Put Petrol in a Diesel Chevrolet Tahoe?
We'd ask you to leave your motor off if you've put petrol in a diesel Chevrolet Tahoe and not run it yet, and that goes for moving it off the forecourt too. With your engine left off, that petrol stays put in the tank, and in most cases a fuel drain is all your Tahoe needs.
Petrol in Diesel drains misfuelled cars on the spot, and your Chevrolet Tahoe can remain at the forecourt or wherever it has stopped. Hold off trying anything on your own until you've phoned us, and we'll explain what to do.
Petrol in a diesel Tahoe: what to do straight away
- Motorists frequently drive off without realising anything is amiss, as a diesel Tahoe will usually start and run on petrol and can seem normal for the first few miles. So keep the engine off.
- Leave the ignition off too. On a lot of diesels turning it on will start the fuel pump priming, which draws fuel from your tank towards the fuel injectors.
- Filling up with diesel to dilute it is a mistake, even with super unleaded, which counts as petrol as well. The fuel tank on your Tahoe takes up to 113 litres, and each litre of diesel put in is more tainted fuel for us to drain.
- If your car is blocking a pump, pop it in neutral and roll the vehicle out of the way. Forecourt attendants are usually willing to lend a hand.
- If the badge gives the exact version, for example the Tahoe Diesel, mention it when you phone 0333 366 0103. Tell us as well which Tahoe you drive and where it is parked, about how much petrol was put in and whether the motor has run.
Driven your car with wrong fuel in your Chevrolet Tahoe?
Wrong fuel in your Chevrolet Tahoe only begins to get to your motor when it's pulled out of your tank, which is exactly what starting the engine does. The high-pressure pump and the fuel injectors in a diesel engine are oiled by the fuel passing through them. Driving for any distance on that blend is what can cause damage, since petrol dilutes your diesel and strips that lubrication away.
Look for somewhere safe to pull in then turn off, when the Tahoe has already been driven. We empty your tank, then flush the pipes and fuel filter through till no contaminated fuel is left, so it can still be dealt with. Long-term damage is very uncommon when it's caught soon and given a thorough clean.
Your Chevrolet Tahoe fuel tank capacity, version by version
If you filled up while your tank was nearly empty, the same couple of litres make up more of your fuel in it, and the danger rests on that proportion, so the size of the tank matters.
Every diesel Chevrolet Tahoe we have figures for uses the same tank, which takes 113 litres, so the variant you have makes no difference to that calculation.
Working out which diesel Tahoe you drive
Most of the time the version is shown on the boot lid, and it is useful to us to know when you ring.
Got AdBlue in a diesel Chevrolet Tahoe?
To clean up their exhaust, some diesel cars rely on AdBlue, a mixture of water and urea that goes in its own tank through its own filler. The key should be kept out of your ignition if you have AdBlue in a diesel Chevrolet Tahoe through the incorrect filler, and that includes moving the car.
Because it is mainly water, AdBlue doesn't ignite and offers the fuel pump no lubrication at all. It does not mix with diesel either, so it settles to the base of the tank where your pump takes its fuel, and a tank holding up to 113 litres does nothing to dilute it as it would dilute petrol.
Even a small amount gets pulled into the fuel line. Inside your fuel system the water dries off and leaves the urea to crystallise, in your filter and injectors among other places, where it attacks the metal it touches.
If the Tahoe has an AdBlue filler, it could well lie next to your diesel filler under the same fuel flap, as it does on plenty of cars. A blue cap and a nozzle far narrower than diesel normally pick out the AdBlue filler.
The fuel drain on your Chevrolet Tahoe, in order
We do a fuel drain on your Chevrolet Tahoe where your car sits, and it doesn't need to be taken to a garage. Before we fire up the engine, the fuel system is primed and the tank refilled with fresh diesel. First comes checking what was put in and whether it's run, emptying a tank that takes up to 113 litres on the Tahoe, and flushing the pipes and fuel filter.
You are free to take your Tahoe away once we have finished, now running on fresh diesel.
AdBlue removal from a diesel Chevrolet Tahoe
AdBlue removal from a diesel Chevrolet Tahoe follows the same stages as draining petrol. We rinse deposits out of the lines as well if the Tahoe has been run, and replace the fuel filter where needed, because AdBlue settles in the base of your tank instead of blending in and can leave them there.
AdBlue removal here means taking AdBlue out of your diesel tank after it has gone in the incorrect filler. It does not mean taking out or switching off the AdBlue system on your car.
Pricing a fuel drain on the Chevrolet Tahoe
As each job is different, we have no set price to publish, and these are the chief factors that affect it:
- starting or driving the Tahoe, which makes more difference than anything else
- a tank's size next to the quantity that went in
- what went in, petrol or AdBlue
- where you are with the Tahoe, and whether it's safe to bring the van there
With those answers on the phone, we can tell you what the job is likely to involve.
Your queries on petrol in a diesel Chevrolet Tahoe
Can you tell me the fuel tank capacity of the Chevrolet Tahoe?
113 litres. Your tank is the same capacity whatever version you have.
Does filling up with diesel help with a little petrol in my Tahoe?
We wouldn't advise it. Adding diesel reduces the share of petrol without removing any of that, so the petrol is still in the system when you drive. With just a little petrol, a drain to get all of it out is normally all the Tahoe requires.
Do I have to take my Tahoe to the Chevrolet dealer?
No, we travel to it. The Tahoe is emptied and cleaned where it has stopped, by an independent business with no tie to Chevrolet or any dealer.
Am I insured for wrong fuel in my Chevrolet Tahoe?
Misfuelling cover comes with some policies and not others, so check yours. We will come out to drain it for you whether it does or not.
The diesel went into the AdBlue filler on my Tahoe. What now?
Don't put your key in your ignition in that case either. The AdBlue system will need emptying, and when the car is driven that way, it will most likely give an alert and go into limp mode. When you ring, tell us which tank your diesel was put in.
What should I do if I have already driven my Tahoe?
Pull over where it's safe and turn the engine off, then keep it off until we reach you. Spotting it this soon means permanent damage is very uncommon, plus we drain and clean your fuel system wherever you happen to be.