My 2019 3500 6.7 High Output with only 5,200 miles on it was yesterday found to have unleaded fuel in the fuel tank and the service advisor brought me a plastic bottle with about a cup of what they say was found in the tank. He asked me to smell it and I was not sure what I was smelling. They state it will be about a $900 repair to disconnect and clean out the tank and fuel system including 2 new fuel filters. My most worrisome thought is this will show up on any Car Facts search of the vin and if I were to ever sell the vehicle, resale value will take a HUGE hit.
A little history:
1) They let me keep the bottle and later in daylight this fuel they say was from the tank has a light green-ish amber color.
2) vehicle 1st started running rough with periodic hard starts the day after I topped off the tank on 2/18/21 with about 15 gallons from our only local Shell Mart (my go to place for fuel because they just had new tanks installed a couple few months ago). My 2019 Ram tank holds 32 gallons. Though there were no messages being displayed and the engine data cluster screen showed everything normal, I though this, at 5,200 miles, might a DPF regen. So, I drove at a constant 2,000 rpm for about 30 miles. When I returned home, I still had the same performance issues.
3) So, my next thought was maybe I got GAS from that Shell diesel pump. I immediately went back to the same exact pump, entered my card and squeezed out $0 worth of the fuel into a paper towel. Unmistakable diesel smell and feel.
4) By the time I got the truck into Larry H Miller Avondale Ram, it had been showing these symptoms, and driven approx 200 miles.
Question: I always smell the fuel in a paper towel before I fill my tank. How could that same Shell Diesel pump have had Diesel at the start of my refueling on 2/19 and then unleaded for the remaining 15 gallons? And more unbelievably, have diesel in it the very next morning ??
I take great care and pride in maintaining my 2019 5th gen. If what the Dealer Service Dept is telling me is true, how in the world did that Bosch PP4.2 fuel pump hold up for 200 miles with what they are saying was as much as a 50:50 mix of diesel and unleaded ???
* As what may be an all important "side note," at the advice of a Ram Cummins Diesel Tech friend back in Mississippi, I do always add 2 ounces of Lucas Cetane Power Booster to every single gallon of diesel I purchase. The Service Manager at Larry Miller confirmed that this is a very good product for not only the Cetane boost but also the effective lubricants in it. Did Lucas save my butt ??
MYSTERY QUESTION: Where in the world did the gasoline they say was in my tank come from ???