Put Petrol in a Diesel Fiat Bravo?
Anybody who has put petrol in a diesel Fiat Bravo without starting the motor should keep it turned off, and not run it even to move it off the pump. That petrol cannot get out of your tank whilst your motor is off, so the Bravo can normally be set right with a drain.
Petrol in Diesel drains wrongly fuelled cars where they stand, and your Fiat Bravo can be left at the forecourt or wherever it ended up. Call us before you try anything on your own and we'll walk you through it.
Petrol in a diesel Bravo: what to do right away
- Leave the engine off. Any diesel Bravo will normally fire up and run with petrol in its tank, and it may seem fine for a few miles, and that is why drivers frequently drive off without realising something is wrong.
- Fuel can be pulled towards the fuel injectors before the engine has fired, as on plenty of diesel engines the ignition alone primes the fuel pump. Keep your ignition off too.
- Do not fill the rest of your tank with diesel to dilute it. Your Bravo holds up to 60 litres, and filling it up only means more contaminated fuel to drain. Super unleaded counts as petrol here too.
- A vehicle in the way of a pump can be put in neutral and rolled clear, and the forecourt attendants are normally willing to help.
- Ring 0333 366 0103 with where the Bravo has stopped and which one it is, the rough amount of petrol that was put in, and whether it has been run. When you can see the exact variant on the badge, for example the Bravo 1.9 Multijet 16V, that helps as well.
Started your vehicle with wrong fuel in your Fiat Bravo?
Whilst it remains inside the tank, wrong fuel in your Fiat Bravo does not reach your motor. That only starts once it is pulled out, which is what happens when your engine is started. As it runs through, diesel fuel keeps the high-pressure fuel pump and the fuel injectors lubricated, and your motor relies on that. With petrol diluting the diesel, that lubrication goes, and driving any distance on it is then what can cause harm.
Pull over somewhere safe then turn off if the Bravo has already been driven. We drain the tank, then flush the lines and fuel filter through until no tainted fuel is left, so it can still be sorted out. Permanent harm is very rare when it is caught soon and given a thorough clean.
It is the same whatever variant of the Bravo you drive, and that includes the Bravo 1.9 Multijet 8V.
The fuel tank capacity of the Fiat Bravo
If you fuelled up while the tank was close to empty, the same couple of litres make up more of the fuel in there, and the danger depends on that proportion, which means the capacity of the tank counts.
The variant determines your tank size on the Fiat Bravo, which goes from 50 to 60 litres.
The Bravo TD 75 S is the variant with the smallest tank in our data, and the Bravo JTD 105 GT is the one with the largest.
The Bravo 1.9 D S has a tank holding 60 litres.
| Version | Fuel tank |
|---|---|
| Fiat Bravo 1.6 Multijet 16V | 57 litres |
| Fiat Bravo 1.9 D S | 60 litres |
| Fiat Bravo 1.9 Multijet 16V | 57 litres |
| Fiat Bravo 1.9 Multijet 8V | 57 litres |
| Fiat Bravo 2.0 Multijet 16V | 57 litres |
| Fiat Bravo JTD 105 GT | 60 litres |
| Fiat Bravo TD 100 S | 50 litres |
| Fiat Bravo TD 75 S | 50 litres |
What diesel Bravo do you have?
The version is usually on the badging on the boot lid, and it helps us to know it when you phone.
On your diesel Bravo, the badging used is Multijet, TD and JTD.
The Bravo TD 100 S is badged TD, while the most common badge in our records is Multijet.
The Bravo 2.0 Multijet 16V has the largest motor, at 2.0 litres, and the Bravo 1.6 Multijet 16V the smallest, at 1.6 litres.
If there is AdBlue in a diesel Fiat Bravo
Certain diesel vehicles carry a mixture of water and urea, called AdBlue, in a tank of its own with a dedicated filler, and use it to clean up their exhaust. Putting AdBlue in the wrong filler gives you AdBlue in a diesel Fiat Bravo, so don't turn the key, not even to shift the vehicle.
Since it is mainly water, AdBlue doesn't ignite and gives the fuel pump no lubrication at all. It doesn't 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 60 litres does nothing to dilute it as it would dilute petrol.
No matter how small the volume, some of it gets drawn into the line. Deposits of urea build up in the fuel filter, your injectors and the rest of your fuel system as the water evaporates, and they corrode the metalwork they touch.
Check under the fuel flap if your Bravo has an AdBlue filler, as on plenty of cars it is right beside your diesel filler. AdBlue caps are generally blue and take a far narrower nozzle than diesel.
How a fuel drain on your Fiat Bravo works
There's no garage needed, as we carry out a fuel drain on your Fiat Bravo at your car itself. On the Bravo the tank holds up to 60 litres, so we empty all of it once we have checked what was put in and whether the engine has been run. The fuel pipes and the filter are rinsed next, then we refill with clean diesel and prime the system before firing up your engine.
By the end, your Bravo is running on fresh diesel once more and ready for you to take away.
What AdBlue removal from a diesel Fiat Bravo means
Just like emptying petrol, AdBlue removal from a diesel Fiat Bravo runs through the same steps. When the Bravo has been run, AdBlue can leave crystals inside the pipes, as it settles under the diesel instead of blending in. We clear those out as well, and change the filter where needed.
AdBlue removal on this page means getting AdBlue out of the diesel tank once it has been put in the wrong filler. It does not mean removing or switching off the AdBlue system on your car.
What decides the cost of a fuel drain on the Fiat Bravo
We do not publish a fixed price, since this work varies from one task to the next. These are the biggest things that shape it:
- whether the Bravo has been started or driven, which makes the biggest difference
- how much was put in compared with the capacity of your tank
- what was put in, petrol or AdBlue
- whether the van can safely reach the Bravo where it stands
With those details on the phone, we can tell you what the job is going to involve.
Petrol in a diesel Fiat Bravo: questions
Can you tell me the fuel tank capacity of the Fiat Bravo?
The table further up lists each variant, with tanks between 50 and 60 litres.
I just put a little petrol in my Bravo. Should I fill up with diesel?
We wouldn't advise it. Putting in diesel reduces the share of petrol without removing any of that, so that petrol is still in your system when you drive. With only a little petrol, a fuel drain to take all of it out is normally all the Bravo needs.
Does my Bravo have to go to the Fiat dealer?
You don't need to. We have no tie with Fiat or any of its dealers, being independent, and the Bravo is emptied and cleaned where you are.
Does it matter which Bravo I own?
It helps us to know which one you drive when you ring, as we have figures for 8 diesel variants of the Bravo.
Am I insured for wrong fuel in my Fiat Bravo?
Some policies include misfuelling cover and some don't, so it is worth checking yours. Either way, we come out and empty your vehicle for you.
What should I do if my Bravo got diesel in its AdBlue tank?
Leave the key out of the ignition in that case as well. The AdBlue system will need draining, and when the vehicle is driven like that, it'll most likely show a warning and drop into limp mode. Please say which tank took your diesel when you phone.
I drove my Bravo before I noticed. What do I do?
Turn the engine off once you have pulled over somewhere safe, and keep it off till we get to you. Long-term harm is very rare when it is caught early like this, plus we empty the fuel system and clean it where you've pulled over.