Every Tank in the Range: Petrol in a Diesel Volvo
Tank size counts once you've put petrol in a diesel Volvo. On your model, it decides how much of the fuel in there is now petrol. Fuel tank sizes for the entire diesel Volvo range are given on this page, and every model has a separate page as well, listed below.
Whatever the size, the advice after it has happened is to leave the motor off then call Petrol in Diesel, and we will empty your car where it stands.
Fuel tank sizes throughout the diesel Volvo range
The model and its variant decide how much the tank holds on a diesel Volvo, from 52 litres up to 80 litres across the range.
The S40 holds up to 60 litres.
62 litres is the biggest tank for the C70 in our data.
Between them, the 17 diesel Volvo models we cover span 88 versions, and the page for each model lists the fuel tank for each one.
Wrong fuel in your Volvo: what a couple of litres means
The share of petrol hinges on how full the tank was before you filled up. That's because wrong fuel in your Volvo blends with whatever diesel is still in it. With a tank of up to 80 litres, a couple of litres of petrol on top of a nearly full tank makes up a minor part of the total, and the same few litres in a tank that was nearly empty makes up much more of what the motor would draw.
Often, drivers want to know at what point the petrol becomes too much. Whether the engine has been run is the more helpful thing to find out. Once it runs, the fuel pump draws that mixture from the tank and sends it on to the fuel injectors.
The car usually needs no more than a fuel drain when only a small amount was put in.
Engine options in the diesel Volvo range
The badges on diesel Volvo cars in our figures read TDI and TD.
Starting at 1.6 litres, engine sizes across the range go up to 2.5 litres.
We can tell which one you have from the model name and the badging on the back, so look at them before you phone. We will work it out with you when you are not sure, so ring anyway.
AdBlue in a diesel Volvo
A bigger tank is no help with AdBlue. With AdBlue in a diesel Volvo, the diesel sitting in the tank cannot weaken it. Being mainly water, AdBlue stays separate from the diesel and sinks to the base, which is where the fuel pump draws from. Even a tiny quantity gets into the lines.
As the water in AdBlue evaporates, the urea left over forms crystals in the lines and the filter, and AdBlue does not ignite or give the fuel pump any lubrication either.
On a diesel vehicle that has a separate AdBlue tank, the AdBlue filler often sits beside the diesel one under the same flap. Its cap is blue, and it takes a smaller nozzle.
Fuel drain on your Volvo
Done where the vehicle is sitting, a fuel drain on your Volvo clears the entire tank, whatever size it is on your model. Fresh diesel goes in after the contaminated fuel is pumped out and the fuel lines and the filter are rinsed, and then the fuel system is primed and the engine started.
The V60, for instance, carries a fuel tank of up to 68 litres.
When we finish this drain, the vehicle is ready to drive away on clean diesel.
How we handle AdBlue removal from a diesel Volvo
With AdBlue sitting at the base of the tank instead of being blended in, AdBlue removal from a diesel Volvo starts by clearing your tank completely. Where the motor has been run, the fuel lines and the filter are flushed through as well, and the filter is changed if needed.
Removing or switching off the AdBlue system on the car isn't what this covers. It is about AdBlue that has gone into the diesel tank.
How the price of a fuel drain on a diesel Volvo is set
Two jobs on the same model can be very different, so we do not list a fixed price. Whether the car has been started or driven changes it most. After that it depends on how much went in compared with the tank size, whether petrol or AdBlue was put in, and where the car is. Call with those details and we can let you know what this job will need.
Tank queries about petrol in a diesel Volvo
Which Volvo diesel takes the most fuel?
Up to 80 litres fits in the tank on the XC90, the largest in our figures, and the smallest is on the V50.
With a bigger tank, is petrol less of a problem?
A larger tank means a couple of litres form less of the total, yet the petrol is still in there and still reaches the pump when your engine runs. With the vehicle switched off, a fuel drain removes all of that.
How do I find the tank size for my exact version?
On the page for your model, linked below. It gives every version we hold data for, with its tank.
Which fuels, other than diesel, would be wrong fuel in my Volvo?
Petrol qualifies whatever the type, super unleaded too, and so does AdBlue that was intended for its own dedicated tank. Anything other than diesel in the diesel tank is wrong fuel.