Have You Put Petrol in a Diesel Nissan Primera?
We'd urge you to keep your engine off when you have put petrol in a diesel Nissan Primera and not run it yet, and that counts for moving it off the forecourt too. As long as your motor remains off that petrol sits inside your tank, so a fuel drain is generally all it takes to set the Primera right.
There is no need to shift your Nissan Primera off the forecourt, or from any other spot where it came to a stop, because the drain is done by Petrol in Diesel where the car sits. We will go through it with you on the phone, so call us before trying anything yourself.
First steps with petrol in a diesel Primera
- With petrol in your tank, a diesel Primera will usually still fire up and run, and feel perfectly ordinary for several miles. That is why motorists often drive off without noticing a fault, and the reason the motor should be left off.
- Fuel can be pulled to the fuel injectors before your motor has fired, because on plenty of diesel motors your ignition on its own primes the fuel pump. Leave the ignition off as well.
- Thinning that petrol by topping up with diesel doesn't help. It only adds to the tainted fuel to be drained from a tank that holds up to 62 litres in the Primera, and super unleaded is petrol here too.
- A vehicle in the way of a pump can be put in neutral and pushed out of the way, and the forecourt attendants are normally glad to help.
- Call 0333 366 0103 and tell us which Primera you drive and where it has stopped, about how much petrol went in, and whether your engine has been run. If the precise variant is on the badging, for instance the Primera 2.0TD LX, tell us that as well.
What starting the engine does with wrong fuel in your Nissan Primera
Wrong fuel in your Nissan Primera only starts to reach the motor when it is drawn from your tank, which is exactly what starting your engine does. Your high-pressure pump and your injectors in a diesel motor are lubricated by your fuel flowing through them. Petrol thins your diesel and washes that lubrication away, which is why it's driving for any distance on the blend that can do harm.
Where you have already been driving the Primera, stop somewhere safe and switch off. It can still be put right, with your tank emptied and the pipes and filter rinsed until every trace of the contaminated fuel has gone. Very few vehicles that are caught early and flushed out properly end up with lasting harm.
The Primera 2.0TD SLX is no different here from any other variant of the Primera.
Knowing the Nissan Primera fuel tank capacity
Because the risk depends on what proportion of the fuel is petrol, the capacity of your tank matters, and a few litres in a tank that was nearly empty are a bigger problem than the same in a fuller one.
The variant decides your tank capacity on the Nissan Primera, which ranges from 60 to 62 litres.
The smallest tank in our figures is on the Primera Traveller 2.0 TD, and the largest is on the Primera Traveller 2.2 dCi.
The Primera 2.2 dCi has a tank holding 62 litres.
| Version | Fuel tank |
|---|---|
| Nissan Primera 1.9 dCi | 62 litres |
| Nissan Primera 2.0 SLX D | 60 litres |
| Nissan Primera 2.0TD LX | 61 litres |
| Nissan Primera 2.0TD SLX | 61 litres |
| Nissan Primera 2.2 dCi | 62 litres |
| Nissan Primera 2.2 Di | 62 litres |
| Nissan Primera Traveller 1.9 dCi | 62 litres |
| Nissan Primera Traveller 2.0 TD | 60 litres |
| Nissan Primera Traveller 2.2 dCi | 62 litres |
| Nissan Primera Traveller 2.2 Di | 62 litres |
Which diesel Primera do you drive?
The version is usually on a badge on the boot lid, and it's useful for us to know when you ring.
Check for dCi and TD on the badge of a diesel Primera.
Motor sizes run from 1.9 litres on the Primera Traveller 1.9 dCi up to 2.2 litres in the Primera 2.2 Di.
Got AdBlue in a diesel Nissan Primera?
Some diesel cars hold a mixture of water and urea, called AdBlue, in a tank of its own with a separate filler, and use it to treat their exhaust. Even to move your car, don't turn your key if you've got AdBlue in a diesel Nissan Primera after it went into the wrong filler.
Since it is mostly water, AdBlue does not burn and gives the fuel pump no protection at all. It doesn't mix with diesel either, so it settles to the bottom of the tank where the pump picks up its fuel, and a tank of up to 62 litres won't dilute it as it would dilute petrol.
Even a little of it is plenty to end up in your fuel line. Inside the fuel system the water dries off 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 the diesel filler under the same flap, and where the Primera has one, it might well be there as well. A blue lid and a nozzle far smaller than diesel normally mark the AdBlue filler.
How a fuel drain on your Nissan Primera is done
We do a fuel drain on your Nissan Primera where the vehicle stands, and it doesn't need to be taken to a garage. On the Primera your tank holds up to 62 litres, so we empty all of it after we have checked what was put in and whether the motor has run. The fuel pipes and the fuel filter are rinsed next, then we refill with clean diesel and prime the fuel system before starting your engine.
The Primera 2.0 SLX D has a tank of 60 litres.
Fresh diesel is what the Primera is running on by the time we've finished, and you are free to drive off in it.
How we handle AdBlue removal from a diesel Nissan Primera
Like clearing petrol, AdBlue removal from a diesel Nissan Primera goes through the same steps. Since AdBlue doesn't mix in but collects at the bottom of your tank, running the Primera on it may leave deposits inside the pipes. Those get cleared through as well, and the filter is replaced if it needs it.
What we call AdBlue removal is emptying AdBlue from your diesel tank after a slip at your filler, not taking out or disabling the AdBlue system on a vehicle.
What decides the cost of a fuel drain on the Nissan Primera
We do not publish a fixed price, because this work varies from one task to the next. These are the main factors that affect it:
- whether the Primera has been started or driven, which makes the greatest difference
- the size of the tank, set against how much was put in
- what was put in, petrol or AdBlue
- whether the van can easily and safely reach the Primera where it is
For comparison, a full tank on the Primera Traveller 2.2 Di comes to 62 litres.
Phone with those answers and we'll be able to explain what's likely to be involved.
Questions about petrol in a diesel Nissan Primera
Can you tell me the fuel tank capacity of the Nissan Primera?
Anywhere from 60 to 62 litres, depending on which version it is. Every one is listed above.
Can I fill up with diesel if I only put a little petrol in my Primera?
We wouldn't recommend it. Putting in diesel reduces the share of petrol without taking out any of it, so that petrol is still in the fuel system when you drive off. All of it comes out with a drain, which for a modest amount is generally everything your Primera needs.
Is a trip to the Nissan dealer necessary for my Primera?
You do not need to. We have no link with Nissan or any of its dealers, being independent, and your Primera is drained and cleaned wherever you have stopped.
Does the version of my Primera matter?
Knowing your variant is useful when you phone, as there are 10 diesel versions of the Primera in our figures.
Is wrong fuel in my Nissan Primera covered by my insurance?
We'll still come out to drain it for you, covered or not. Check your policy all the same, since not every policy includes misfuelling cover.
What should I do if my Primera got diesel in its AdBlue tank?
Here, too, the right thing is to leave the ignition alone. The AdBlue system will need emptying, and when the car is driven like that, it will most likely give a warning and enter limp mode. Tell us which tank your diesel went into when you call.
I drove my Primera before I noticed. What do I do?
Stop where it is safe and switch the motor off, then leave it off till we reach you. Catching it this soon means long-term damage is very rare, and we drain and clean the fuel system wherever you happen to be.