Dealer Service Dept States Unleaded Gas Found In Fuel Tank

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crash68

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I have seen a few people grab the Green Diesel nozzle and almost inserted it till I said something !
Go to a typical BP gas station, you better be grabbing the black handle for diesel and green for gas .. yeah they have the handle colors backwards
BPdiesel.jpg

technically diesel nozzles are slightly larger and should not fit in a gas vehicle but a gas nozzle will fit in a diesel.
There is a different size diesel retail pump handle but that's not actually enforced to use it for diesel.
The commercial diesel pumps are a different story, so is the speed at which the fuel flows.
 

crash68

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@Goose55 pull your own sample from the tank and or fuel filters and have it analysed yourself. There was a member on a EcoDiesel forum that the dealer claimed there was gas in the fuel and wanted several thousand to fix, that member pulled a sample from the truck. "Mysteriously" the vehicle was covered under warranty two days later.
 

Rado

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Go to a typical BP gas station, you better be grabbing the black handle for diesel and green for gas .. yeah they have the handle colors backwards
View attachment 240005


There is a different size diesel retail pump handle but that's not actually enforced to use it for diesel.
The commercial diesel pumps are a different story, so is the speed at which the fuel flows.

:O Yea no color code for Diesel :( Funny the BP Pump has a Green frame around that Black nozzle lol
They really need to make a standard color for Diesel and Gas ! Up here in Maine Diesel is mainly Green but sometime yellow !
 

Gr8bawana

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The tanker truck & driver that supplies the fuel to the stations in your area, pumped the wrong fuel into the stations diesel tank
It happens much more often than you would believe.
Usually the trucker makes a mistake & puts Regular gas into the Premium tank or some variable of that.
They are suppose to report the mistake immediately to the Station Attendant so they can shut of any pumps that draw fuel from the contaminated tank. Then the driver reports it to the owner of the trucking company.
The trucking outfit then comes out to the gas station & suction all the fuel out of that stations tank & purge the pipes.

If this had happened there would have been hundreds or even thousands of people with the same problem. That is VERY unlikely.
Also there is a very big difference between putting premium gas in a regular tank as opposed to the trucker putting diesel into a gasoline tank.
My guess is that it was a moment of absent mindedness by the OP. :hat:
 
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GTyankee

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If the fuel supplier did put the wrong fuel in that Diesel tank & didn't report it.
You can bet that the Radio, Tv, Newspapers, & Social Media would make mention of it.

There would not be many complaints about Premium Fuel being in the Regular tank
 

5150Eddie

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I would say it's error by the OP also. I made the mistake of grabbing the green handle once and pumped at least 15 gallons of gas in my 1/4 tank of diesel. Once I realized, it was too late. Luckily I was only 1/4 mile from my house so drove home and drained what I could from the tank, refilled with new diesel and two bottles of 2 cycle oil. (Used drained fuel for chainsaws and weedeater).Truck never missed a beat. Now I check every time to make sure it's diesel.
 

Dusty

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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 ???

Is there anyone in your life that's p---ed off at you?

Regards,
Dusty
2019 Ram 1500 Billet Silver Laramie Quad Cab 2WD, 5.7 Hemi, 8HP75, 3.21 axle, 33 gallon fuel tank, factory dual exhaust, 18” wheels. Build date: 03 June 2018. Now at: 047090 miles.
 

Michoan1011

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Honestly I’d pull your own sample and have it tested, I’ve known a few “techs” at the Avondale location and I wouldn’t trust them to check my tire pressure. Take it over to the dealer in Peoria on Bell Rd, it may be out of your way but you’ll run into less shady “professionals”
 

Lardog888

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What test did the dealer use to determine that the fuel was contaminated with gasoline? A smell test? Worthless in my opinion.

Get the sample they gave you tested by a lab. Also, you can do a self test by putting a piece of Styrofoam cup in the fuel for a few days. If it melts or deforms, there's likely gasoline contamination; Styrofoam is unaffected by diesel fuel.
 

Lonnie cox

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I’d say you mistakenly put unleaded gas into your tank it happens more than you would think. Especially if you are new to the diesel world and were used to using the unleaded nosel.
 

ts27330

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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 ???
 

ts27330

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Could be the fuel delivery truck dropped the wrong fuel in the wrong tanks at the store. If possible check to see if store had tanker truck delivery near the time you purchased fuel. If this happened, the store should reimburse you for repairs. This happened to my brother.
In a past life I worked corporate office for a convenience store chain, and this does happen.
Company insurance would pay for repairs.
 
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Garry71

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fuel haulers sometimes cross dump(wrong product in the in the wrong drop tank). Check with the store and make sure they haven't had recent mixed drop.
Always buy diesel from a store that either treats the diesel with algee control or from a station that moves a lot of diesel. Most modern diesel runs at least 5% bio diesel in it, some state and stations run as much as 20% bio diesel. Bio diesel tends to grow algee when it sets.
 
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Goose55

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I now no longer trust my nose. I drip a bit of what is in the nozzle/ hose into a small metal cap and from inside the bed of the truck (out of any wind or breeze) try to ignite it with a lighter. If it does not ignite to a flame, it's diesel fuel.
 

GrumpyOleMan

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I now no longer trust my nose. I drip a bit of what is in the nozzle/ hose into a small metal cap and from inside the bed of the truck (out of any wind or breeze) try to ignite it with a lighter. If it does not ignite to a flame, it's diesel fuel.

I hope this was meant to be some type of twisted humor...

DO NOT BE LIGHTING FUEL IN AN OPEN CONTAINER AT THE PUMP.

There are far better ways to check the fuel.
 

crash68

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I hope this was meant to be some type of twisted humor...
There are videos proving that something like this is not the case. It wouldn't be a problem if they were only endangering themselves.
 

tjfdesmo

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You can test the specific gravity of the fuel sample with a hydrometer. There are normal ranges for each fuel, and diesel will test "heavier" than gasoline. If the sample is "lighter" than the normal range for #2 it could be cut with gas, but also bear in mind winterized diesel is already cut with #1, which is kerosene.
 

Gr8bawana

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I now no longer trust my nose. I drip a bit of what is in the nozzle/ hose into a small metal cap and from inside the bed of the truck (out of any wind or breeze) try to ignite it with a lighter. If it does not ignite to a flame, it's diesel fuel.

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