Petrol in a Diesel Alfa Romeo 156? Leave It Switched Off
If you have got petrol in a diesel Alfa Romeo 156 but your engine has not been started, keep it switched off, even to shift it clear of the pump. That petrol cannot leave your tank while the engine is off, so the 156 can normally be put right with a drain.
There is no reason to shift your Alfa Romeo 156 off the forecourt, or from any other spot where it came to a stop, because the drain is done by Petrol in Diesel where your vehicle sits. Ring us before you try anything yourself and we will talk you through it.
Petrol in a diesel 156: what to do right away
- Keep the motor off. A diesel 156 will usually fire up and run with petrol in the tank, and it can feel fine for a couple of miles, which is why drivers often drive away without realising anything is amiss.
- Leave the ignition off too. On plenty of diesels turning it on will start the fuel pump priming, which draws fuel out of your tank towards the fuel injectors.
- Diluting the petrol by topping up with diesel doesn't help. It only adds to the tainted fuel we drain from a tank that takes up to 63 litres in the 156, and super unleaded counts as petrol here as well.
- When your car is in the way of a pump, pop it in neutral then roll it out of the way. Forecourt staff are generally glad to help with that.
- When you ring 0333 366 0103, we want to know which 156 you drive, where it is, how much petrol you reckon was put in and whether the motor has been run. The precise version helps too if it is on the badge, for instance the 156 1.9 JTD 8V.
Started your vehicle with wrong fuel in your Alfa Romeo 156?
As long as it sits inside your tank, wrong fuel in your Alfa Romeo 156 does not affect the engine. That only starts once it's drawn out, which is what occurs when your motor is started. A diesel motor depends on the fuel to oil your high-pressure pump and your injectors whilst it passes through them. That protection is taken away as soon as petrol thins your diesel, so the harm, where there's any, comes from driving on that mix.
If you've driven the 156 on it, the right thing to do is stop in a safe place then switch the engine off. We can still deal with it, by emptying your tank and rinsing the lines and the fuel filter till all of the tainted fuel is gone. Permanent damage is very rare if it is caught soon and given a thorough clean.
Each variant of the 156 is the same in this, the 156 Sportwagon 1.9 JTD 16V Multijet included.
Your Alfa Romeo 156 fuel tank capacity, by version
What counts is what share of your fuel in the tank is petrol. The same couple of litres matter more when you filled up with your tank nearly empty, which is why its size makes a difference.
It does not make a difference which version you drive, because every diesel Alfa Romeo 156 in our figures has the same tank, taking 63 litres.
| Version | Fuel tank |
|---|---|
| Alfa Romeo 156 1.9 JTD 16V Multijet | 63 litres |
| Alfa Romeo 156 1.9 JTD 8V | 63 litres |
| Alfa Romeo 156 2.4 JTD 16V Multijet | 63 litres |
| Alfa Romeo 156 2.4 JTD 8V | 63 litres |
| Alfa Romeo 156 Sportwagon 1.9 JTD 16V Multijet | 63 litres |
| Alfa Romeo 156 Sportwagon 1.9 JTD 8V | 63 litres |
| Alfa Romeo 156 Sportwagon 2.4 JTD 16V Multijet | 63 litres |
| Alfa Romeo 156 Sportwagon 2.4 JTD 8V | 63 litres |
Which diesel 156 do you drive?
The version is usually on a badge on the boot lid, and it's useful for us to know when you phone.
On a diesel 156 you will find JTD and Multijet on the badge.
On our records the commonest badge is JTD, and the 156 1.9 JTD 16V Multijet is badged Multijet by contrast.
The 156 Sportwagon 2.4 JTD 16V Multijet has the biggest engine, at 2.4 litres, and the 156 Sportwagon 1.9 JTD 8V the smallest, at 1.9 litres.
There are Sportwagon versions on the list as well.
Got AdBlue in a diesel Alfa Romeo 156?
AdBlue is a mixture of water and urea that certain diesel cars rely on to clean up their exhaust, and it has its own tank and filler. If there's AdBlue in a diesel Alfa Romeo 156 as it went in the incorrect filler, don't touch the key, even to shift your vehicle.
AdBlue sinks to the base of the tank, where the pump takes its fuel from, since it will not mix with diesel. Being mostly water, it cannot ignite and leaves the fuel pump with no lubrication, and the diesel in a tank holding up to 63 litres doesn't weaken it the way it would petrol.
A small quantity is still sucked into the system. Inside the system the water dries off and leaves the urea to crystallise, in the filter and injectors and elsewhere, where it attacks the metalwork it touches.
Where your 156 has an AdBlue filler, it might well sit beside your diesel filler under the same cover, as it does on a lot of motors. AdBlue caps are usually blue and fit a far narrower nozzle than diesel.
The fuel drain on your Alfa Romeo 156, in order
There's no garage needed, because we carry out a fuel drain on your Alfa Romeo 156 at your car itself. First we confirm what went in and whether the engine has run. The tank, which holds up to 63 litres on the 156, is then drained, the pipes and filter are rinsed, and the vehicle is filled up with clean diesel and primed before we start your engine.
You can drive the 156 away when we have finished, now running on fresh diesel.
What AdBlue removal from a diesel Alfa Romeo 156 involves
Like emptying petrol, AdBlue removal from a diesel Alfa Romeo 156 runs through the same stages. We flush crystals out of the pipes too when the 156 has been started, and swap the fuel filter where needed, since AdBlue settles in the base of the tank instead of mixing in and may leave them behind.
What we call AdBlue removal is emptying AdBlue from the diesel tank after a slip at the filler, not taking out or disabling the AdBlue system on a car.
What does a fuel drain on the Alfa Romeo 156 cost?
The work varies from one job to the next, so we do not publish a fixed quote. The main factors that affect it are these:
- whether the 156 has been started or driven, which makes the biggest difference
- the volume put in, weighed against the capacity of the tank
- whether it was AdBlue instead of petrol
- where the 156 is parked, and whether we can get the van to it safely
We can tell you what the work will probably need once you call with those details.
Petrol in a diesel Alfa Romeo 156: questions
What's the fuel tank capacity of the Alfa Romeo 156?
All the versions we have data for hold 63 litres.
Can I fill up with diesel if I only put a little petrol in my 156?
We wouldn't advise it. Adding diesel lowers the share of petrol without removing any of that, so that petrol is still in the system when you drive off. A fuel drain gets all of it out, and with a small quantity that's normally all the 156 needs.
Should my 156 go to the Alfa Romeo dealer?
No, we come to it. The 156 is drained and cleaned where it is, by an independent firm with no connection to Alfa Romeo or any dealer.
Does it help to know which 156 I have?
Knowing your version helps when you phone, since there are 8 diesel variants of the 156 in our data.
Will my insurance policy pay for wrong fuel in my Alfa Romeo 156?
Misfuelling cover comes with some policies and not others, so check yours. We'll come out to drain it for you whether it does or not.
What should I do if my 156 got diesel in its AdBlue tank?
Here, too, the right thing is to leave the ignition alone. The AdBlue system will need draining, and if the vehicle is driven that way, it'll most likely display an alert and enter limp mode. When you phone, tell us which tank your fuel went into.
I drove my 156 before I noticed. What do I do?
Turn the engine off after you've pulled over somewhere safe, and keep it off till we arrive. We empty and clean your fuel system where you are, and if it's caught early like this, long-term damage is very rare.