unleaded in my diesel xc90!!!!

[millspeed88]

Hi all, I have only just joined the forum and am already in need of help. I have an xc90 that my dear dear mrs has filled with unleaded. Not only did she fill it from empty to full, but she also drove it 7 miles!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I had it recovered home and have drained every last ounce of fuel out of the tank. Since refilling it with the correct fuel, I have been able to start and drive it with no apparent problems. Or so i thought.... I left it parked for about 20 mins only to find that the bugger would not start. I had driven it 25 miles or so but I think that the fuel is draining back as it did start by bleeding off the injectors. Can anybody tell me where the non return valve is? I have a feeling that it may be in the pump and has been damaged. I cannot even begin to think about what volvo will charge so I thought I would try and sort it with a little help. I have heard from a work mate that he had a similar problem on his BMW and that needed a new engine!!!.....
Any help or advise on the return valve will be a start.
regards
Steve Miller

[louis]

i will be really surprised if you will need a new engine, or non return valve, i have known at least 9 instances of people putting petrol in diesels and none of then caused any terminal damage, if you think the fuel is draining back did you disturbe any fuel line connections when you drained the petrol, it won't take much of a air leak to cause your engine not to run

[millspeed88]

Thanks for your swift reply louis, I am most grateful. The only pipework I touched was the main feed into the fuel pump. Its a small rubber pipe located just under what looks like a solenoid and it goes in horizontaly. I recently invested in a very smart "liquid extraction machine! which I just connected to the feed pipe and it drew all of the fuel out just as it would if it were running. I did at first however connect the extractor to the return pipe which is situated on the left (as your looking at the engine) of the "distribution rail" (I think) but was unable to pump any at all obviously due to the return having a one way valve of some sort. I cannot see that I have disturbed any other pipe work but I will re check this morning.
Regards
Steve

[Rooster]

There usually not bad when there filled with petrol, btw its alot easier and cheaper just to take fuel filter off, infront of o/s/r wheel and let it drain itself,

I'd try changing fuel filter first then, if its still the same then it may need a set of injecters, but i carn't see it.

Another thing never crack off the high pressure pipes onto injecters as they have very very very high fuel pressure and you don't need to you just bleed it by turning igntion on till its bleed itself up then crank it till it starts.

[millspeed88]

Hi all, Just thought I would update you lot (whoever is interested obviously) on what I found this morning. I went to the car to see if there was any chance of it starting after being left overnight and when I turned on the ignition, I heard the electric pump buzzing in the fuel tank. Nothing wrong there I hear you say but it went on for about a minute and was accompanied by a bubbling/dripping sound from inside the tank!!.... I wondered whether something had come off in or on the it-tank pump that is allowing the fuel to drain back into the tank. I have never heard the pump buzz for as long as it did this morning. Any one had the tank/fuel pump out??? It dont look like a very nice job to me............

[Rooster]

I've just had a thought i know why your car won't start, cos its still got half a tank of petrol in it.

XC90's have twin tanks, fuel tank split in 2 due to AWD system and simply sucking fuel out won't empty the hole tank just half of it.

Get a battery charger connect it to the battery (on battery under bonnet don't matter) then remove fuel filter and put something to drain diesel into underneath and switch ignition on and let the fuel pump drain tank of fuel.

As its draining tank it will be balencing them out with fuel so will empty both tanks instead of just the o/s one, you will have to keep turning ignition on and off as pump cuts off after 2 minutes.

[perussell]

Sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings, but I beg to disagree with some of the above and would suggest you have completely damaged your engine. Putting diesel into a petrol engine is bad enough but not terminal, putting petrol into a diesel engine is terminal!
The general advice is that if you realise that you have filled with petrol in a diesel you should not even start the engine!
The petrol will have insufficient lubricity to lubricate your diesel injectors and having driven the vehicle even a few yards will have caused damage. There has been a lot of info in the press about this but you likely need a complete engine rebuild (at the top end at least), typically £1000+.
You have likely invalidated your warranty as well.
Suggest you talk to your dealer or if you prefer an independent opinion talk to the AA or RAC - they will likely tell you exactly the same as above.
(I hope I am wrong but I really don't think so)

Is the engine damaged? Hard to tell. Depends on so many things, like how much diesel was in it at the time and how far was driven. Putting petrol into a diesel is more common than one would think actually... why oh why can't they change the pump nozzles to make it not possible to do this?!

I knew a guy once who filled his diesel van right up to the top with petrol. But he still managed to drive it about 3/4 mile to the mechanic's house. Once all the tank was emptied (the hard way, no drain plug and anti-syphon fitted apparantly) and re-filled with diesel then everything was fine.

So hopefully you did get away with it. And if you did, and you don't tell the dealer, then who is going to know you ever made this mistake? And if they don't know, they can't invalidate the warranty, can they?!!