Avoiding AdBlue in a Diesel Tank in Horner House: Why It Happens
Leave the engine and ignition off then phone 0333 366 0103 first — reading can wait if AdBlue is already in the diesel tank. A drain plus a full flush, done just where the vehicle stands around Horner House, is normally what it needs when caught before your motor runs. The remainder of this page explains why it takes place and how to ensure it doesn't — useful if you're reading ahead of time.
AdBlue in a diesel car, and its separate tank
Plenty of newer diesels in Shay House, like those in Horner House, run on two liquids; your engine gets just your diesel. AdBlue goes to the exhaust, where it is sprayed into the gas to fresh it, and it lives in a tank of its own.
Each tank has its own filler. On a lot of vehicles the two sit side by side under the same flap; on others the AdBlue filler is in your boot or under the bonnet. At the petrol pump, the diesel side gets filled all the time. Rarely topped up, AdBlue normally comes out of a bottle, poured by a driver who must stop and think what filler to use. Mistakes happen in the gap between them.
How does AdBlue in the diesel tank happen around Horner House?
It's rarely carelessness. Three things tend to line up.
The warning comes first. As AdBlue runs low the vehicle tells you, and if it runs out altogether, your vehicle goes into limp mode. So the top-up is done in a hurry: on a driveway off Horner Close before work, or in the car park outside The Friendship on the way home.
The old car's cap is where your hand goes — but a hire car, a new motor or a company car puts the fillers elsewhere. That is the second thing: a new vehicle.
No part stops the tip after it has started, because a bottle with a spout goes into a diesel filler as easily as an AdBlue one. The bottle fits. It takes a few seconds, whether out in Garden Village or bang in the centre of Horner House.
Which filler is for AdBlue, and which for diesel?
A couple of seconds is all these take — so check them before you tip anything, on a drive in East Whitwell or a forecourt in Horner House.
- The cap. The AdBlue cap is frequently blue, or marked "AdBlue". The diesel cap usually isn't. Read it instead of going by position.
- On many cars, the size gives it away: AdBlue has the smaller filler neck.
- A label inside your fuel flap often says which fuel goes where, on plenty of motors. Check for it.
- In the boot or under the bonnet: that is where your filler sits if it is not by the diesel cap, and the handbook says which.
- Check with the person who drove it last — before you leave, not when the light comes on — when you collect a hire or company car from somewhere like the car park outside Penistone.
How to top up without AdBlue in your diesel tank
Anywhere across South Yorkshire the light comes on, here is a routine for that day.
- Stop on level, engine off, with time to spare — not rushing on the side of Park Drive Way.
- Say "AdBlue" out loud as you unscrew the cap, once finding the AdBlue filler and reading it. Daft, yes, but it works.
- Leave your diesel cap on. If both sit under one flap, check the diesel cap is still closed before you lift the bottle.
- Stop once your tank fills or the bottle runs dry; before that, tip gently through the own spout.
- Close the cap and check again. Make sure your diesel cap was never opened. Only then start your car.
Stop there if you find, at stage two or three, that you've already poured into the diesel side. Never go on to stage five.
Already put AdBlue in your diesel tank around Horner House?
The short order of things, starting with no starting your engine. Do not switch your ignition on; on many diesels that alone runs the fuel pump. Thinning it with more diesel fails, since AdBlue settles to the bottom rather than blending — and that's where the fuel is pulled from.
Ask the attendants to help roll the car away from the petrol pump if you're at a forecourt — the JET, the Murco or somewhere else. Your own drive in Horner House is where it should stay.
Stop as soon as it is safe and switch off, if your motor has already run. Leave the M1 — under 5 miles out of Horner House — at the next exit. Mileage matters — a short hop across Horner House is a smaller job than heading under 10 miles towards Sheffield — so tell us roughly how far it went.
Our arrival in Horner House, and what occurs next
We come to the car wherever it has stopped, whether that is outside Stocksbridge Nursery Infant School, near The Venue or on your own driveway. Our engineers ask what got in, about how much, and if it's run, since the replies settle this work and the price. The price comes over the phone, ahead of any van leaving.
Emptying that tank comes next, then a thorough flush of the system. AdBlue crystallises and is corrosive to some of the metals in a fuel system, and so it doesn't wash out on its own — which is why the flush matters more with AdBlue than with petrol. The filter cleaned or, if needed, swapped; fresh diesel in; then a test of your car. The motor is fired up next and tested to be sure it runs smoothly, all before our engineers go.
If your motor hasn't run, most jobs take about half an hour once we are there, using pumps that are fine on a working forecourt and quiet enough to use outside a house at night. No money upfront; you settle up that day. Afterwards, a VAT invoice and a report from the engineer go to you for your insurer. It's worth looking at your insurance while we travel to you: misfuelling cover comes with many policies.
About Horner House
Horner House is a suburban area situated on the riverside in South Yorkshire, with a mix of semi-detached housing and a population of around 3776 residents. Horner House sits at an elevation of 202 metres, close to nearby places such as Garden Village and Stocksbridge. Horner House is located near the city of Sheffield, approximately 8.8 miles away, and is part of the wider Sheffield urban area. Horner House has a relatively small community, with local amenities and services nearby.
AdBlue drains across South Yorkshire, Horner House included
Stocksbridge and Pot House are among the towns near Horner House, a residential suburb, that the same teams cover, throughout S postcodes. Quickest of all: quote a S36 1 postcode for the van.
The vehicle stays where it is. We drain it where it is — a side street near The Salvation Army - Stocksbridge, a lay-by on the way to Pot House Wood, a drive. If you're near a border, or somewhere hard to describe like the back of Stocksbridge Library, ring and ask rather than guessing.
Horner House drivers: the short version
Tip nothing till you've read the cap. If AdBlue has gone in your diesel tank anyway, leave the vehicle off and ring 0333 366 0103. Petrol in Diesel empties it where it stands, anywhere across South Yorkshire.