Petrol in a Diesel Ford Escort? Leave It Switched Off
Anyone who has put petrol in a diesel Ford Escort without starting the engine should leave it switched off, and not run it even to move it off the petrol pump. With your motor left off, the petrol stays put inside the tank, and in most cases a drain is all your Escort needs.
We come to wrongly fuelled cars rather than the other way round, so with Petrol in Diesel the Ford Escort stays on the forecourt or wherever it ended up. Wait before trying anything on your own until you've rung us, and we'll tell you what to do.
Got petrol in a diesel Escort? First steps
- With petrol in the tank, a diesel Escort will normally still start and run, and feel completely normal for several miles. That is why people often drive off without spotting a problem, and why the motor needs to be left off.
- Turning the ignition on is all it takes, on many diesels, to set the fuel pump priming and pull fuel from your tank to the fuel injectors, so leave that off too.
- Diluting that petrol by topping up with diesel does not help. It just adds to the tainted fuel to be drained from a tank that holds up to 55 litres in the Escort, and super unleaded is petrol here too.
- Forecourt staff will normally help push the car clear in neutral when it is blocking a pump.
- Call 0333 366 0103 with where your Escort has stopped and which one it is, the approximate volume of petrol that went in, and whether it has been run. If you can see the precise variant on the badge, for instance the Escort 1.8 D Turnier, that helps as well.
Running on wrong fuel in your Ford Escort
Wrong fuel in your Ford Escort only begins to reach your engine once it's drawn out of your tank, which is what starting your motor does. Whilst it runs through, diesel fuel keeps the high-pressure fuel pump and the injectors oiled, and the engine depends on that. Petrol dilutes your diesel and takes that protection away, which is why it's driving for any distance on the blend that can cause harm.
Pull over in a safe place and turn off if the Escort has already been on the road. We drain your tank, then flush the pipes and fuel filter through until no tainted fuel is left, so it can still be dealt with. When it's caught soon and flushed out properly, lasting damage is very unusual.
The Escort 1.8 D is no different here from any other variant of the Escort.
Your Ford Escort fuel tank capacity, by version
The capacity of your tank counts because the risk rests on what share of your fuel in there is petrol, so the same few litres are more of a problem if your tank was close to empty when you fuelled up.
The fuel tank takes 55 litres on each diesel Ford Escort we have figures for, so that calculation is the same whatever variant you drive.
| Version | Fuel tank |
|---|---|
| Ford Escort 1.8 D | 55 litres |
| Ford Escort 1.8 D CL | 55 litres |
| Ford Escort 1.8 D CL Turnier | 55 litres |
| Ford Escort 1.8 D Turnier | 55 litres |
| Ford Escort 1.8 TD | 55 litres |
| Ford Escort 1.8 TD Cabrio | 55 litres |
| Ford Escort 1.8 TD Classic | 55 litres |
| Ford Escort 1.8 TD CLX | 55 litres |
| Ford Escort 1.8 TD CLX Turnier | 55 litres |
| Ford Escort 1.8 TD Turnier | 55 litres |
| Ford Escort 1.8 TD Turnier Classic | 55 litres |
Checking your diesel Escort variant
Look for the badge on your boot lid, which normally gives the variant, and let us know what it says when you phone.
On the diesel Escort, the badging used is TD.
All of the variants on our list have 1.8-litre motors.
AdBlue in a diesel Ford Escort by mistake
Water and urea go into AdBlue, which some diesel cars rely on to clean up their exhaust. It's kept in a tank of its own, with its own filler. If you have AdBlue in a diesel Ford Escort as it went in the incorrect filler, don't touch your key, even to move your car.
As it is largely water, AdBlue does not burn and offers the fuel pump no protection at all. It doesn't blend with diesel either, so it drops to the bottom of your tank where the pump draws its fuel, and a tank of up to 55 litres does nothing to dilute it as it would dilute petrol.
Even a little of that is enough to end up in the fuel line. Deposits of urea form in the fuel filter, the injectors and the remainder of your fuel system as the water dries off, and they attack the metal they sit against.
Check under the fuel flap if the Escort has an AdBlue filler, because on a lot of motors it sits right beside the diesel filler. AdBlue caps are generally blue and accept a much smaller nozzle than diesel.
How a fuel drain on your Ford Escort works
Every fuel drain on your Ford Escort is done at the vehicle, so it never has to go to a garage. To begin with we check what went in and whether your engine has run. Your tank, which takes up to 55 litres on the Escort, is then emptied, the lines and filter are cleaned, and your car is refilled with fresh diesel and primed before we start the vehicle.
By the time we leave, your Escort is running on fresh diesel again and all set for you to drive away.
AdBlue removal from a diesel Ford Escort, explained
We follow the same steps for AdBlue removal from a diesel Ford Escort as we do for clearing petrol. As AdBlue doesn't blend in but collects at the base of your tank, running the Escort on it may form crystals in the lines. Those get rinsed through too, and the fuel filter is swapped if it needs it.
What we call AdBlue removal is draining AdBlue from your diesel tank after a mistake at your filler, not taking out or disabling the AdBlue system on a car.
What does a fuel drain on the Ford Escort cost?
We do not publish a fixed quote, since this work changes from one task to the next. These are the biggest factors that shape it:
- starting or driving the Escort, which makes more difference than anything else
- the capacity of the tank, set against how much went in
- which of the two it was, petrol or AdBlue
- the position of the Escort and how easily we can reach it with our van
Once you phone with those answers we can let you know what the job is likely to involve.
Your queries on petrol in a diesel Ford Escort
Can you tell me the fuel tank capacity of the Ford Escort?
It takes 55 litres, and our data show the same tank on each variant.
I only put a little petrol in my Escort. Should I fill up with diesel?
It isn't something we would advise, because putting in diesel does nothing to remove that petrol. It only reduces its share, and that petrol is still in the fuel system once you drive off. Your Escort normally needs no more than a fuel drain if just a modest quantity was put in, and that gets the petrol out completely.
Does my Escort have to be taken to the Ford dealer?
You don't need to. We have no link with Ford or any of its dealers, being independent, and your Escort is emptied and cleaned wherever you are.
Does the variant of my Escort make a difference?
Yes, it does. Our figures cover 11 diesel versions of the Escort, so let us know which one you drive when you ring.
Am I insured for wrong fuel in my Ford Escort?
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.
What if I pour diesel in the AdBlue tank of my Escort?
Leave the key out of your ignition in that case too. If it's driven that way, a car will usually show an alert and enter limp mode. The AdBlue system needs draining too. Let us know which tank your fuel was put in when you phone.
Already driven my Escort: what now?
Find a safe spot to pull over, then switch the engine off and keep it that way till we get there. Long-term harm is very uncommon if it's caught soon like this, plus we empty the system and clean it where you have pulled over.