of the air pre-cleaner bowl... and I suppose that when the exhaust valves where closing and the piston coming back up to TDC it still had enough heat and compression to create the bang...however I digress

Pete you have balls sir for admitting and visually cataloguing what could have been an expenisive not to mention a more embarrasing moment.

PS why do you get TDi on some cars..usually the German ones... Turbo..yeah okay..Diesel...fine now we know.... but Injection???? doh..ALL deisel engines are injection engines...is it just vanity for the drivers to think they have sonething special because its got a dinky little 'i' there?

**Masher** · 20 Aug 08, 01:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by geo7863

PS why do you get TDi on some cars..usually the German ones... Turbo..yeah okay..Diesel...fine now we know.... but Injection???? doh..ALL deisel engines are injection engines...is it just vanity for the drivers to think they have sonething special because its got a dinky little 'i' there?

You got it in 1

**DukeDesmo** · 20 Aug 08, 01:47 PM

If a diesel could run petrol through the system, I'd have thought the petrol would certainly ignite due to the high compression - probably pre-ignite and back-fire the engine? Where as I would think a Petrol engine would just stop if diesel was fed into it.

My Father-in-law filled his Diesel merc with Petrol - it duly 'stopped' and the repair bill ran into thousands of pounds, I think the big problem is the fuel pump and injectors get knackered by the lack of lubrication.

On the other hand my sister once filled her petrol fiat with diesel and it only required draining & cleaning, the best part was that she didn't realise what she'd done even after it stopped so my Dad got the garage that it was recently purchased from to attend the 'breakdown' thinking it was a warranty issue, when he went to pick it up all the guys at the garage were quietly sniggering as they thought he'd done it, the more he tried to tell them the worse it got "yes sir, of course it's your daughter's car, of course you didn't fill it with diesel (snigger)".

I told my neighbour that my 916 was a diesel after he commented on the 'clackety-clack' noise at idle but I've never tried to run it on diesel yet..........

**barry** · 20 Aug 08, 05:26 PM

TDi?......turbo direct injetion...as opposed to injecting into a seperate swirl chamber. Makes for a more powerful, efficient lump....

**Masher** · 20 Aug 08, 05:30 PM

The "i" is the relevant detail.

Cor it's injected innit!

**stevel** · 20 Aug 08, 05:33 PM

I think the big problem is the fuel pump and injectors get knackered by the lack of lubrication.
Correctomundo! The pump is made to ultra fine tolerances and the fuel is the lube, petrol offers no lube qualities and wrecks the pump.
Pete/ Did you know the 996 etc have a drain plug at the base of the tank? A screw in job, drop that and it drains the lot, but you'd need a container.

**geo7863** · 20 Aug 08, 06:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by barry

TDi?......turbo direct injetion...as opposed to injecting into a seperate swirl chamber. Makes for a more powerful, efficient lump....

Go on..you've been reading your TDI owners manual havent you...

**Chris.p** · 20 Aug 08, 06:19 PM

Pete, what can I say, except brave lad for putting up a thread on it, and pictures as well, top man.

Got to admit, I put diesil into a petrol courtisy car once, got it home before I realised what I had done, rang up the garage and they came and picked it up, felt a right ****, but got away with

Chris.

**its me** · 20 Aug 08, 06:44 PM

Yeap done that too

white smoke judder .....DOH !!!!!!

**ducati2242** · 20 Aug 08, 07:25 PM

You can`t run a diesel engine on petrol because the diesel engine cant take the extra heat. It causes the valves to burn out and if your lucky the pistons to melt.It will damage the pump because of the lack of oil but by that time you would need a new engine anyway.