Put Petrol in a Diesel Mitsubishi Carisma by Mistake?
We'd ask you to leave your engine off if you've put petrol in a diesel Mitsubishi Carisma and not run it yet, and that goes for moving it off the forecourt as well. With the motor kept off, that petrol stays where it is inside your tank, and in the majority of cases a fuel drain is all the Carisma requires.
There's no reason to move your Mitsubishi Carisma off the forecourt, or from any other spot where it stopped, since the drain is done by Petrol in Diesel wherever the car sits. We will go through it with you on the phone, so call us before trying anything on your own.
Put petrol in a diesel Carisma? The first steps
- Leave your engine off. A diesel Carisma will generally fire up and run with petrol inside the tank, and it may seem fine for a few miles, and that is why people often drive off without realising anything is wrong.
- Leave the ignition off as well. On a lot of diesels turning it on will set the fuel pump priming, which draws fuel from the tank towards your injectors.
- Topping up with diesel to dilute it is a bad idea, even with super unleaded, which is petrol too. The tank in the Carisma takes up to 60 litres, and each litre of diesel put in is more contaminated fuel for us to empty.
- If your vehicle is blocking a pump, put it in neutral and push it clear. Forecourt attendants are normally happy to lend a hand.
- Phone 0333 366 0103 with the place your Carisma has stopped and which one it is, the approximate volume of petrol that was put in, and whether it has run. When you can read the precise version on the badge, for instance the Carisma 1900 Diesel GL, that helps too.
Wrong fuel in your Mitsubishi Carisma once the motor has been started
Starting your engine is what draws the wrong fuel in your Mitsubishi Carisma out of the tank, and only then does it begin to affect the engine. A diesel motor depends on its fuel to oil your high-pressure pump and your injectors while it flows through them. Driving any distance on that blend is what can cause damage, since petrol dilutes the diesel and washes that lubrication away.
Stop in a safe place and turn off when your Carisma has already been driven. We empty your tank, then flush the pipes and filter through until no contaminated fuel is left, so it can still be sorted out. As long as it's flushed out properly after being caught soon, it very seldom leaves permanent harm.
Checking the Mitsubishi Carisma fuel tank capacity
If you filled up while your tank was almost empty, the same couple of litres make up more of the fuel in it, and the risk depends on that proportion, which means the capacity of your tank matters.
The tank takes 60 litres on each diesel Mitsubishi Carisma we hold figures for, so that calculation is the same whichever variant you have.
Finding your diesel Carisma version
Most of the time the variant is shown on the boot lid, and it's useful to us to know when you ring.
AdBlue in a diesel Mitsubishi Carisma by mistake
Water and urea make up AdBlue, which certain diesel cars rely on to clean up their exhaust. It is held in a tank of its own, with a separate filler. The key should stay out of your ignition if you've got AdBlue in a diesel Mitsubishi Carisma through the wrong filler, and that covers shifting your vehicle.
Since it's mostly water, AdBlue doesn't ignite and gives the fuel pump no protection whatsoever. It does not blend with diesel either, so it drops to the base of the tank where your pump picks up its fuel, and a tank of up to 60 litres does nothing to dilute it as it would dilute petrol.
Even a little of it is enough to end up in the fuel line. When the water has dried off, what's left is urea, which forms crystals in your fuel system, filter and injectors among them, and attacks any metal it sits against.
On a lot of vehicles the AdBlue filler sits beside the diesel filler under the same fuel flap, and if the Carisma has one, it might well be there as well. A blue cap and a nozzle far narrower than diesel usually pick out the AdBlue filler.
How a fuel drain on your Mitsubishi Carisma is done
There's no garage needed, because we carry out a fuel drain on your Mitsubishi Carisma at the vehicle itself. Before we start your motor, your system is primed and the tank refilled with fresh diesel. First comes checking what was put in and whether it's run, draining a tank that takes up to 60 litres on the Carisma, and rinsing the lines and filter.
You are free to take the Carisma away when the job is done, running on fresh diesel.
AdBlue removal from a diesel Mitsubishi Carisma, explained
AdBlue removal from a diesel Mitsubishi Carisma takes the same steps as a petrol drain. AdBlue gathers at the bottom of the tank rather than blending in, and if the Carisma has been started it can form deposits in the lines, so we rinse those out too and change the filter if it needs doing.
AdBlue removal, as we use the term on this page, is about AdBlue that was put in the incorrect filler and has to come out of your diesel tank. It does not cover removing or disabling the AdBlue system on the vehicle.
The cost of a fuel drain on the Mitsubishi Carisma
The work varies from one job to the next, so we do not publish a set price. The chief factors that affect it are these:
- starting or driving the Carisma, which makes more difference than anything else
- how much was put in compared to the size of the tank
- whether it was AdBlue and not petrol
- the location of the Carisma and how easily we can reach it with the van
With those details on the phone, we can let you know what the work is likely to involve.
Your queries on petrol in a diesel Mitsubishi Carisma
The Mitsubishi Carisma fuel tank capacity: how many litres?
60 litres. The tank is the same capacity whatever version you have.
Is it OK to add diesel after just a little petrol in my Carisma?
It isn't something we would advise, as adding diesel does nothing to take out the petrol. It just lowers its proportion, and that petrol is still in the fuel system once you drive off. All of it is removed with a fuel drain, which for a small quantity is normally everything your Carisma needs.
Do I need to take my Carisma to the Mitsubishi dealer?
No, we travel to it. The Carisma is emptied and cleaned where it is parked, by an independent firm with no tie to Mitsubishi or any dealer.
Is wrong fuel in my Mitsubishi Carisma covered by my insurance?
Misfuelling cover is part of some policies and not others, so check yours. We will come out to drain it for you whether it does or not.
Diesel in the AdBlue tank of my Carisma: what now?
Leave the key out of your ignition in that case as well. Most cars display a warning and go into limp mode if they're driven that way, and the AdBlue system will need emptying. Let us know which tank the fuel was put in when you phone.
Already driven my Carisma: what now?
Look for a safe place to pull over, then turn the motor off and keep it that way until we get there. Permanent harm is very rare if it is caught early like this, plus we drain your fuel system and clean it where you've pulled over.