Dealer Service Dept States Unleaded Gas Found In Fuel Tank

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GTyankee

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I sometimes fill up in Oregon & New Jersey
In New Jersey the pump attendants look like they sleep under bridges or the oil pit
In Oregon i had to walk into the store to tell them how much fuel i wanted & they would not give me my credit card back until the attendant signaled the store clerk.

I have been told in both States, that i could go pump my fuel at a different station, because i declined to have their attendant touch my trucks
 

GTyankee

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Goose55
I would not worry about Carfx or any of those reporting companies.
Putting gas into a diesel powered vehicle does not harm the Engines bottom end. That would be harmful having the bearings washed out with gasoline.

The gasoline went through plumbing & filters, they were flushed or replaced
 

Rlaf75

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Something doesn't sound right with the Op's story. It's also suspicious that he pumps a little into a paper towel and smells it before he pumps it into the truck. To me that would indicate that he's made that mistake before and is worried about doing it again. In my opinion it was operator error
 

Tim7139

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Smokeybear01

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You can pump your own diesel in Oregon and most attendants appreciate it when you do, especially if they're busy.

After reading a prior post about using a lighter to test the fuel first, I'll be keeping a watchful eye on anyone fueling in front of me. People sitting in their rigs smoking is enough to send me down the road.
 

sandawilliams

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Here, in Arizona, the diesel nozzle handles are green. And, I ALWAYS 1st squirt a bit into a paper towel and smell it, before filling up. Problem is, now I am realizing that what I am smelling in the paper towel can still be contaminated w/ unleaded because of the distinct smell of diesel in it.

Albeit, now I have an almost brand new Laramie 3500 with a maintenance/ service record that is marred with fuel contamination. If ever I wanted to sell the truck, the info is public record with Car Fax
Same thing happened to 2 different people I know. Testing showed no gas in the diesel in their trucks. It's a cheap test and well worth the 4-5 day wait for results. As it turns out neither one had gas in the diesel. The shops were trying to rip them off as a cheap 50.00 part was all that was needed.
 
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Gas station worker here-. Mixing in the tanks (putting gas into diesel) is unlikely, but can happen if you have a new driver. Every place I've worked we did tank reads before and after the fuel delivery to verify that 1) the right product went into the right tank and 2) that we weren't cheated by the delivery company. If this did happen, it probably happened at the refinery.
What I have seen is delivery drivers interchange the hoses (use the gas hose for diesel) which would lead to smell varience, but be less than a 1% contamination considering the volume of the tank.

And yes a diesel fuel nozzle will fit into a gasoline tank under certain circumstances. I've been asked many times what's wrong with the pump, it will only let me pick diesel and had to tell people to use the ugly black hose instead of the pretty green one.
 

Gr8bawana

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Gas station worker here-. Mixing in the tanks (putting gas into diesel) is unlikely, but can happen if you have a new driver. Every place I've worked we did tank reads before and after the fuel delivery to verify that 1) the right product went into the right tank and 2) that we weren't cheated by the delivery company. If this did happen, it probably happened at the refinery.
What I have seen is delivery drivers interchange the hoses (use the gas hose for diesel) which would lead to smell varience, but be less than a 1% contamination considering the volume of the tank.

And yes a diesel fuel nozzle will fit into a gasoline tank under certain circumstances. I've been asked many times what's wrong with the pump, it will only let me pick diesel and had to tell people to use the ugly black hose instead of the pretty green one.
I suspect it was 100% operator error by the OP.
 

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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.

I usually use the pump that says Diesel above it, regardless of the color of the handle. =o)...
 

rickjkline

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I used to work for a small fuel station chain, I was the Fuel Manager ordering fuel for all stations and also dispatching our fleet of fuel trucks. I did have multiple times where a driver mistakenly dropped gas in fuel tanks and vise versa. We usually found out right away and could resolve the issue by halting sales until it could be removed and replaced. I would bet that is what happened. A driver, by accident dropped gas in that fuel tank.
 

Justin33

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: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 !
Was just gonna say that I know most are green here in Maine, how the hell does BP use black for diesel?
 

Rado

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Was just gonna say that I know most are green here in Maine, how the hell does BP use black for diesel?
Yup in Bangor IRVING and everyone else I have seen use GREEN for Diesel ! I wonder how may have put gas in their Diesels or Diesel in their gas :O
 

Justin33

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Yup in Bangor IRVING and everyone else I have seen use GREEN for Diesel ! I wonder how may have put gas in their Diesels or Diesel in their gas :O
Think I have seen both sued but you are right yellow and green. Should be some sort of standard.
 

18CrewDually

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I sometimes fill up in Oregon & New Jersey
In New Jersey the pump attendants look like they sleep under bridges or the oil pit
In Oregon i had to walk into the store to tell them how much fuel i wanted & they would not give me my credit card back until the attendant signaled the store clerk.

I have been told in both States, that i could go pump my fuel at a different station, because i declined to have their attendant touch my trucks

Just fyi, In NJ it is completely legal to pump your own diesel and actually at WAWAs it is advertised self serve and you would not get an attendant unless you cry for help.
 

06 Dodge

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Just fyi, In NJ it is completely legal to pump your own diesel and actually at WAWAs it is advertised self serve and you would not get an attendant unless you cry for help.
I'm in Oregon and I pump my own diesel and its been legal that way for a few years, I have pulled up to the pumps many times an have been asked by the attendant if I wanted it filled Regular or Premium grrr so when I'm in wife's car have a hard time not filling it my self....
 

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Just a heads up- if you travel to Iceland and rent a car most are diesel. Another fine thing is their diesel pumps are black handles and gas are green. That lesson cost me about $1200.00
 

Gr8bawana

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I'm in Oregon and I pump my own diesel and its been legal that way for a few years, I have pulled up to the pumps many times an have been asked by the attendant if I wanted it filled Regular or Premium grrr so when I'm in wife's car have a hard time not filling it my self....
I can't remember the last time I saw an actual gas attendant besides the cashier because they're all mini-marts these days.
We've been pumping our own fuel forever, gas or diesel.
 

Brent 1955

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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 ???
You have any enemies. There are a lot of stupid people out there anymore.
 
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