Put Petrol in a Diesel Citroen Saxo by Mistake?
The engine is best left off when it hasn't been run since you put petrol in a diesel Citroen Saxo, and that includes shifting it clear of the petrol pump. While the motor remains off the petrol sits in your tank, and draining it is normally all it needs to put the Saxo right.
We go to wrongly fuelled cars instead of the other way round, so with Petrol in Diesel your Citroen Saxo remains at the forecourt or wherever it has stopped. Ring us before you attempt anything yourself and we will walk you through it.
What to do first for petrol in a diesel Saxo
- Don't turn on your motor, even though a diesel Saxo will generally run with petrol in the tank. It may seem fine for a time, and that's how people commonly pull away without realising anything is wrong.
- Leave the ignition off as well. On plenty of diesels turning it on will set the fuel pump priming, which draws fuel from your tank towards the fuel injectors.
- Do not fill the rest of the tank with diesel to dilute it. The Saxo holds up to 45 litres, and filling it up just means more contaminated fuel to drain. Super unleaded counts as petrol here as well.
- Ask the forecourt staff when the vehicle is blocking a pump. They generally help roll it out of the way after it is in neutral.
- Once you ring 0333 366 0103, we want to know which Saxo you have, where it is, how much petrol you reckon went in and whether the engine has been started. The precise version helps too when it's on the badge, for example the Saxo 1.5D.
What running your motor does with wrong fuel in your Citroen Saxo
Wrong fuel in your Citroen Saxo only starts to get to your motor once it is drawn from your tank, which is what starting your motor does. Inside a diesel motor, the fuel lubricates the injectors and the injection pump on its way past. Driving any distance on that blend is what can cause harm, since petrol thins your diesel and takes that lubrication away.
Where you have already been driving the Saxo, stop somewhere safe then switch off. It can still be sorted out, with the tank drained and the lines and filter cleaned till every trace of the contaminated fuel has gone. Very few vehicles that are caught soon and flushed out thoroughly end up with permanent harm.
Every version of the Saxo is the same here, the Saxo 1.5D X among them.
Checking the Citroen Saxo fuel tank capacity
If you fuelled up when your tank was nearly empty, the same couple of litres make up more of the fuel in it, and the danger depends on that share, which means the size of the tank matters.
Every diesel Citroen Saxo we hold figures for uses the same tank, which takes 45 litres, so the variant you drive makes no difference to that calculation.
| Version | Fuel tank |
|---|---|
| Citroen Saxo 1.5D | 45 litres |
| Citroen Saxo 1.5D X | 45 litres |
What diesel version of the Saxo is yours?
The variant is generally on a badge on the boot lid, and it helps us to know it when you ring.
AdBlue in a diesel Citroen Saxo
Certain diesel cars hold a mix of water and urea, called AdBlue, in a tank of its own with a dedicated filler, and rely on it to clean up their exhaust. The key needs to stay out of your ignition when you have AdBlue in a diesel Citroen Saxo through the incorrect filler, and that covers shifting your vehicle.
As it's mostly water, AdBlue doesn't ignite and gives the fuel pump no protection at all. It does not blend with diesel either, so it drops to the bottom of the tank where the pump picks up its fuel, and a tank of up to 45 litres won't dilute it as it would dilute petrol.
Even a little of that is plenty to end up in the fuel line. When the water has dried off, what's left is urea, which crystallises inside the system, filter and injectors among them, and corrodes any metal it rests against.
Check under the fuel flap if the Saxo has an AdBlue filler, since on a lot of motors it sits right next to the diesel filler. AdBlue caps are usually blue and fit a far smaller nozzle than diesel.
Fuel drain on your Citroen Saxo: what we do
We carry out a fuel drain on your Citroen Saxo where your vehicle stands, and it doesn't need to go to a garage. On the Saxo your tank holds up to 45 litres, and we drain all of it after we have found out what was put in and whether your engine has been run. The fuel lines and the filter are flushed after that, then we refill with fresh diesel and prime the system before firing up the engine.
Once we've finished, your Saxo runs on fresh diesel and you can drive it away.
AdBlue removal from a diesel Citroen Saxo
Like clearing petrol, AdBlue removal from a diesel Citroen Saxo goes through the same steps. If the Saxo has been run, AdBlue may form crystals in the pipes, since it gathers under your diesel instead of mixing in. We flush those out as well, and swap the filter if it needs it.
What we call AdBlue removal is emptying AdBlue from the diesel tank after a mistake at your filler, not taking out or switching off the AdBlue system on a vehicle.
How much does a fuel drain on the Citroen Saxo cost?
As every task is different, we have no fixed price to publish, and these are the biggest things that affect it:
- whether anybody has started or driven the Saxo, the thing that counts most
- how much went in relative to the capacity of the tank
- whether it was AdBlue and not petrol
- where you are with the Saxo, and whether it is safe to bring our van there
With those details on the phone, we can tell you what the work is likely to involve.
Petrol in a diesel Citroen Saxo: questions
Can you tell me the fuel tank capacity of the Citroen Saxo?
It takes 45 litres, and our data show the same tank on every variant.
Does filling up with diesel help with a little petrol in my Saxo?
Topping up only reduces the share of petrol. None of it is taken out, so it is all still there when you drive off, which is why we would not recommend it. All of it is removed with a fuel drain, which for a small amount is generally everything your Saxo requires.
Is a trip to the Citroen dealer necessary for my Saxo?
No, we come to it. Your Saxo is emptied and cleaned wherever it is parked, by an independent business with no tie to Citroen or any dealer.
Does it matter which Saxo I drive?
It is useful for us to know which one you have when you call, since we hold figures for 2 diesel versions of the Saxo.
Am I insured for wrong fuel in my Citroen Saxo?
It is worth looking at your policy, as misfuelling cover is included in some and not others. Whatever it says, we come out to drain the car.
The diesel went into the AdBlue filler on my Saxo. What now?
Here, too, the sensible thing is to leave your ignition alone. The AdBlue system will need emptying, and when your car is driven like that, it will most likely give an alert and go into limp mode. Which tank the diesel was put in is worth mentioning when you ring.
What should I do if I've already driven my Saxo?
Till we get to you, your motor needs to remain off, so stop where it's safe then switch it off. We drain and clean the fuel system wherever you have pulled over, and if it's caught early like this, permanent harm is very unusual.