Adblue in Diesel tank

John the Gas

T30 Highline Van 150 DSG Ir Gry
VIP Member
T6 Pro
I don’t know why but today I put about 4 litres of Adblue in the Diesel tank instead of the Adblue tank. I know - how can you do that? Well I did in a mad moment whilst doing about 5 other things at the same time.
The tank was filled up yesterday and I’d done 32 miles. In went 4 litres of Adblue (Still can’t believe I did it) I didn't start the engine. So realising what I’d done phoned AA. They said they can’t help. They can only do petrol in diesel or vice versa.
So I then phoned my usual dealer and said if I can get van to them they can sort BUT they could not look at it until Monday and probably would want 2 days to sort it as they would have to remove tank and flush and flush fuel lines and fit new filter and check fuel pumps and common rail after flushing and filling with clean fuel and more doom and gloom etc etc.. The last one they done was £1800 and it had been started but not driven. I was then looking at hiring a van which would set me back another about £400.
So I called a mate in the trucking business who knows of this happening and he gave me the number of a company called Fuel Fixer. After a chat they said they could sort it and fixed cost would be £799+Vat. They could be with me within 2 hours and they could sort it in 2-3hours.
So I decided to give them a go……..
50 mins later I get a call to say they are 15 mins away and 15 mins later 2 guys arrive in a Caddy. Small van I thought but once they opened it up and got going it was packed with a large tank and a pump & hoses so I left them to it and after about and hour I had an update that they had cleaned out the tank and fuel Ines and now needed to flush out the fuel lines and filter and check the pump. They then had to pop out to get 20l of diesel as they’d used what they had on board. 15 mins later they were back. 30 mins later I heard the old girl turning over a few times and the she was away. They then ran it for about 20 secs and then switched off checking the lines. After doing this 3 or 4 times they reconnected everything and put a fuel cleaner in the tank. After thoroughly cleaning around the fuel pump and the other areas they had worked in they asked me to take her for a run round the block which took about 10 mins. All was fine and by the time I had got back they had cleared up and were ready to leave. I was advised to run what was in the tank as low as possible (about 15l) and then half fill the tank, run that down and add some diesel fuel cleaner (They recommended the Redex one) run that as low as possible and then fill up again using the fuel cleaner and hopefully that would do the job. Also they fitteJob time 2hrs 20mins.
So the 15l they put in used up, some Redex and 35l in and about 10 miles done she is as good as new.
So - today’s lesson - pay attention and don’t put Adblue in the Diesel tank.
The cost - £799 + vat, 60l of fuel, a bottle of Redex cleaner and 1/2 a day off work (Well not quite as a bit of paperwork done while I was waiting)
So I think I had a lucky escape. Highly recommend this company www.fuelfixer.co.uk
Who else is brave enough to admit doing this?
 
Wow, you got away really lucky, assuming no further complications.

A numpty that worked for me put 10l of adblue in his diesel tank and then drove off, coming to an abrupt halt about 100m down the road. He turned the van over and over trying to get it to restart without any luck. The van was on lease and went back to the supplying dealer where we ended up with a bill for £7000, obviously the main dealer wanted to do a thorough job as it was one of their own vans and only about a year old.
 
Wow, you got away really lucky, assuming no further complications.

A numpty that worked for me put 10l of adblue in his diesel tank and then drove off, coming to an abrupt halt about 100m down the road. He turned the van over and over trying to get it to restart without any luck. The van was on lease and went back to the supplying dealer where we ended up with a bill for £7000, obviously the main dealer wanted to do a thorough job as it was one of their own vans and only about a year old.

I trust that was enough to win him employee of the month?
 
