Have You Put Petrol in a Diesel Dodge Avenger?
When you've got petrol in a diesel Dodge Avenger and your motor has not been started, keep it turned off, including to move it away from the petrol pump. As long as your engine stays off that petrol remains inside the tank, and a fuel drain is usually all that it needs to set your Avenger right.
Petrol in Diesel drains wrongly fuelled cars on the spot, so the Dodge Avenger can remain at the forecourt or wherever it has stopped. Ring us before you attempt anything yourself and we'll walk you through it.
The first steps with petrol in a diesel Avenger
- With petrol inside the tank, a diesel Avenger will normally still start and run, and seem perfectly normal for some miles. That is how drivers frequently drive off without spotting a problem, and why your engine needs to be left off.
- The ignition has to stay off too, since turning it on starts the fuel pump priming on plenty of diesels, and your pump then draws fuel out of your tank.
- Don't fill the rest of your tank with diesel to dilute it. The Avenger takes up to 63 litres, and filling it up simply leaves more contaminated fuel to empty out. Super unleaded is petrol here too.
- A car in the way of a pump can be popped in neutral and rolled clear, and the forecourt staff are normally willing to lend a hand.
- When you phone 0333 366 0103, we need to know which Avenger you drive, where it is, how much petrol you think went in and whether your engine has been started. The exact version is useful too if it is on the badging, for instance the Avenger 2.0 CRD.
What starting your engine does with wrong fuel in your Dodge Avenger
Turning on your engine is what pulls the wrong fuel in your Dodge Avenger out of the tank, and only then does it start to reach the motor. In a diesel motor, your fuel lubricates your injectors and the injection pump on its way past. Driving for any distance on the mixture is what can do damage, as petrol thins the diesel and takes that protection away.
If you have driven your Avenger on it, the thing to do is pull over somewhere safe and switch the motor off. We can still put it right, by emptying your tank and flushing the lines and your filter till all the tainted fuel is out. Long-term damage is very uncommon if it is caught soon and given a thorough clean.
Dodge Avenger fuel tank capacity
The capacity of the tank matters as the danger depends on how much of your fuel in there is petrol, so the same few litres are a bigger problem if the tank was nearly empty when you fuelled up.
Every diesel Dodge Avenger we have data for has the same tank, which holds 63 litres, so the variant you own doesn't alter that calculation.
Working out which diesel Avenger you have
Most of the time the variant is badged on your boot lid, and it's useful for us to know when you phone.
There is a single motor size throughout our list, 2.0 litres.
When there's AdBlue in a diesel Dodge Avenger
Certain diesel vehicles hold a mix of water and urea, called AdBlue, in a tank of its own with a separate filler, and use it to treat their exhaust. If you've got AdBlue in a diesel Dodge Avenger since it went into the incorrect filler, do not turn the key, even to move the vehicle.
Even a tank holding up to 63 litres won't dilute AdBlue the way it would dilute petrol. AdBlue does not blend with diesel, so it drops to the bottom, right where your pump draws its fuel, and being mainly water it neither burns nor gives the fuel pump any protection.
Even a small quantity is sucked into your fuel line. Deposits of urea form in your filter, the fuel injectors and the remainder of the system once the water evaporates, and they attack the metalwork they touch.
The same filler flap frequently hides both fillers, and where the Avenger has an AdBlue filler, it may well be alongside the diesel one. A blue cap and a nozzle much smaller than diesel typically mark the AdBlue filler.
How a fuel drain on your Dodge Avenger is done
There's no garage needed, as we do a fuel drain on your Dodge Avenger at your car itself. On the Avenger your tank holds up to 63 litres, so we empty all of that once we have checked what was put in and whether the engine has run. The fuel pipes and your filter are flushed after that, then we fill up with clean diesel and prime the system before starting your motor.
Fresh diesel is what the Avenger runs on by the time the job is done, and you can drive it away.
Handling AdBlue removal from a diesel Dodge Avenger
AdBlue removal from a diesel Dodge Avenger takes the same steps as a petrol drain. We clear crystals out of the lines as well if the Avenger has been run, and replace the fuel filter if needed, as AdBlue gathers in the bottom of the tank rather than blending in and can leave them behind.
What we call AdBlue removal is draining AdBlue from your diesel tank after a mistake at your filler, not taking out or switching off the AdBlue system on a vehicle.
What sets the cost of a fuel drain on the Dodge Avenger
We don't publish a fixed price, because the work changes from one job to the next. These are the biggest things that change it:
- whether the Avenger has been started or driven, which makes the largest difference
- a tank's size next to the quantity that went in
- what was put in, petrol or AdBlue
- the position of the Avenger and how safely we can reach it with our van
If you call with those answers we can explain what the work is likely to involve.
Queries about petrol in a diesel Dodge Avenger
How many litres is the Dodge Avenger fuel tank capacity?
It holds 63 litres, and our figures show the same tank on each version.
Does filling up with diesel help with a little petrol in my Avenger?
We'd recommend against it. The petrol stays in the fuel system when you drive, as putting in diesel just reduces its proportion and removes none of that. With just a little petrol, a drain to get all of that out is normally all your Avenger needs.
Is a trip to the Dodge dealer necessary for my Avenger?
No. We are an independent business with no link with Dodge or its dealers, and we empty and clean the Avenger wherever it has stopped, so there's no need to move it anywhere.
Am I insured for wrong fuel in my Dodge Avenger?
We will still come out to empty it for you, either way. Look at your policy all the same, since not every policy has misfuelling cover.
What happens if I put diesel in the AdBlue tank of my Avenger?
In that case, as well, leave the key out of the ignition. The AdBlue system will need draining, and when the car is driven that way, it will most likely show a warning and go into limp mode. When you phone, tell us which tank your fuel was put in.
Already driven my Avenger: what now?
Until we reach you, your motor needs to stay off, so pull over where it's safe and switch it off. We empty and clean your fuel system where you have pulled over, and if it is caught early like this, long-term damage is very unusual.