Have You Put Petrol in a Diesel Citroen ZX?
If you have got petrol in a diesel Citroen ZX and the engine hasn't been turned on, leave it turned off, even to move it away from the petrol pump. With your engine left off, that petrol remains where it is inside the tank, and in the majority of cases a drain is all your ZX requires.
Your Citroen ZX can stay put wherever it ended up, forecourt or not, as Petrol in Diesel drains wrongly fuelled vehicles on the spot. We'll go through it with you on the phone, so call us before trying anything yourself.
Your first steps with petrol in a diesel ZX
- Keep your motor off. Any diesel ZX will usually fire up and run with petrol in its tank, and it can seem fine for a couple of miles, which is why people frequently drive off without realising something is wrong.
- Keep your ignition off too. On plenty of diesels turning it on is enough to start the fuel pump priming, which draws fuel from the tank to the fuel injectors.
- The ZX holds up to 56 litres, so topping up the rest of the tank with diesel to dilute that petrol only means more tainted fuel to drain. The same goes for super unleaded, which is petrol as well.
- A car in the way of a pump can be popped in neutral and pushed out of the way, and the forecourt attendants are usually happy to help.
- If the badge gives the exact version, for example the ZX Estate 1.9 D Avantage, mention it once you ring 0333 366 0103. Tell us too which ZX you have and where it is, roughly how much petrol was put in and whether the engine has been run.
Started the car with wrong fuel in your Citroen ZX?
Wrong fuel in your Citroen ZX only starts to get to the motor when it's drawn from your tank, which is exactly what starting your motor does. Inside a diesel engine, your fuel oils the fuel injectors and the injection pump on its way past. That lubrication is washed away once petrol dilutes your diesel, so the harm, where there is any, comes from driving on the mix.
Where you've already been driving your ZX, stop somewhere safe and turn off. Even so, we can take all of the contaminated fuel out, by draining your tank and then rinsing the fuel lines and your filter. Permanent damage is very uncommon if it is caught soon and given a thorough clean.
It is the same whatever version of the ZX you drive, including the ZX Estate 1.9 TD Avantage.
Citroen ZX fuel tank capacity
What counts is what proportion of your fuel in your tank is petrol. The same couple of litres count for more when you filled up with your tank nearly empty, which is why its size makes a difference.
Tank sizes on the Citroen ZX range from 52 to 56 litres depending on the version.
The ZX 1.9 D Reflex is the variant with the smallest tank in our figures, and the ZX 1.9 TD Aura is the one with the largest.
| Version | Fuel tank |
|---|---|
| Citroen ZX 1.9 D Reflex | 52 litres |
| Citroen ZX 1.9 TD Aura | 56 litres |
| Citroen ZX Estate 1.9 D Avantage | 56 litres |
| Citroen ZX Estate 1.9 TD Avantage | 56 litres |
Finding your diesel ZX variant
Check the badging on the boot lid, which usually shows the version, then tell us what it says when you call.
On the diesel ZX, the badging found is TD.
All of the variants in our records use 1.9-litre motors.
There are Estate versions on the list too.
AdBlue in a diesel Citroen ZX by accident
To treat their exhaust, certain diesel cars use AdBlue, a blend of water and urea that goes in its own tank through its own filler. If there's AdBlue in a diesel Citroen ZX because it went in the incorrect filler, do not touch the key, even to move your vehicle.
Since it is mostly water, AdBlue doesn't ignite and gives the fuel pump no lubrication whatsoever. It does not blend with diesel either, so it settles to the base of your tank where the pump takes its fuel, and a tank holding up to 56 litres won't dilute it the way it would dilute petrol.
No matter how small the volume, some of it gets pulled into the line. Crystals of urea form in the filter, your injectors and the remainder of the fuel system once the water evaporates, and they attack the metal they sit against.
The same fuel flap frequently covers both fillers, and where the ZX has an AdBlue filler, it may well be alongside the diesel one. The nozzle for AdBlue is far narrower than the diesel one, and the cap is generally blue.
Fuel drain on your Citroen ZX: what we do
We do a fuel drain on your Citroen ZX where the car is, and it never has to go to a garage. First we confirm what was put in and whether the motor has been run. The tank, which holds up to 56 litres on the ZX, is then emptied, the lines and filter are flushed, and your car is refilled with clean diesel and primed before we start it.
You are free to take your ZX away when we have finished, running on clean diesel.
AdBlue removal from a diesel Citroen ZX, explained
Like draining petrol, AdBlue removal from a diesel Citroen ZX runs through the same stages. As AdBlue doesn't mix in but collects at the base of the tank, running the ZX on it can form deposits in the pipes. Those get flushed through too, and your fuel filter is swapped if it needs it.
Here, AdBlue removal means taking AdBlue back out of a diesel tank it was put into through the incorrect filler. Switching off or removing the AdBlue system on a vehicle is not what it means.
The cost of a fuel drain on the Citroen ZX
We don't publish a fixed price, because the work changes from one job to the next. These are the chief factors that change it:
- starting or driving the ZX, which makes more difference than anything else
- a tank's capacity next to the quantity that went in
- which of the two it was, petrol or AdBlue
- where the ZX has stopped, and whether we can bring our van to it in safety
Once you ring with those details we can explain what the work is likely to involve.
Your questions on petrol in a diesel Citroen ZX
The Citroen ZX fuel tank capacity: how many litres?
Between 52 and 56 litres according to the version, and the table above gives every one.
I just put a little petrol in my ZX. Should I top up with diesel?
We wouldn't recommend it. Adding diesel reduces the proportion of petrol without taking out any of it, so the petrol is still in the fuel system when you drive off. With just a little petrol, a drain to take all of that out is normally all your ZX requires.
Should my ZX go to the Citroen dealer?
No, we travel to it. The ZX is drained and cleaned where it is, by an independent firm with no link to Citroen or any dealer.
Does the variant of my ZX matter?
Knowing your variant is useful when you phone, because there are 4 diesel variants of the ZX in our data.
Is wrong fuel in my Citroen ZX covered by my insurance?
Some policies carry misfuelling cover and some do not, so it's worth checking yours. Whichever it is, we come out and drain your car for you.
Diesel in the AdBlue tank of my ZX: what happens?
In this case, too, the sensible thing is to leave the ignition alone. The AdBlue system will need emptying, and if the vehicle is driven that way, it will most likely give an alert and go into limp mode. When you call, tell us which tank your diesel was put in.
What should I do if I have already driven my ZX?
Until we get to you, your motor needs to stay off, so pull over where it's safe then switch it off. Spotting it this soon means lasting harm is very unusual, and we empty and clean the fuel system wherever you are.