This is a very easy mistake to make and the car will refuse to run as a result. There are factors that could cause this to happen. As an example, drivers may have both gasoline and diesel carts at home. Due to memory lapse, they choose the wrong type of fuel at the pump. This could also happen when you borrow a diesel car and quickly assume that it runs on gasoline. This could happen with new diesel cars that have modern diesel engines that sound like normal gasoline engines. Foreign drivers may also not be aware of the color codes on the pump nozzles. Poor concentration and general fatigue during long distance trips could also cause people to choose the wrong type of fuel. Stress and work pressure could cause distractions as well.
You should know what will happen when gasoline is put into a diesel fuel system. Unleaded gasoline has lower lubrication properties compared to diesel fuel. It means that there will be contact between metal surfaces inside the diesel engine. This could cause metal components to grind against one another. At high rpm, these components may start to break apart and small fragments will be produced, further contaminating the overall operations. These fragments cause more serious damage and blockages. Also, unleaded gasoline will become a solvent when it meets the seals in diesel fuel system. This could cause total degradation in performance and damage will accumulate. Most of the time, the engine will start and run briefly, then it will stall.
Once you realize that you have made a mistake, you shouldn’t attempt to restart the engine. This will further damage the internal systems. You shouldn’t turn the ignition on, because you will prime the low pressure fuel pump. Remove the key and do the next step. You should inform the staff to help you to push the car to a safe place. It is a good idea if you put up the reflective triangle, especially during the night. Your best bet is to call an emergency service and explain what’s happening to your car. You should ask the emergency service whether they know how to deal with contaminated fuel system. The service will tow your car to their shop to start the repair process. The first thing to do is to flush the fuel system and you need to make sure that these professionals are capable of doing that.
This is done by draining the wrong type of fuel from the system. The next step is to inject the correct type of fuel to the system. Hopefully, this will flush traces of wrong fuel, fragments and other contaminants. If there’s no metal fragment detected and it appears that the engine the engine is still intact, the mechanic will start the engine. If you are lucky, the car will run normally again. If it is confirmed that the engine is damaged and metal fragments are found, the mechanic will need to check the extent of the damage. They may replace damaged components inside the engine. In more serious cases, the engine will need to be replaced.