Put Petrol in a Diesel Nissan Juke by Mistake?
Anyone who has put petrol in a diesel Nissan Juke without starting the motor should leave it turned off, and not start it even to roll it away from the petrol pump. While the engine stays off that petrol remains inside the tank, and draining it is usually all it takes to put the Juke right.
We go to wrongly fuelled vehicles rather than the other way round, so with Petrol in Diesel your Nissan Juke remains on the forecourt or wherever it has stopped. Wait before trying anything yourself until you've phoned us, and we will tell you what to do.
The first steps for petrol in a diesel Juke
- Leave your motor off. A diesel Juke will normally start and run with petrol inside the tank, and it may feel normal for a couple of miles, and that is why drivers frequently drive off without noticing anything is wrong.
- The ignition has to remain off too, because turning it on sets the fuel pump priming on many diesels, and the pump then draws fuel from your tank.
- Don't fill the rest of your tank with diesel to thin it. The Juke takes up to 46 litres, and topping it up only means more contaminated fuel to drain. Super unleaded counts as petrol here too.
- Forecourt attendants will generally help push your car out of the way in neutral if it is in the way of a pump.
- Ring 0333 366 0103 with the place the Juke has stopped and which one it is, the approximate amount of petrol that went in, and whether it has run. When you can see the exact version on the badging, for example the Juke 1.5 dCi, that is useful too.
What running the engine does with wrong fuel in your Nissan Juke
Wrong fuel in your Nissan Juke only begins to affect your engine once it is pulled from your tank, which is what starting your motor does. Inside a diesel engine, your fuel lubricates the fuel injectors and the injection pump on its way past. That lubrication is stripped away as soon as petrol thins the diesel, so the harm, where there's any, is down to driving on that mixture.
Where you have already driven your Juke, stop in a safe place and turn off. We empty your tank, then flush the lines and fuel filter through until no tainted fuel is left, so it can still be sorted out. Provided it's flushed out thoroughly after being caught early, it very rarely leaves lasting harm.
The fuel tank capacity of the Nissan Juke
If you filled up when your tank was almost empty, the same few litres make up more of your fuel in there, and the danger rests on that proportion, so the size of your tank counts.
In our figures, all of the diesel versions of the Nissan Juke share one tank of 46 litres, so the sum comes out the same for each.
Telling which diesel Juke you drive
It helps us to have the variant when you call, and it is normally on a badge at the back of your vehicle.
Look for dCi on the badging of a diesel Juke.
Each variant on our list has an engine of 1.5 litres.
When there's AdBlue in a diesel Nissan Juke
Certain diesel vehicles hold a mixture of water and urea, known as AdBlue, in a tank of its own with a separate filler, and rely on it to clean up their exhaust. Even to shift your vehicle, do not touch the key if you have AdBlue in a diesel Nissan Juke after it went into the incorrect filler.
Even a tank of up to 46 litres won't dilute AdBlue as it would dilute petrol. AdBlue doesn't mix with diesel, so it drops to the base, right where the pump draws its fuel, and being mainly water it neither burns nor gives the fuel pump any protection.
No matter how modest the amount, some of that gets drawn into the line. When the water evaporates, the urea crystallises in your fuel system, including the fuel filter and injectors, and it corrodes the metal it sits against.
The same flap frequently hides both fillers, and where your Juke has an AdBlue filler, it could well be next to the diesel one. AdBlue caps are typically blue and accept a much narrower nozzle than diesel.
How a fuel drain on your Nissan Juke is done
Taking the vehicle to a garage isn't necessary, as a fuel drain on your Nissan Juke is done right at the vehicle. To begin with we confirm what was put in and whether your motor has been run. The tank, which takes up to 46 litres on the Juke, is then emptied, the lines and fuel filter are rinsed, and your vehicle is filled up with clean diesel and primed before we start the car.
Clean diesel is what your Juke runs on by the time the job is done, and you can drive off in it.
How we handle AdBlue removal from a diesel Nissan Juke
The stages are the same as draining petrol in AdBlue removal from a diesel Nissan Juke. Because AdBlue does not mix in but settles at the bottom of the tank, running the Juke on it may form deposits inside the pipes. Those get cleared through as well, and the fuel filter is changed where needed.
On this page, AdBlue removal means getting AdBlue back out of a diesel tank it was put into through the wrong filler. Disabling or removing the AdBlue system on a car isn't what it means.
What decides the cost of a fuel drain on the Nissan Juke
A set price is not something we publish, since no two jobs involve the same work. It largely comes down to the following:
- most of all, whether the Juke has been driven or even started
- the capacity of your tank, set against how much went in
- which of the two it was, petrol or AdBlue
- where you are with the Juke, and whether it is safe to get the van there
We can let you know what this work will probably involve when you phone with those answers.
Petrol in a diesel Nissan Juke: your questions
What's the fuel tank capacity of the Nissan Juke?
46 litres. Your tank is the same size whatever variant you have.
Is it all right to add diesel after only a little petrol in my Juke?
We wouldn't recommend it. Adding diesel reduces the share of petrol without removing any of it, so that petrol is still in your system when you drive off. A fuel drain gets all of it out, and with a modest amount that is normally all the Juke requires.
Should my Juke go to the Nissan dealer?
There's no reason to take it anywhere. We drain and clean the Juke where it has stopped, and we are independent, with no tie to Nissan or its dealers.
Is wrong fuel in my Nissan Juke covered by my policy?
We will still come out to empty it for you, either way. Look at your insurance all the same, as not every policy includes misfuelling cover.
Diesel in the AdBlue tank of my Juke: what now?
Here, too, the right thing is to leave your ignition alone. When it's driven like that, a car will usually display a warning and go into limp mode. The AdBlue system needs emptying as well. Which tank the fuel was put in is worth telling us when you ring.
What should I do if I've already driven my Juke?
Until we get to you, the engine needs to remain off, so pull over where it is safe then switch it off. We empty and clean the system wherever you have stopped, and when it's caught soon like this, lasting damage is very unusual.