Already Driven With Petrol in a Diesel Citroen C-Crosser?
Once it is safe, pull over then switch the motor off, and keep it off. Driving on with petrol in a diesel Citroen C-Crosser just carries the petrol further in. Where you've pulled up, we can still sort it out, and harm that lasts is very rare when it is spotted early.
Your Citroen C-Crosser can stay wherever it has stopped, as Petrol in Diesel comes out to it, drains its tank on the spot and cleans its fuel system of petrol. By the time we head off, the vehicle is running on clean diesel.
When petrol in a diesel C-Crosser shows itself
To begin with, petrol in the tank often changes very little to how a diesel C-Crosser feels, so the signs appear a few miles later. With petrol or AdBlue inside your tank, these are the signs motorists usually spot:
- a loss of power, especially whenever the motor is asked to accelerate
- rough running, or an uneven idle
- more smoke than usual appears from the exhaust
- the dash displays warning lamps
- after it stalls, it might not restart
If one of these began after you fuelled up, check your receipt to find out what went in.
Wrong fuel in your Citroen C-Crosser: what driving on it does
Driving is what draws wrong fuel in your Citroen C-Crosser from your fuel tank then on through the fuel filter, your high-pressure fuel pump and the injectors. Till the motor pulls it out, it sits there. As diesel passes through the fuel injectors and your pump it protects them, yet petrol thins it, which is why the C-Crosser takes that blend further into your system the further it's driven.
That's why it is wiser to stop as soon as you can than to finish the trip. Driving a long way on tainted fuel is what can do harm, and if a vehicle is stopped soon, draining and cleaning are generally all it requires.
Staying where you have stopped
You don't have to move the C-Crosser anywhere. No recovery truck needs to be arranged and there's no need to restart it, as we come to it at the side of the road or outside your house.
On a busy road, turn on the hazards, then find somewhere safe to wait away from the traffic.
Roughly how far you travelled, which C-Crosser it is and where you have pulled up are what to tell us when you phone 0333 366 0103. The version shown on the badge, such as the C-Crosser HDi 155 FAP, helps too.
Fuel drain on your Citroen C-Crosser once you have driven on it
There is one step more to a fuel drain on your Citroen C-Crosser after it has been driven than to a drain at the forecourt. No petrol is left between the tank and the engine afterwards, which is why your fuel tank is drained first and your fuel lines are then opened up and flushed through with your fuel filter. Before we go, the engine is started to check it is running smoothly on fresh diesel, after your system has been primed.
AdBlue in a diesel Citroen C-Crosser that has been driven
Travelling with AdBlue in a diesel Citroen C-Crosser normally shows up as warning lights, smoke and rough running, and your car might go on to stall. AdBlue doesn't burn or lubricate, and it drops to the base of your tank where the pump picks up fuel, and so it gets into your fuel line quickly. Crystals build up in the fuel lines and your fuel filter as its water evaporates.
AdBlue removal from a diesel Citroen C-Crosser
AdBlue removal from a diesel Citroen C-Crosser that has been run means emptying your fuel tank and then clearing the crystals from your fuel lines and your fuel filter, and we'll change the fuel filter if it needs it.
If your C-Crosser has a dedicated AdBlue tank, that's left as it is. This is about liquid in your diesel tank, not removing or disabling the AdBlue system.
The Citroen C-Crosser fuel tank capacity and the engines
Each version of the Citroen C-Crosser in our figures comes with a diesel tank of 60 litres.
You will see HDi badging on diesel C-Crosser versions.
Costing a fuel drain on the Citroen C-Crosser after a drive
The mileage driven and where it is now matter most for the cost of a fuel drain on the Citroen C-Crosser after driving, as does whether it was AdBlue or petrol. Those details are what we need when you ring, and with them we can explain what the job will need.
Driven on petrol in a diesel Citroen C-Crosser: your queries
Is the C-Crosser done for now?
It is very unlikely to be. If your car is stopped soon, draining and flushing the fuel system is what we do where you've stopped, and damage that lasts is uncommon after that.
Can I drive the car home first?
Our advice would be not to. We can drain the C-Crosser just where it stands, so it does not need moving, and each mile driven on tainted fuel would carry it further through the fuel system.
Stalled, and it will not restart: what should I do next?
Please leave it rather than having another go, because each try draws more of that blend through. Once we have drained and rinsed it and then put clean diesel in, we prime your fuel system and start it for you.
Is wrong fuel in my Citroen C-Crosser covered by insurance?
Some policies offer misfuelling cover, and so it is worth looking at yours once the vehicle is sorted out. We still come out either way.