Put Petrol in a Diesel Citroen C1?
Anybody who has put petrol in a diesel Citroen C1 without running the motor should leave it turned off, and not run it even to move it away from the pump. Whilst your engine stays off that petrol sits in the tank, so a fuel drain is generally all it takes to put the C1 right.
We come to misfuelled cars rather than the other way round, so with Petrol in Diesel the Citroen C1 remains at the forecourt or wherever it has stopped. Phone us before anything else and let us take you through it, rather than trying anything on your own.
Got petrol in a diesel C1? First steps
- Motorists often drive away without realising anything is amiss, since a diesel C1 will usually fire up and run on petrol and can seem normal for the first couple of miles. So keep the motor off.
- Switching the ignition on is all it takes, on plenty of diesels, to start the fuel pump priming and pull fuel from the tank towards your injectors, so leave that off as well.
- Your C1 takes up to 35 litres, so filling the remainder of your tank with diesel to dilute that petrol just means more tainted fuel to empty out. The same goes for super unleaded, which counts as petrol too.
- Forecourt staff will usually help roll your car out of the way in neutral when it is in the way of a pump.
- Phone 0333 366 0103 and let us know which C1 you drive and where it has stopped, roughly how much petrol went in, and whether your motor has been run. Where the exact variant is on the badge, say the C1 HDi 55, give us that as well.
Running on wrong fuel in your Citroen C1
Turning on the engine is what pulls the wrong fuel in your Citroen C1 out of your tank, and only then does it begin to affect the engine. In a diesel motor, the fuel oils your injectors and the injection pump on its way past. That protection is taken away when petrol thins your diesel, so the damage, where there is any, comes from driving on that mix.
If you have already driven your C1, stop where it is safe and turn off. We drain the tank, then rinse the pipes and fuel filter through till no tainted fuel is left, so it can still be dealt with. If it's caught early and flushed out thoroughly, lasting damage is very unusual.
The Citroen C1 fuel tank capacity, version by version
The size of your tank matters since the risk hinges on what proportion of your fuel in there is petrol, so the same couple of litres are more of a problem if the tank was almost empty when you filled up.
It doesn't matter which version you have, since every diesel Citroen C1 in our figures has the same tank, holding 35 litres.
What diesel variant of the C1 is yours?
More often than not the variant is shown on the boot lid, and it's helpful to us to know when you call.
Diesel versions of the C1 were badged HDi.
AdBlue in a diesel Citroen C1
AdBlue is a blend of water and urea that certain diesel cars use to clean up their exhaust, and it has its own tank and filler. Even to move your car, do not turn the key if you've got AdBlue in a diesel Citroen C1 after it went in the wrong filler.
Even a tank of up to 35 litres won't dilute AdBlue as it would dilute petrol. AdBlue doesn't mix with diesel, so it drops to the bottom, right where the pump takes its fuel, and being mainly water it neither burns nor gives the fuel pump any protection.
No matter how small the volume, some of it is sucked into the line. When the water has dried off, what's left is urea, which crystallises in your fuel system, filter and injectors included, and attacks any metal it rests against.
The same flap frequently hides both fillers, and where the C1 has an AdBlue filler, it may well be beside the diesel one. The nozzle for AdBlue is far narrower than the diesel one, and the cap is normally blue.
How a fuel drain on your Citroen C1 is done
Taking your car to a garage is not needed, as a fuel drain on your Citroen C1 is done right at the vehicle. On the C1 your tank takes up to 35 litres, so we empty all of it once we have checked what went in and whether your engine has been run. Your fuel lines and the fuel filter are rinsed next, then we fill up with fresh diesel and prime the fuel system before firing up the motor.
You can drive your C1 away when the job is done, running on clean diesel.
AdBlue removal from a diesel Citroen C1, explained
We follow the same steps for AdBlue removal from a diesel Citroen C1 as we do for emptying petrol. AdBlue settles at the bottom of the tank instead of blending in, and if the C1 has been started it can leave crystals in the pipes, so we flush those out as well and replace the fuel filter if it needs doing.
What we call AdBlue removal is draining AdBlue from your diesel tank after a mistake at the filler, not taking out or disabling the AdBlue system on a car.
Pricing a fuel drain on the Citroen C1
The work differs from one task to the next, so we don't publish a fixed price. The biggest things that affect it are these:
- whether anybody has started or driven the C1, the thing that matters most
- the quantity put in, weighed against the capacity of your tank
- whether it was AdBlue instead of petrol
- where the C1 is, and whether we can get the van to it safely
We can let you know what the work will probably need when you call and give us those details.
Petrol in a diesel Citroen C1: questions
What's the fuel tank capacity of the Citroen C1?
35 litres on every version in our data.
Does topping up with diesel help with a little petrol in my C1?
We wouldn't recommend it. Putting in diesel lowers the share of petrol without removing any of it, so the petrol is still in the system when you drive off. All of that comes out with a fuel drain, which for a small amount is generally everything the C1 requires.
Should my C1 go to the Citroen dealer?
No. We are an independent business with no connection with Citroen or its dealers, and we drain and clean your C1 wherever it is parked, so there is no need to take it anywhere.
Does my insurance policy cover wrong fuel in my Citroen C1?
Misfuelling cover is part of 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 C1 got diesel in its AdBlue tank?
In that case, as well, keep the key out of your ignition. Limp mode and a warning are what most cars show you if they are driven in that state, and their AdBlue system will need emptying. Please say which tank took the diesel when you phone.
Already driven my C1: what do I do?
Stop where it's safe and switch the engine off, then leave it off until we reach you. Permanent damage is very unusual when it's caught early like this, and we empty the system and clean it where you've pulled over.