Already Driven With Petrol in a Diesel Fiat Palio?
If you have travelled on petrol in a diesel Fiat Palio, pull over once it is safe, turn the engine off then keep it off. Caught early, it only very rarely causes lasting damage, while putting it right wherever you have stopped is still possible.
When Petrol in Diesel travels out to wherever your Fiat Palio has ended up, the petrol is cleaned from the fuel system and the tank drained. Once we go, your car is running on fresh diesel.
Spotting petrol in a diesel Palio
You may drive a couple of miles before spotting anything wrong, because petrol inside your tank frequently leaves a diesel Palio running normally at first. Whether the tank has petrol or AdBlue in it, motorists normally spot the following:
- power drops away, particularly when you ask the engine to pull
- the idle turns erratic, or it runs roughly
- the exhaust puts out more smoke than normal
- warning lights come on
- after it stalls, it may not restart
Check the receipt if any of these began after filling up, as it will show which fuel was put in.
Wrong fuel in your Fiat Palio: what travelling on it does
Driving is what draws wrong fuel in your Fiat Palio from the fuel tank and on through your fuel filter, your injection pump and your injectors. Until the motor pulls it out, it stays there. As diesel passes through your injectors and your pump it protects them, yet petrol dilutes it, which is why the Palio takes that mixture deeper into your system the more it's driven.
That is the reason to stop as soon as you can and not finish the trip. Damage, where it happens, comes from a long drive on tainted fuel, and a drain and a clean are usually all a motor needs when it is stopped early.
We come to wherever you've pulled up
The Palio doesn't need taking anywhere. The roadside and outside your house are both places we come to, and so it doesn't need starting or a tow.
A safe place, clear of the traffic, is where to wait when you're next to a busy road, with your hazard lights on.
When you ring 0333 366 0103, tell us where you are, which Palio it is and about how far you went. The version shown on the badge, like the Palio Weekend TD 70, helps as well.
A fuel drain on your Fiat Palio after driving
After it was driven, a fuel drain on your Fiat Palio involves one step more than one on the forecourt. Once your tank is drained, your lines are opened up and flushed through along with the fuel filter, which leaves no petrol anywhere from your fuel tank to the motor. The system is primed once clean diesel is in, then the engine is started to make sure it runs smoothly.
AdBlue in a diesel Fiat Palio after it has been run
Watch for smoke, rough running and warning lights if AdBlue in a diesel Fiat Palio has been driven on, because the vehicle may then cut out. AdBlue does not burn or lubricate, and it settles to the bottom of your tank where your fuel pump draws fuel, so it gets into the fuel line quickly. Its water drying out lets the urea form crystals in your fuel lines and your fuel filter.
How AdBlue removal from a diesel Fiat Palio works
The fuel lines and the filter have to be cleared of the crystals after your fuel tank is emptied, which is what AdBlue removal from a diesel Fiat Palio that has been run involves. If the fuel filter needs it, we replace it.
If your Palio has a separate AdBlue tank, that is left alone. This is about fluid in the diesel tank, not removing or switching off the AdBlue system.
Tanks and engines: Fiat Palio fuel tank capacity
Each version of the Fiat Palio in our figures comes with a diesel fuel tank of 51 litres.
On this diesel Palio, the versions carry TD badges.
Fuel drain on the Fiat Palio after driving: what it costs
The distance travelled and where it is now count most for the price of a fuel drain on the Fiat Palio after driving, as does whether it was AdBlue or petrol. Those details are what we need when you phone, and with them we can tell you what the work will need.
Petrol in a diesel Fiat Palio: common questions after a drive
Has the petrol ruined my Palio?
It is very unlikely to be. If the vehicle is stopped soon, draining and flushing your fuel system is what we do wherever you've pulled up, and harm that lasts is rare after that.
Is it all right to drive it home first?
Our advice is not to. We can empty the Palio right where it stands, so it does not need shifting, and every mile driven on contaminated fuel would carry it further through the system.
Stalled, and it will not restart: what should I do next?
Another go pulls more of the blend through on each attempt. Please leave the vehicle alone. We start it for you after draining and flushing it, putting fresh diesel in and priming your fuel system.
Wrong fuel in my Fiat Palio: does insurance cover it?
Misfuelling cover is included in some insurance policies, so look at yours once the vehicle has been sorted. Either way, we still come out.