I don’t know why but today I put about 4 litres of Adblue in the Diesel tank instead of the Adblue tank. I know - how can you do that? Well I did in a mad moment whilst doing about 5 other things at the same time.
The tank was filled up yesterday and I’d done 32 miles. In went 4 litres of Adblue (Still can’t believe I did it) I didn't start the engine. So realising what I’d done phoned AA. They said they can’t help. They can only do petrol in diesel or vice versa.
So I then phoned my usual dealer and said if I can get van to them they can sort BUT they could not look at it until Monday and probably would want 2 days to sort it as they would have to remove tank and flush and flush fuel lines and fit new filter and check fuel pumps and common rail after flushing and filling with clean fuel and more doom and gloom etc etc.. The last one they done was £1800 and it had been started but not driven. I was then looking at hiring a van which would set me back another about £400.
So I called a mate in the trucking business who knows of this happening and he gave me the number of a company called Fuel Fixer. After a chat they said they could sort it and fixed cost would be £799+Vat. They could be with me within 2 hours and they could sort it in 2-3hours.
So I decided to give them a go……..
50 mins later I get a call to say they are 15 mins away and 15 mins later 2 guys arrive in a Caddy. Small van I thought but once they opened it up and got going it was packed with a large tank and a pump & hoses so I left them to it and after about and hour I had an update that they had cleaned out the tank and fuel Ines and now needed to flush out the fuel lines and filter and check the pump. They then had to pop out to get 20l of diesel as they’d used what they had on board. 15 mins later they were back. 30 mins later I heard the old girl turning over a few times and the she was away. They then ran it for about 20 secs and then switched off checking the lines. After doing this 3 or 4 times they reconnected everything and put a fuel cleaner in the tank. After thoroughly cleaning around the fuel pump and the other areas they had worked in they asked me to take her for a run round the block which took about 10 mins. All was fine and by the time I had got back they had cleared up and were ready to leave. I was advised to run what was in the tank as low as possible (about 15l) and then half fill the tank, run that down and add some diesel fuel cleaner (They recommended the Redex one) run that as low as possible and then fill up again using the fuel cleaner and hopefully that would do the job. Also they fitteJob time 2hrs 20mins.
So the 15l they put in used up, some Redex and 35l in and about 10 miles done she is as good as new.
So - today’s lesson - pay attention and don’t put Adblue in the Diesel tank.
The cost - £799 + vat, 60l of fuel, a bottle of Redex cleaner and 1/2 a day off work (Well not quite as a bit of paperwork done while I was waiting)
So I think I had a lucky escape. Highly recommend this company www.fuelfixer.co.uk
Who else is brave enough to admit doing this?
Fuel Fixer got me out of a bind. I’d rate them - decent response time for a regional firm.
78l of petrol and, like you, the engine wasn’t started.

I didn’t pay as much as you, mind - £210?
 
Fuel Fixer got me out of a bind. I’d rate them - decent response time for a regional firm.
78l of petrol and, like you, the engine wasn’t started.

I didn’t pay as much as you, mind - £210?
I dont think petrol is as big a job. Just drain the tank if not started. No need for flushing the fuel lines, maybe AdBlue causes bigger problems, potentially
 
I don’t know why but today I put about 4 litres of Adblue in the Diesel tank instead of the Adblue tank. I know - how can you do that? Well I did in a mad moment whilst doing about 5 other things at the same time.
The tank was filled up yesterday and I’d done 32 miles. In went 4 litres of Adblue (Still can’t believe I did it) I didn't start the engine. So realising what I’d done phoned AA. They said they can’t help. They can only do petrol in diesel or vice versa.
So I then phoned my usual dealer and said if I can get van to them they can sort BUT they could not look at it until Monday and probably would want 2 days to sort it as they would have to remove tank and flush and flush fuel lines and fit new filter and check fuel pumps and common rail after flushing and filling with clean fuel and more doom and gloom etc etc.. The last one they done was £1800 and it had been started but not driven. I was then looking at hiring a van which would set me back another about £400.
So I called a mate in the trucking business who knows of this happening and he gave me the number of a company called Fuel Fixer. After a chat they said they could sort it and fixed cost would be £799+Vat. They could be with me within 2 hours and they could sort it in 2-3hours.
So I decided to give them a go……..
50 mins later I get a call to say they are 15 mins away and 15 mins later 2 guys arrive in a Caddy. Small van I thought but once they opened it up and got going it was packed with a large tank and a pump & hoses so I left them to it and after about and hour I had an update that they had cleaned out the tank and fuel Ines and now needed to flush out the fuel lines and filter and check the pump. They then had to pop out to get 20l of diesel as they’d used what they had on board. 15 mins later they were back. 30 mins later I heard the old girl turning over a few times and the she was away. They then ran it for about 20 secs and then switched off checking the lines. After doing this 3 or 4 times they reconnected everything and put a fuel cleaner in the tank. After thoroughly cleaning around the fuel pump and the other areas they had worked in they asked me to take her for a run round the block which took about 10 mins. All was fine and by the time I had got back they had cleared up and were ready to leave. I was advised to run what was in the tank as low as possible (about 15l) and then half fill the tank, run that down and add some diesel fuel cleaner (They recommended the Redex one) run that as low as possible and then fill up again using the fuel cleaner and hopefully that would do the job. Also they fitteJob time 2hrs 20mins.
So the 15l they put in used up, some Redex and 35l in and about 10 miles done she is as good as new.
So - today’s lesson - pay attention and don’t put Adblue in the Diesel tank.
The cost - £799 + vat, 60l of fuel, a bottle of Redex cleaner and 1/2 a day off work (Well not quite as a bit of paperwork done while I was waiting)
So I think I had a lucky escape. Highly recommend this company www.fuelfixer.co.uk
Who else is brave enough to admit doing this?
did that a few weeks ago

