Have You Put Petrol in a Diesel Honda Civic?
Anybody who has put petrol in a diesel Honda Civic without running the engine should keep it turned off, and not run it even to move it away from the pump. That petrol cannot leave the tank while your motor is off, so the Civic can usually be put right with a drain.
We go to wrongly fuelled cars instead of the other way round, so with Petrol in Diesel the Honda Civic stays on the forecourt or wherever it ended up. Phone us before you attempt anything yourself and we will take you through it.
Your first steps after petrol in a diesel Civic
- With petrol inside your tank, a diesel Civic will generally still start and run, and feel perfectly normal for several miles. That is how motorists frequently drive off without spotting a problem, and why your motor needs to be left off.
- Fuel can be pulled to the injectors even before the engine has fired, as on plenty of diesel engines your ignition on its own primes the fuel pump. Keep your ignition off as well.
- Diluting that petrol by topping up with diesel does not help. It just adds to the tainted fuel we drain from a tank that holds up to 50 litres in the Civic, and super unleaded is petrol here as well.
- When your vehicle is blocking a pump, pop it in neutral then roll the car out of the way. Forecourt staff are generally willing to lend a hand.
- When you phone 0333 366 0103, we need to know which Civic you have, where it is, how much petrol you reckon was put in and whether the engine has been started. The exact variant helps as well when it's on the badging, for instance the Civic 2.2i-CDTi.
What starting the motor does with wrong fuel in your Honda Civic
The engine is not touched by wrong fuel in your Honda Civic till it's drawn out of the tank, and starting the engine is what draws it out. While it flows through, diesel fuel leaves your high-pressure pump and your injectors oiled, and your motor depends on that. Petrol thins the diesel and washes that protection away, which is why it is driving for any distance on that mix that can do harm.
If you have already been driving your Civic, pull over in a safe place then switch off. We drain the tank, then flush the lines and filter through until no tainted fuel is left, so it can still be put right. If it's caught soon and cleaned out thoroughly, lasting harm is very uncommon.
It is the same whichever version of the Civic you have, and that includes the Civic 2.2i-CDTi Type S.
Knowing the Honda Civic fuel tank capacity
As the risk rests on how much of the fuel is petrol, the capacity of the tank matters, and a couple of litres in a tank that was almost empty are more of a problem than the same in a fuller one.
It doesn't matter which variant you own, because every diesel Honda Civic in our figures has the same tank, holding 50 litres.
| Version | Fuel tank |
|---|---|
| Honda Civic 1.7 CDTi | 50 litres |
| Honda Civic 2.2i-CDTi | 50 litres |
| Honda Civic 2.2i-CDTi Type S | 50 litres |
| Honda Civic Tourer 1.6 i-DTEC | 50 litres |
What diesel Civic do you drive?
More often than not the version is shown on your boot lid, and it's useful for us to know when you ring.
On the diesel Civic, the badging found is CDTI.
At 1.6 litres, the Civic Tourer 1.6 i-DTEC has the smallest engine, while the Civic 1.7 CDTi runs up to 1.7 litres.
Our list covers Tourer versions as well.
AdBlue in a diesel Honda Civic
AdBlue is a blend of water and urea that certain diesel vehicles use to clean up their exhaust, and it has a separate tank and filler. Even to shift the vehicle, don't turn the key if you have AdBlue in a diesel Honda Civic after it went in the wrong filler.
The fuel pump gets no lubrication whatsoever from AdBlue, which is largely water and won't ignite. It will not mix with diesel either, and drops to the bottom of the tank, the very place the pump pulls from, so a tank of up to 50 litres does nothing to dilute it.
No matter how modest the amount, some of it gets pulled into the line. Inside the system the water evaporates and leaves the urea to crystallise, in the fuel filter and injectors among other places, where it attacks the metal it sits against.
On many vehicles the AdBlue filler sits alongside your diesel filler under the same fuel flap, and where the Civic has one, it may well be there too. AdBlue caps are generally blue and take a much narrower nozzle than diesel.
What we do in a fuel drain on your Honda Civic
Every fuel drain on your Honda Civic is done at the car, so it doesn't need to be taken to a garage. To begin with we find out what went in and whether the motor has been run. Your tank, which holds up to 50 litres on the Civic, is then drained, the pipes and filter are flushed, and your car is refilled with clean diesel and primed before we start your engine.
By the end, the Civic is running on fresh diesel again and all set for you to take away.
What AdBlue removal from a diesel Honda Civic means
Just like clearing petrol, AdBlue removal from a diesel Honda Civic goes through the same stages. Because AdBlue doesn't blend in but gathers at the bottom of your tank, running the Civic on it may form crystals in the lines. Those get cleared through too, and the filter is replaced if it needs it.
What we call AdBlue removal is emptying AdBlue from the diesel tank after a slip at your filler, not taking out or disabling the AdBlue system on a car.
What sets the price of a fuel drain on the Honda Civic
A set price is not something we publish, since no two jobs involve the same work. It mainly comes down to the following:
- whether the Civic has been started or driven, which makes the greatest difference
- the volume put in, measured against the size of your tank
- whether it was AdBlue rather than petrol
- where the Civic is, and whether we can get the van to it safely
Call with those answers and we will be able to explain what's likely to be involved.
Queries on petrol in a diesel Honda Civic, answered
What is the fuel tank capacity of the Honda Civic?
It holds 50 litres, and our figures show the same tank on every version.
Can I fill up with diesel if I only put a little petrol in my Civic?
We'd advise against it. The petrol stays in the fuel system when you drive, since putting in diesel just lowers its proportion and removes none of it. The Civic normally requires no more than a fuel drain when only a small quantity went in, and that gets that petrol out completely.
Will my Civic need to be taken to the Honda dealer?
No, we travel to it. The Civic is drained and cleaned where it is, by an independent business with no tie to Honda or any dealer.
Does it matter which Civic I own?
We have figures for 4 diesel variants of the Civic, and knowing which one you have helps us when you phone.
Will my insurance policy pay for wrong fuel in my Honda Civic?
It is worth looking at your insurance, as misfuelling cover is part of some but not all. Whichever way it reads, we come out and empty the car.
The diesel went into the AdBlue filler on my Civic. What now?
Keep your key out of the ignition in that case as well. Limp mode and an alert are what most cars show you when they're driven in that state, and their AdBlue system will need emptying. Let us know which tank your diesel was put in when you ring.
I've already driven my Civic. What do I do?
Find a safe spot to pull over, then turn the motor off and keep the vehicle that way till we get there. We drain and clean the fuel system where you are, and if it is caught soon like this, lasting harm is very rare.