Kept Driving With Petrol in a Diesel Mitsubishi Lancer?
If you have driven with petrol in a diesel Mitsubishi Lancer, pull over once it is safe, switch the motor off then keep it off. Wherever you have pulled up, we can still sort it out, and harm that lasts is very uncommon when it is spotted soon.
When Petrol in Diesel travels out to wherever your Mitsubishi Lancer has ended up, the petrol is cleaned from the system and the fuel tank drained. Once we go, the vehicle is back on clean diesel.
Spotting petrol in a diesel Lancer
It's often a couple of miles before the signs appear, as with petrol inside the fuel tank a diesel Lancer will often drive as usual at first. With petrol or AdBlue inside the fuel tank, the following are the signs drivers usually spot:
- the engine lacks power, particularly when you ask it to accelerate
- the idle becomes erratic, or it runs roughly
- the exhaust gives off more smoke than usual
- dashboard warning lights show
- the engine stalls then might not restart
Any of these beginning after you fuelled up is a reason to look at the receipt to see what was put in.
How far wrong fuel in your Mitsubishi Lancer gets when you drive
Wrong fuel in your Mitsubishi Lancer sits in the tank until the engine pulls it out, and driving is what draws it through the filter, your injection pump then your injectors. Petrol thins the diesel fuel that lubricates your pump and your injectors while it flows through them, so running the Lancer on brings the mixture into more of the system.
So finishing the trip is a poorer choice than stopping as soon as you can. A vehicle that's stopped early usually needs nothing more than a drain and a clean. What can cause harm is covering a long way on contaminated fuel.
It makes no difference if you have the Lancer 2000 GLX Estate Diesel or another version of the Lancer.
Waiting where you have pulled up
There is no reason to get the Lancer anywhere. We come to it at the side of the road or outside your home, so there is no need to restart the car or book a recovery truck.
On a busy road, switch on the hazard lights, then choose somewhere safe to wait clear of the traffic.
About how far you drove, which Lancer it is and where you have stopped are what to mention when you phone 0333 366 0103. The version on the badge, such as the Lancer 2000 GLX Diesel, is useful too.
A fuel drain on your Mitsubishi Lancer after a drive
There is one step more to a fuel drain on your Mitsubishi Lancer after it was driven than to a drain at the forecourt. No petrol should be remaining between the fuel tank and the motor by the end, which is why your tank is emptied first and your fuel lines are then opened and flushed through with the fuel filter. Clean diesel goes in, the system is primed, and we start the motor to make sure it runs correctly.
AdBlue in a diesel Mitsubishi Lancer that has been driven
Look out for smoke, rough running and warning lights when AdBlue in a diesel Mitsubishi Lancer has been driven on, because the vehicle may also stall. Settling to the bottom of the fuel tank, where your fuel pump draws fuel, AdBlue gets into your fuel line quickly, and it does not burn or lubricate. The urea crystallises in your filter and your lines once its water dries.
AdBlue removal from a diesel Mitsubishi Lancer
The fuel lines and the filter have to be freed of the crystals once the fuel tank is emptied, which is what AdBlue removal from a diesel Mitsubishi Lancer that has been run means. Where the fuel filter needs it, we replace it.
A separate AdBlue tank, if your Lancer has one, is left alone. The work is about liquid in your diesel tank, and doesn't involve removing or switching off an AdBlue system.
Engine sizes and Mitsubishi Lancer fuel tank capacity
Across the versions of the Mitsubishi Lancer, diesel fuel tanks go from 50 litres on the Lancer Estate 2000 GLX Diesel up to 59 litres in the Lancer 1.8 DI-D ClearTec.
A fuel tank of 59 litres is used on the Lancer Sportback 2.0 DI-D, for example.
Diesel Lancer versions have DI-D badging.
The Lancer 2.0 DI-D has the largest engine at 2.0 litres, and the Lancer Sportback 1.8 DI-D has the smallest, at 1.8 litres.
There are Estate and Sportback versions among them.
| Version | Fuel tank |
|---|---|
| Mitsubishi Lancer 1.8 DI-D ClearTec | 59 litres |
| Mitsubishi Lancer 2.0 DI-D | 59 litres |
| Mitsubishi Lancer 2000 GLX Diesel | 50 litres |
| Mitsubishi Lancer 2000 GLX Estate Diesel | 50 litres |
| Mitsubishi Lancer Estate 2000 GLX Diesel | 50 litres |
| Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback 1.8 DI-D | 59 litres |
| Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback 2.0 DI-D | 59 litres |
What a fuel drain on the Mitsubishi Lancer costs after a drive
The price of a fuel drain on the Mitsubishi Lancer after it's been driven depends mostly on how far it travelled and where it has stopped, and whether it was petrol or AdBlue makes a difference as well. Give us those details on a call and then we can say what is involved in the job.
Petrol in a diesel Mitsubishi Lancer: common questions after driving
Has the petrol ruined my Lancer?
The chance of that is very low. We empty and clean your fuel system where you've stopped, and when the vehicle has been stopped early, permanent harm is rare.
Can I finish the drive home first?
We would ask you not to. Every mile on tainted fuel carries it further through your fuel system, and we're able to empty the Lancer where it stands, which means there is no need to move the vehicle.
What do I do if it has stalled and won't restart?
Please do not try again. Leave it as it is, because every attempt pulls more of that mixture through. With it drained and flushed and fresh diesel in, we prime the system and get it started for you.
Do you need to know which Lancer I drive?
The badge on the boot shows the version you have, out of the 7 diesel versions of the Lancer, and knowing it assists us when you call.
Insurance and wrong fuel in my Mitsubishi Lancer: am I covered?
Some insurance policies offer misfuelling cover, so it's worth checking yours after the car is sorted. We still come out either way.