pretty much did a 50/50 fill in the tank

the stuff turns to almost wax if left too long, and god help you if you try n drive it

decided, that during a lapse in concentration, to fill the diesel tank up with adblue
couple of hrs later, and 600 notes lighter, all back on track

thank fook i didnt even bother starting the engine up after realising the error of my ways, or the bill could have gone up quite dramatically
even if it meant blocking the yard tank and causing mayhem for the night shift who struggled to get to the pump
:fast rofl:
:fast rofl:


actually gunna give a shout out to " Fuel Fixers" for their prompt attendance and service, even if they aint cheap
 
It’s a horrible big bill but could have been so much worse. I guess with the AdBlue in there the action of opening the drivers door can sometimes prime the fuel system and could therefore suck some of the AdBlue in to the fuel lines without even starting, so the best option is to strip and flush it all through as Fuel Fixers did but it’s quite a job to do properly, and that all adds up.
 
Wow, you got away really lucky, assuming no further complications.

A numpty that worked for me put 10l of adblue in his diesel tank and then drove off, coming to an abrupt halt about 100m down the road. He turned the van over and over trying to get it to restart without any luck. The van was on lease and went back to the supplying dealer where we ended up with a bill for £7000, obviously the main dealer wanted to do a thorough job as it was one of their own vans and only about a year old.
A friend of mine did similar, adblue in the fuel tank, 1 mile down road and over 7k bill from Mercedes, 4x4 truck and expensive lesson learnt
 
Adblue is 67% water so Diesel will float on top of the Adblue.
IF the fuel pick up was slightly higher in the tank it would reduce the chance of water / Adblue being pumped into the system......but it isn’t. I’ve been low on fuel and put 76L into my 80L tank.
It would be a simple job to retrofit a water sensor in the Diesel tank and potentially save thousands.
 
Adblue is 67% water so Diesel will float on top of the Adblue.
IF the fuel pick up was slightly higher in the tank it would reduce the chance of water / Adblue being pumped into the system......but it isn’t. I’ve been low on fuel and put 76L into my 80L tank.
It would be a simple job to retrofit a water sensor in the Diesel tank and potentially save thousands.
Good idea. Or you could trim an inch off the pickup pipe, it would reduce the effective tank size but more importantly the change of sucking contamination etc from the bottom of the tank.
 
So two top tips if the unfortunate happens

1) Dont open the drivers door (primes fuel pump)

2) Dont start the engine.

When people do put it in the wrong orifice, is it pumped adblu on the forecourt or from a bottle? Just trying to understand? I can see why if the pumped adblu has a similar nozzle to the fuel pumps.

Ian
 
Good idea. Or you could trim an inch off the pickup pipe, it would reduce the effective tank size but more importantly the change of sucking contamination etc from the bottom of the tank.
From what I remember there is no pick up pipe as such, the pump sits low in the tank. Raising the pump with an adapter might be possible if there is enough clearance under the floor.
Ideally there would be a small drop down sump on the tank where sediment / water could be drained off. This could be achieved by piping off the lowest point in tank to an addition slightly lower tank, nominal 3L say. With the top of the small tank vented back to main tank water would find it’s way to the lowest point.
 
lt's a big bill you don't need, but as already said it sounds like you were lucky and got away with no engine damage.
Lucky you didn't start it, then you may have had a bill of ten times what you paid!
 
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