AdBlue in a Diesel Tank in Deane: How It Occurs and How to Stop It
Stop reading for a moment when the diesel tank already has AdBlue in it: ignition off, engine off, then call 0333 366 0103. A drain and a full flush, carried out just where the vehicle stands in Deane, is normally all it takes if found before your motor runs. The remainder of this page explains why it occurs and how to ensure it doesn't — handy if you are reading ahead of time.
AdBlue in a diesel car: two tanks, two fillers
Plenty of newer diesels around Fernhill Gate, like those in Deane, carry on two liquids; your motor takes only your diesel. The exhaust, not your engine, is where AdBlue goes: dosed into the fumes to clean them, from a separate tank.
Different tanks, separate fillers. Under one flap, next to each other: that is the arrangement on many cars. Elsewhere, AdBlue's filler sits beneath the bonnet or in your boot instead. Diesel goes in on every forecourt call-out, again and again. Seldom filled, AdBlue normally goes in out of a bottle, poured by someone who has to stop and think which filler to use. It's in the gap that the error happens.
AdBlue in the diesel tank in Deane: how it takes place
Three things tend to line up, and carelessness is rarely one of them.
First, the warning. Low AdBlue brings a message from the vehicle, and running dry leads to limp mode — hence a hurried top-up, maybe before work off Deane Church Lane, or outside The Vulcan on the way home after work.
Then, the hand reaches for the cap it knew on the old motor — because a hire car, a new car or a company car places the fillers where your last one did not.
Third, the bottle goes in: a diesel filler or AdBlue one, it slides in just as readily, and after the tip begins, nothing stops it. Whether it happens in Willows or the middle of Deane, it's the same few seconds.
How to tell the AdBlue filler from the diesel one
A couple of seconds is all these take — so check them before you pour anything, on a drive in Gilnow or a forecourt in Deane.
- Read the cap instead of going by position: AdBlue ones are commonly blue or marked "AdBlue", and diesel ones normally are not.
- On plenty of cars, the size tells: AdBlue has the smaller filler neck.
- A label inside your fuel flap often says which fuel goes where, on many cars. Look for it.
- Cannot find it next to the diesel inlet? Then check beneath the bonnet or in your boot — the owner's manual will say which.
- Picking up a hire or company car, say at the car park at Lostock? Ask whoever drove the car last before you set off, rather than when the light comes on.
Topping up AdBlue without it reaching the diesel tank
For the day the warning appears — wherever it is around Greater Manchester — a simple routine to use.
- Not in a rush on the side of Kirkebrok Road, not on a slope, not with your motor running: park and switch off first.
- Silly as it sounds, speaking "AdBlue" out loud as you unscrew the cap works — once you've found your filler and read it.
- Both behind one flap? So confirm the cap on the diesel filler is still shut ahead of raising the bottle.
- Using the bottle's own spout, pour slowly — and stop when it's full or the bottle is empty.
- Before starting the vehicle, shut the cap and check again that your diesel cap was never opened off.
Stop there if you find, at stage two or three, that you've already poured into the diesel side. Skip step five altogether.
Already put AdBlue in your diesel tank in Deane?
Short order, then. First: your motor remains off. Don't switch your ignition on; on many diesels that alone runs the fuel pump. Do not top up with diesel to thin it: AdBlue doesn't mix with diesel, it sinks to the bottom of that tank, where the fuel is sucked from.
If you're at a forecourt, whether it's the Esso or the Shell, ask the staff to help roll the car clear of the petrol pump. Your own drive around Deane is the place it should stay.
Stop as soon as it is safe then switch off, if your motor has already run. Come off the M61 — under 3 miles out of Deane — at the next exit. Roughly how far did it go? Hopping across Deane is less a job than a trip of under 10 miles to Salford, so tell us.
Deane: what takes place when we get there
Wherever the car came to rest, be it by St Ethelbert's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy, beside Deane United Reformed Church or on your own drive, the van travels to it. What fluid went in, the amount, and whether it ran: our technicians ask since the answers set the work and quote. Nobody heads out until you have heard the price by phone.
Emptying your tank comes next, followed by a thorough flush of your system. Much more than with petrol, it matters here: the crystals form, some metals are attacked, and nothing washes out unaided, no matter how long it sits. The filter flushed or, if needed, replaced; fresh diesel in; and then a check of the car. After that we start the engine and make sure it runs properly before leaving.
With pumps fine on a working forecourt and quiet enough for use outside a house at night, most jobs where the motor has not run take about half an hour after our technicians are there. Paying happens on the day, not upfront, and you are given the documents an insurer wants: an engineer's report and a VAT invoice. It's worth checking your policy as the van travels to you: misfuelling cover comes with many policies.
About Deane itself
Deane is a suburban area in Greater Manchester, situated near the River Irwell and characterised by its terraced housing stock. Deane sits at an elevation of 141 metres, approximately 9 miles from the city of Salford, and is surrounded by other local neighbourhoods such as Willows, Pocket, and Daubhill. Deane is home to a population of around 11,121 people and is located near the regional urban centre. Deane forms part of the wider Greater Manchester conurbation, within commuting distance of major cities and 173 miles from London.
AdBlue drains about Deane, and Greater Manchester beyond
Being a residential suburb, Deane shares its vans nearby areas — Pocket, Daubhill — all the way across BL postcodes and the surrounding area beyond. Our van gets to you fastest with a postcode starting BL3 4.
Your car doesn't need to shift. The drain happens on the spot, be it a drive, a street by Deane Parish Church - St Mary the Virgin, or a lay-by on the way to Rumworth Park. If you are close to a border, or somewhere hard to explain like the back of Hulton Lane Community Centre, ring and ask rather than guessing.
Deane drivers: the short version
Tip no AdBlue until you've read the cap. Still AdBlue in the diesel tank? Petrol in Diesel will empty it wherever it is, wherever in Greater Manchester: keep it off then ring 0333 366 0103.