Everyone has moments when their minds drift to happier thoughts, causing them to do something silly without knowing. Most of our blunders are minor and don’t have ramifications that could cost us thousands of dollars. What you need to know about putting diesel in a gas car will prove it’s not one of those trivial mishaps.

How the Fuel Differs

The main distinction between diesel and gasoline is their density. Ordinary gasoline is relatively thin and smells similar to paint thinner, while diesel is thicker and smells like kerosene. The average person may be unable to smell the difference, but a brief whiff and swirl in a gas canister aren’t fooling a car aficionado.

Another difference between the two is how we classify them. Gasoline is flammable, while diesel is combustible. Those two terms are first in the line for synonyms, but they are not the same despite what the fine folks at Merriam-Webster tell you.

Flammable vs. Combustion

We also refer to gasoline engines as internal combustion engines (ICE). Because of the flammability of the gas, it burns the fuel as it flows to the engine. Spark plugs ignite the fuel, resulting in the subsequent combustion that pushes the cylinders into the engine block. The actions of the cylinders also turn the crankshaft, which causes another cylinder to move further upward or downward. If all that checks out, your engine should be purring with the best of them.

The counterparts of ICE are compression ignition engines (CIE). Diesel engines work like ICE, but there is one glaring difference. While gas engines require spark plugs, diesel engines have glow plugs. A diesel engine works from compression ignition of fuel and air. The piston draws air into the cylinder chamber before the fuel injector delivers diesel into the heated air, causing the fuel to combust with the tremendous heat.

What Should You Do?

Now that you have a basic understanding between gas and diesel, you might wonder what to do if you accidentally grab the wrong pump and fill your four-door sedan with diesel. The first thing you should do is not panic. You aren’t the first person to make this mistake, nor will you be the last. However, it’s critical that you don’t start the car. If you were in the dark about your error and you did start the engine, it would turn over and clog the fuel system, potentially leading to severe damage to the engine block.

Hopefully, you make this mistake with no plans ahead of you because you will need to hire a tow to ensure trained mechanics can remove the diesel fuel from the tank. After a professional mechanic rids your tank of diesel, they will put gasoline in the tank and start the car. Assuming everything is A-okay, your car should start without an issue, sans the possibility of black smoke coming from the exhaust. There’s no need to worry about that because it’s only the remnants of diesel burning off.

The most important thing you need to know about putting diesel in a gas caris not to start it. If you refrain from doing that and take the appropriate action, you can laugh at your lapse in judgment.

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