Pouring diesel into a cars fuel tank using a plastic fuel can.

Laurence_Harvey

Can a standard plastic 5L fuel container be used to pour diesel  into a car’s  fuel tank?

The car’s fuel tank has a flap that prevents the plastic filler nozzle from entering the fuel filler pipe.

Any suggestions please?

The plastic fuel can is similar to this.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/11017006597?iid=371744458373&thm=5000

 

marlot

If it's a Ford, they have a safety system to stop you putting a petrol-sized nozzle in.

Otherwise, it's usually a matter of pushing the fuel can nozzle past the flap.

Iceweasel

I have no problem using a can like that - on a BMW.

What make and model car do you have?

Sandtree

Laurence_Harvey said:

Can a standard plastic 5L fuel container be used to pour diesel  into a car’s  fuel tank?

The car’s fuel tank has a flap that prevents the plastic filler nozzle from entering the fuel filler pipe.

Any suggestions please?

The plastic fuel can is similar to this.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/11017006597?iid=371744458373&thm=5000

 

May be better to explain the motivation behind the Q... at a petrol station the nose on a diesel pump is larger and prevents accidental missfueling. This can obviously be bypassed by use of a funnel etc.

A "standard" fuel container will have a pipe around the size of a petrol pump or slightly smaller and so naturally can be used to pour whatever liquid you want into the tank... even if it had a larger or no pipe this is still able to circumvent the protection by use of a funnel again. 

Laurence_Harvey

OP, here... ..Thanks for the replies. The car  is a 2017 Mini diesel.

Had another look and the ‘flap’ covering the entrance to the fuel tank  and it definitely won’t open no matter how hard you press against it.

I now know the reason why! There is a small ‘tab’  inside the fuel filler pipe (at 6-o’clock immediately adjacent to the flap) and when that  tab is  depressed the flap will open easily.

It’s a bit fiddly keeping the tab depressed and getting the plastic nozzle inside the fuel tank though.

Has  anyone perfected a technique?

 eta.

The diesel nozzles on fuel station pumps are presumably?? correctly sized  so they fully depress the ‘tab’ which will then automatically  release the entrance flap.

Perhaps, the diameter of my plastic fuel can nozzle is just a bit too small to fully depress the safety 'tab'. 

I guess it must be an ‘additional’  safety feature to prevent incorrect fuelling and tampering. 

Neil49

marlot said:

If it's a Ford, they have a safety system to stop you putting a petrol-sized nozzle in.

Otherwise, it's usually a matter of pushing the fuel can nozzle past the flap.

Ford supply a plastic pipe that you insert into the entrance to the tank in order to override the safety system allowing you to add fuel from a can. They are different diameters depending on the fuel used. 

Richard53

Neil49 said:

marlot said:

If it's a Ford, they have a safety system to stop you putting a petrol-sized nozzle in.

Otherwise, it's usually a matter of pushing the fuel can nozzle past the flap.

Ford supply a plastic pipe that you insert into the entrance to the tank in order to override the safety system allowing you to add fuel from a can. They are different diameters depending on the fuel used. 

This. I bought one when I had an older Fiesta and I have kept it from car to car ever since. The filler on the Ford was impossible to open with just the spout from a 5l can (I didn't know about the little tab, though) but with the Ford device it was easy. Might make a big difference if you're trying to fill from a plastic can on a rainy night with no street lighting.

The Ford nozzles are a couple of quid on eBay.