Petrol in a Diesel Renault Espace? Leave It Switched Off
When you've put petrol in a diesel Renault Espace but your engine has not been started, keep it switched off, even to move it away from the petrol pump. A fuel drain is usually enough to set the Espace right, provided that petrol remains in the tank, which it does whilst the engine is off.
We go to misfuelled cars instead of the other way round, so with Petrol in Diesel the Renault Espace remains at the forecourt or wherever it ended up. Phone us first then let us take you through it, rather than trying anything on your own.
Your first moves with petrol in a diesel Espace
- Don't start the motor, even though a diesel Espace will normally run with petrol inside the tank. It can feel fine for a while, and that is how motorists frequently drive away without noticing anything is amiss.
- The ignition has to stay off too, because turning it on starts the fuel pump priming on many diesels, and your pump then draws fuel from the tank.
- Do not fill the rest of your tank with diesel to weaken it. Your Espace holds up to 83 litres, and topping it up just leaves more contaminated fuel to empty out. Super unleaded counts as petrol here too.
- Ask the forecourt staff if your vehicle is in the way of a pump. They normally help roll the car clear once it's in neutral.
- If the badging gives the exact version, for instance the Espace RT 2.2 dT, give it once you phone 0333 366 0103. Let us know as well which Espace you drive and where it is parked, roughly how much petrol was put in and whether the engine has run.
What running the motor does with wrong fuel in your Renault Espace
Wrong fuel in your Renault Espace only starts to affect your engine once it's pulled out of the tank, which is what starting the motor does. A diesel engine depends on its fuel to oil the high-pressure fuel pump and the fuel injectors while it runs through them. That protection is taken away once petrol dilutes your diesel, so the harm, where there is any, comes from driving on the mixture.
If you have already been driving your Espace, pull over somewhere safe then turn off. We can still deal with it, by emptying the tank and flushing the lines and your filter until all of the tainted fuel is gone. Very few cars that are caught early and flushed out thoroughly end up with lasting harm.
Each version of the Espace is the same in this, the Espace 2.0 dCi FAP among them.
Renault Espace fuel tank capacity
Because the danger rests on what share of your fuel is petrol, the size of your tank matters, and a couple of litres in a tank that was close to empty are a bigger problem than the same in a fuller one.
Depending on the version, the Renault Espace has a tank of 58 to 83 litres.
According to our figures the Espace 1.9 dCi has the largest tank and the Espace ENERGY dCi 160 the smallest.
The Espace 2.2 dCi takes 78 litres.
| Version | Fuel tank |
|---|---|
| Renault Espace 1.9 dCi | 83 litres |
| Renault Espace 1.9 dTi | 78 litres |
| Renault Espace 2.0 dCi FAP | 83 litres |
| Renault Espace 2.2 dCi | 78 litres |
| Renault Espace 2.2 dCi Automatik | 83 litres |
| Renault Espace 3.0 dCi V6 24V | 83 litres |
| Renault Espace ENERGY dCi 130 | 58 litres |
| Renault Espace ENERGY dCi 160 | 58 litres |
| Renault Espace RT 2.2 dT | 78 litres |
What diesel variant of the Espace is yours?
The version is normally on the badging on your boot lid, and it's useful for us to know when you call.
On a diesel Espace you will see dCi and DTI on the badging.
Engine sizes range from 1.9 litres in the Espace 1.9 dTi up to 3.0 litres on the Espace 3.0 dCi V6 24V.
AdBlue in a diesel Renault Espace
Water and urea go into AdBlue, which some diesel cars use to treat the exhaust. It is held in a tank of its own, with a separate filler. If you've got AdBlue in a diesel Renault Espace since it went in the wrong filler, don't touch the key, even to shift your car.
The fuel pump has no protection whatsoever from AdBlue, which is mostly water and won't ignite. It won't mix with diesel either, and sinks to the base of your tank, the same place the pump draws from, so a tank holding up to 83 litres does nothing to dilute it.
However modest the quantity, some of that gets drawn into the line. Inside your fuel system the water dries off and leaves the urea to crystallise, in the filter and injectors and elsewhere, where it corrodes the metalwork it rests against.
On plenty of motors the AdBlue filler sits alongside the diesel filler under the same cover, and where your Espace 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.
The fuel drain on your Renault Espace, in order
We carry out a fuel drain on your Renault Espace where your car sits, and it doesn't need to be taken to a garage. First we confirm what went in and whether your engine has run. Your tank, which holds up to 83 litres on the Espace, is then drained, the pipes and fuel filter are rinsed, and the vehicle is filled up with fresh diesel and primed before we start it.
On the Espace ENERGY dCi 130 the fuel tank holds 58 litres.
Clean diesel is what the Espace is running on by the time we have finished, and you are free to drive it away.
How we handle AdBlue removal from a diesel Renault Espace
AdBlue removal from a diesel Renault Espace uses the same stages as draining petrol. We flush crystals out of the pipes as well if the Espace has been started, and replace the filter if needed, as AdBlue gathers in the base of the tank instead of blending in and may leave them there.
On this page, AdBlue removal means getting AdBlue back out of a diesel tank it was put into through the wrong filler. Switching off or removing the AdBlue system on a car is not what it means.
How much does a fuel drain on the Renault Espace cost?
Since each task is different, we have no fixed price to publish, and these are the main factors that affect it:
- starting or driving the Espace, which makes more difference than anything else
- a tank's size next to the amount that went in
- what went in, petrol or AdBlue
- the position of the Espace and how safely we can reach it with the van
The Espace 2.2 dCi Automatik holds 83 litres when full, for comparison.
If you call with those answers we can tell you what the work is likely to involve.
Queries about petrol in a diesel Renault Espace
Do you know the fuel tank capacity of the Renault Espace?
It depends on the version, from 58 to 83 litres, and each one is listed in the table above.
I only put a little petrol in my Espace. Should I top up with diesel?
Filling up only cuts the share of petrol. None of that is taken out, so it's all still there when you drive, which is why we wouldn't recommend it. Draining gets all of it out, and with a modest amount that is usually all your Espace needs.
Is a trip to the Renault dealer necessary for my Espace?
No, we come to it. The Espace is emptied and cleaned wherever it has stopped, by an independent firm with no link to Renault or any dealer.
Does it matter which Espace I drive?
Knowing your variant is useful when you call, as there are 9 diesel versions of the Espace in our figures.
Is wrong fuel in my Renault Espace covered by my policy?
Some policies include misfuelling cover and some don't, so it's worth looking at yours. Either way, we come out and empty your vehicle for you.
Diesel in the AdBlue tank of my Espace: what happens?
Do not put your key in your ignition in that case either. Limp mode and an alert are what most vehicles show you when they are driven that way, and their AdBlue system will need draining. Which tank your fuel went into is worth telling us when you call.
Already driven my Espace: what now?
Until we reach you, the motor should remain off, so pull over where it is safe then switch it off. We drain and clean your fuel system where you have stopped, and when it's caught soon like this, long-term damage is very unusual.