AdBlue in a Diesel Tank in Odsal: Why It Occurs and How to Prevent It
AdBlue already in your diesel tank? In that case put this page aside a moment, leave your ignition and engine off, then phone 0333 366 0103. In Odsal, finding it before your engine turns normally leaves a drain and a thorough flush on the spot. Not happened yet? Below, the page explains the why it takes place and the how to prevent it for good.
AdBlue in a diesel motor, and its separate tank
Not one liquid but two: that's what plenty of newer diesels near Odsal and Low Moor carry, with diesel feeding the motor. Kept in a tank of its own, AdBlue is fed into your exhaust stream and cleans it.
Separate tanks, separate fillers. Some cars put the AdBlue filler in the boot or under the bonnet; plenty more place the two side by side under one flap. At the pump, your diesel side is topped up constantly. The AdBlue side is filled far less regularly, usually from a bottle, and normally by a person who has to stop and think where it goes. The mistake lives in that gap.
AdBlue in the diesel tank in Odsal: how it happens
It's hardly ever carelessness. Three things tend to line up.
On a driveway off Larch Hill Crescent before work, or in the car park at The Top House on the way home: that's where the hurried top-up takes place. What is the reason for the rush? As AdBlue gets low your car warns you, and once it's gone, limp mode kicks in.
Then the vehicle is unfamiliar. A hire car, a new motor or a company car puts the fillers where your last one didn't, and your hand reaches for the cap it would have used on the old one.
Third, the spout fits: a diesel filler or AdBlue one, it goes in just as readily, and after the tip begins, nothing stops it. It's a few seconds, whether in Truncliffe or right in the centre of Odsal.
Telling the AdBlue filler from your diesel filler
Look at these first, on a forecourt in Odsal or a driveway over in Moor Top. A few seconds, no more.
- The cap. The AdBlue cap is often blue, or marked "AdBlue". Your diesel cap normally isn't. Read it instead of going by position.
- The size. On plenty of vehicles the AdBlue filler neck is the smaller of the two.
- Lift the flap and check for a label — many motors mark what goes in each inlet right there.
- Cannot see it next to the diesel filler? Then look beneath the bonnet or in your boot — the handbook will say where.
- Whoever had it before knows. Check when you pick up a hire car or fleet car — from Low Moor's car park, perhaps — not when the warning comes on.
AdBlue top-ups that never reach the diesel tank
On the day the light comes on — anywhere it is across West Yorkshire — a simple routine to follow.
- Pull in on level, engine off, with time to spare — never hurried on the side of Larch Hill.
- Say "AdBlue" out loud as you unscrew the cap, after finding the AdBlue filler and read it. Silly, yes, yet it does the trick.
- The two under a single flap? So confirm the cap on the diesel side stays closed ahead of raising the bottle.
- Slowly is best, through the bottle's own spout, till it's full or the bottle runs out.
- Before you start the vehicle, shut the cap and look a second time that your diesel cap was never opened off.
If at stage two or three you find you have already poured into your diesel side, stop there. Don't carry on to step five.
Put AdBlue in your diesel tank in Odsal already?
Then the order of things is short. Do not start your motor. Don't switch your ignition on; on plenty of diesels that alone runs the fuel pump. Filling up with diesel won't weaken it: rather than mixing, AdBlue sinks to the base of that tank, right where fuel is drawn from.
The staff at Esso, Morrisons or any forecourt will usually help pushing the car away when asked. On your own drive in Odsal? So your car remains where it is.
Where the motor has run by now, stop safely and turn the car off. On the M606, under a mile from Odsal, that means the next junction. About how far did it go? Crossing Odsal is less work than a run of under 3 miles to Bradford, so tell us.
Odsal: what happens when our technicians turn up
Our technicians come to your car wherever it has stopped, whether that's outside St Winefride's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy, close to Sedbergh Sports and Leisure Centre or on your own driveway. Both the work and our quote rest on three answers — which liquid, what quantity, and if it has run — so we ask. No one heads out before you've had our quote over the phone.
After that: draining, then a thorough flush of the whole system. Much more than with petrol, it counts here: crystals build up, certain metals are attacked, and none of that washes out unaided, however long it is left. A test is last: before that, fresh diesel goes in, and the filter is cleaned or replaced if necessary. Before we leave, our technicians start it and check that it's running correctly.
Unstarted vehicles mostly mean a half-hour visit after arrival. The kit is safe on a busy forecourt, and quiet enough for a driveway after dark. You pay on the day, with nothing upfront, and get a VAT invoice and an engineer report for your insurer. Before we get there, take a look at your insurance documents; plenty include cover for misfuelling.
About Odsal
Odsal is a locality in West Yorkshire, situated approximately 2.1 miles from Bradford and 170.2 miles from London, at an elevation of 213 metres. Odsal is characterised by its semi-detached housing and is located near other nearby places such as Truncliffe, Bankfoot, and Wibsey. Odsal has a population of around 4086 residents and is part of the larger Bradford urban area.
AdBlue drains in Odsal and across West Yorkshire
As a neighbourhood, Odsal has the same vans as nearby areas — Bankfoot, Wibsey — right through BD postcodes and the wider area beyond. Fastest of all: quote a BD6 1 postcode to the van.
Your car doesn't need to shift. A driveway, a lay-by on the way to St Abbs Park & Field, a side street close to Salvation Army: we drain the car where it sits. Guessing doesn't help at the back of Frank Milligan Memorial, on a border, or somewhere hard to pin down; ring and check.
In short, for Odsal people
Tip no AdBlue till you've read the cap. Still AdBlue in the diesel tank? Petrol in Diesel will empty it where it is, anywhere around West Yorkshire: switch the car off then phone 0333 366 0103.