Put Petrol in a Diesel Jeep Grand Cherokee by Mistake?
Anyone who has put petrol in a diesel Jeep Grand Cherokee without running the motor should keep it switched off, and not run it even to move it off the petrol pump. The petrol cannot get out of the tank as long as your motor is off, so your Grand Cherokee can usually be set right with a drain.
We come to wrongly fuelled cars instead of the other way round, so with Petrol in Diesel your Jeep Grand Cherokee remains at the forecourt or wherever it has stopped. We will go through it with you on the phone, so call us before trying anything yourself.
The first moves with petrol in a diesel Grand Cherokee
- Leave the motor off. A diesel Grand Cherokee will usually start and run with petrol in the tank, and it may feel fine for a few miles, which explains why drivers commonly drive off without noticing something is wrong.
- The ignition needs to stay off as well, since switching it on starts the fuel pump priming on plenty of diesels, and your pump then pulls fuel from your tank.
- The Grand Cherokee holds up to 78 litres, so filling the remainder of the tank with diesel to thin that petrol just leaves more tainted fuel to drain. The same applies to super unleaded, which counts as petrol too.
- If your vehicle is in the way of a pump, pop it in neutral and push the vehicle clear. Forecourt attendants are normally happy to help with that.
- When the badging shows the precise variant, for instance the Grand Cherokee 2.7 CRD, give it when you ring 0333 366 0103. Tell us as well which Grand Cherokee you drive and where it is parked, about how much petrol was put in and whether the motor has been run.
What starting your engine does with wrong fuel in your Jeep Grand Cherokee
While it sits inside your tank, wrong fuel in your Jeep Grand Cherokee does not affect the engine. That only begins when it is drawn out, which is what happens when your motor is started. The high-pressure fuel pump and your injectors on a diesel motor are oiled by your fuel flowing through them. That lubrication is washed away when petrol thins the diesel, so the damage, where there's any, is down to driving on the mix.
If you've driven your Grand Cherokee on it, the thing to do is pull over somewhere safe and switch your motor off. All the same, we can take all the contaminated fuel out, by draining the tank and then flushing the fuel pipes and the fuel filter. Very few cars that are caught early and cleaned out properly end up with long-term harm.
Jeep Grand Cherokee fuel tank capacity
If you filled up while your tank was almost empty, the same few litres make up more of the fuel in there, and the risk hinges on that share, so the capacity of your tank matters.
According to the version, the Jeep Grand Cherokee has a tank of 67 to 78 litres.
Our figures put the biggest tank in the Grand Cherokee 3.0 CRD and the smallest in the Grand Cherokee 2.5 TD Laredo.
| Version | Fuel tank |
|---|---|
| Jeep Grand Cherokee 2.5 TD Laredo | 67 litres |
| Jeep Grand Cherokee 2.7 CRD | 78 litres |
| Jeep Grand Cherokee 3.0 CRD | 78 litres |
| Jeep Grand Cherokee 3.1 TD Laredo | 78 litres |
Which diesel Grand Cherokee do you drive?
Most of the time the version is badged on your boot lid, and it's helpful for us to know when you call.
Check for TD on the badge of a diesel Grand Cherokee.
AdBlue in a diesel Jeep Grand Cherokee
AdBlue is a mixture of water and urea that certain diesel cars use to treat their exhaust, and it has a separate tank and filler. Putting AdBlue in the wrong filler leaves you with AdBlue in a diesel Jeep Grand Cherokee, so don't turn the key, not even to move the car.
Even a tank holding up to 78 litres won't dilute AdBlue as it would dilute petrol. AdBlue does not blend with diesel, so it sinks to the base, right where the pump draws its fuel, and being mostly water it neither burns nor offers the fuel pump any protection.
However small the quantity, some of it is drawn into the line. When the water has dried off, what's left is urea, which forms crystals in the fuel system, filter and injectors included, and corrodes any metal it sits against.
The same flap often covers both fillers, and if your Grand Cherokee has an AdBlue filler, it might well be beside the diesel one. The nozzle for AdBlue is far smaller than the diesel one, and the filler cap is typically blue.
Our fuel drain on your Jeep Grand Cherokee, step by step
We carry out a fuel drain on your Jeep Grand Cherokee where the car sits, and it doesn't need to go to a garage. To begin with we check what went in and whether the motor has been run. Your tank, which holds up to 78 litres on the Grand Cherokee, is then emptied, the lines and fuel filter are flushed, and your car is refilled with fresh diesel and primed before we start your engine.
You can drive your Grand Cherokee away once we have finished, now running on fresh diesel.
How we handle AdBlue removal from a diesel Jeep Grand Cherokee
AdBlue removal from a diesel Jeep Grand Cherokee takes the same steps as a petrol drain. As AdBlue doesn't mix in but settles at the base of the tank, running the Grand Cherokee on it can leave crystals inside the pipes. Those get flushed through as well, and your fuel filter is swapped if it needs it.
AdBlue removal on this page means getting AdBlue out of your diesel tank once it has been put in the wrong filler. It doesn't mean removing or switching off the AdBlue system on your vehicle.
What does a fuel drain on the Jeep Grand Cherokee cost?
The work differs from one task to the next, so we do not publish a fixed price. The chief things that shape it are these:
- whether the Grand Cherokee has been started or driven, which makes the biggest difference
- the size of the tank, set against how much went in
- whether it was AdBlue instead of petrol
- where the Grand Cherokee has stopped, and whether we can get the van to it in safety
We can let you know what this work will probably involve when you phone with those details.
Questions on petrol in a diesel Jeep Grand Cherokee, answered
How many litres is the Jeep Grand Cherokee fuel tank capacity?
Between 67 and 78 litres according to the version, and the table above gives each one.
I just put a little petrol in my Grand Cherokee. Should I top up with diesel?
We would not advise it. Adding diesel reduces the share of petrol without removing any of it, so that petrol is still in the fuel system when you drive. With only a little petrol, a drain to take all of it out is usually all the Grand Cherokee requires.
Does my Grand Cherokee need to be taken to the Jeep dealer?
No. We are independent and have no tie with Jeep or its dealers, plus we empty and clean your Grand Cherokee wherever it has stopped, so there is no need to take it anywhere.
Which Grand Cherokee I have: does it matter?
We have data for 4 diesel versions of the Grand Cherokee, and knowing which one you have assists us when you call.
Will my insurance policy pay for wrong fuel in my Jeep Grand Cherokee?
It is worth looking at your policy, as misfuelling cover is included in some and not others. Whatever it says, we come out to empty the car.
The diesel went into the AdBlue filler on my Grand Cherokee. What now?
Keep the key out of the ignition in that case as well. The AdBlue system will need draining, and when your car is driven like that, it will most likely give an alert and drop into limp mode. Let us know which tank the diesel went into when you ring.
I drove my Grand Cherokee before I realised. What do I do?
Turn your motor off after you've pulled over somewhere safe, and keep it off till we get to you. Permanent harm is very rare if it is caught early like this, and we drain the system and clean it where you've pulled over.