Petrol in a Diesel Citroen C8? Leave It Switched Off
We'd ask you to leave your engine off if you've put petrol in a diesel Citroen C8 and not started it yet, and that goes for moving it off the forecourt too. Whilst the engine remains off that petrol stays inside your tank, so draining it is normally all that it needs to put the C8 right.
Petrol in Diesel drains wrongly fuelled cars where they are, so your Citroen C8 can be left at the forecourt or wherever it ended up. Wait before trying anything on your own till you've phoned us, and we will tell you what to do.
Petrol in a diesel C8: what to do straight away
- Do not start the motor, even though a diesel C8 will normally run with petrol inside the tank. It can seem normal for a time, and that is how motorists often pull away without noticing something is wrong.
- Your ignition has to remain off too, since turning it on starts the fuel pump priming on plenty of diesels, and your pump then draws fuel from the tank.
- Thinning that petrol by topping up with diesel doesn't help. It only adds to the contaminated fuel we drain from a tank that holds up to 80 litres in your C8, and super unleaded counts as petrol here as well.
- If the vehicle is in the way of a pump, put it in neutral and push it out of the way. Forecourt attendants are generally happy to help with that.
- Phone 0333 366 0103 then tell us which C8 you have and where it has stopped, approximately how much petrol went in, and whether your motor has run. Where the precise version is shown on the badge, for example the C8 HDi 135 FAP, give us that as well.
What running the engine does with wrong fuel in your Citroen C8
Wrong fuel in your Citroen C8 only begins to affect your engine after it's pulled from your tank, which is what starting the motor does. Your high-pressure pump and the injectors on a diesel motor are oiled by your fuel passing through them. That lubrication is stripped away as soon as petrol thins the diesel, so the harm, where there is any, is down to driving on the mixture.
Look for somewhere safe to stop then turn off, when the C8 has already been driven. We drain the tank, then clean the pipes and fuel filter through until no tainted fuel is left, so it can still be sorted out. Very few vehicles that are caught soon and flushed out properly end up with lasting harm.
Each version of the C8 is the same here, the C8 HDi 170 FAP included.
Your Citroen C8 fuel tank capacity, version by version
As the danger depends on what proportion of the fuel is petrol, the size of your tank counts, and a few litres in a tank that was nearly empty are a bigger problem than the same in a fuller one.
It doesn't make a difference which variant you own, since each diesel Citroen C8 in our data uses the same tank, taking 80 litres.
| Version | Fuel tank |
|---|---|
| Citroen C8 2.0 HDi | 80 litres |
| Citroen C8 2.2 HDi | 80 litres |
| Citroen C8 HDi 110 FAP | 80 litres |
| Citroen C8 HDi 135 FAP | 80 litres |
| Citroen C8 HDi 165 FAP | 80 litres |
| Citroen C8 HDi 170 FAP | 80 litres |
What diesel variant of the C8 is yours?
The variant is usually on the badging on your boot lid, and it helps us to know it when you ring.
The diesel versions of the C8 have been sold as HDi.
The smallest engine, 2.0 litres, is on the C8 2.0 HDi, and the biggest, 2.2 litres, is in the C8 2.2 HDi.
Got AdBlue in a diesel Citroen C8?
Water and urea make up AdBlue, which certain diesel vehicles rely on to treat the exhaust. It is kept in a tank of its own, with a separate filler. If there's AdBlue in a diesel Citroen C8 as it went in the wrong filler, don't touch your key, even to move the vehicle.
Even a tank of up to 80 litres won't dilute AdBlue as it would dilute petrol. AdBlue doesn't blend with diesel, so it drops to the bottom, right where the pump draws its fuel, and being largely water it neither burns nor gives the fuel pump any lubrication.
Even a little of it is plenty to end up in your fuel line. Once the water dries out, the urea forms crystals within your fuel system, including the filter and injectors, and it corrodes the metalwork it sits against.
On a lot of motors the AdBlue filler is alongside the diesel filler under the same fuel flap, and where the C8 has one, it might well be there as well. The nozzle for AdBlue is far narrower than the diesel one, and the filler cap is typically blue.
The fuel drain on your Citroen C8, in order
There's no garage involved, because we do a fuel drain on your Citroen C8 at your vehicle itself. We start by confirming what went in and whether your motor has been run, then drain your tank, which on the C8 holds up to 80 litres. Then we flush the fuel pipes and your filter and fill up with fresh diesel, and your system is primed before we fire it up.
You are free to drive your C8 away when the job is done, now running on clean diesel.
What AdBlue removal from a diesel Citroen C8 means
AdBlue removal from a diesel Citroen C8 takes the same steps as a petrol drain. AdBlue gathers at the bottom of your tank instead of mixing in, and if the C8 has been run it may form crystals in the lines, so we flush those through as well and replace your fuel filter where needed.
On this page, AdBlue removal means taking AdBlue back out of a diesel tank it was put into through the wrong filler. Switching off or taking out the AdBlue system on a vehicle is not what it means.
The cost of a fuel drain on the Citroen C8
The work differs from one task to the next, so we don't publish a fixed price. The main factors that shape it are these:
- whether anybody has started or driven the C8, the thing that counts most
- the capacity of your tank, set against how much was put in
- what went in, petrol or AdBlue
- where you are with the C8, and whether it's safe to get our van there
We can let you know what the work will probably involve once you call and give us those details.
Your questions on petrol in a diesel Citroen C8
What's the fuel tank capacity of the Citroen C8?
80 litres on each version in our figures.
Does filling up with diesel help with a little petrol in my C8?
Topping up only cuts the proportion of petrol. None of that is taken out, so it's all still there when you drive, which is why we would not recommend it. All of that is removed with a fuel drain, which for a small quantity is usually everything the C8 requires.
Must my C8 go to the Citroen dealer?
No, we travel to it. The C8 is emptied and cleaned where it has stopped, by an independent firm with no connection to Citroen or any dealer.
Does it matter which C8 I drive?
It is useful for us to know which one you have when you ring, because we have data for 6 diesel variants of the C8.
Is wrong fuel in my Citroen C8 covered by my insurance?
We'll still come out and drain it for you, covered or not. Check your insurance all the same, since not every policy has misfuelling cover.
Diesel in the AdBlue tank of my C8: what now?
Do not put the key in your ignition then either. Limp mode and an alert are what the majority of motors give you if they're driven like that, and their AdBlue system will need draining. When you phone, let us know which tank the diesel was put in.
I've already driven my C8. What now?
Stop where it's safe and switch the engine off, then keep it off till we reach you. Where you have stopped, the system is emptied and cleaned there, and caught early like this, it very seldom leaves long-term damage.