Diesel + petrol

Baldytyke88

I have just put £9 worth of petrol in my 2013 2.0 Vivaro, it was almost empty; I then filled it up with £100 worth of diesel.

A 4 mile drive home and all is ok so far. I believe that the petrol will float on the diesel, but gradually mix with the diesel.

Will it be ok or do I need to flush? I have never done this before, is it done more often by oldies?

Mildly_Miffed

Let's put that in litres...

Assuming current RAC averages of £1.35/petrol and £1.43/diesel, we're talking about just over 6.5 litres of petrol and 70 litres of diesel. 90 litre tank, so there was about 13 litres in there beforehand, and you took it to brim?
So about 7% petrol and 93% diesel. And you can regard it as mixed - just pouring the petrol in will have done a good job of mixing with what was left, then splashing another 70 litres of diesel on top of the 20 litres of 2:1 diesel:petrol will have thoroughly blended it.

I wouldn't worry too much, but I'd probably brim it a few times once it gets down to about 3/4 to bring that %age down. If damage were to be done, you've already done it.

Common rail diesel high pressure pumps work with EXTREMELY close tolerances to get the 2,000bar injection pressures. Diesel lubricates them, petrol strips the lubrication off.

The real fun and games starts if the pump does wear rapidly, because the fine swarf goes somewhere... into the fuel rail, the injectors, back to the tank via the leak-off pipes, then into the lift pump and back around again, exacerbating the wear. That's why manufacturer warranties charge for a COMPLETE fuel system replacement after a misfuel. Which would write off a 12yo van. Even before you get the fun and games of removing the rusted-in injectors out of a Vivaro head...

QrizB

As above, petrol will mix with diesel just as easily as milk mixes with water. You won't ever have had a separate layer of one floating on the other.

I imagine you'll get away with it, and if you're not going to get away with it it's too late to avoid damage now.