Diesel fuel contamination

What engine damage did you incur? Was there physical mechanical damage done to any components? The fuel system can usually be flushed out.

There are many instances of cross fuel contamination that occur all the time, usually causing the engine not to run or run well. A fuel system flush, filter replacements, and as long as no major damage was caused from extended running, you should be fine. Four thousand seems a lot high.

I'm surprised your Corolla even started with diesel fuel.

It would seem whoever did the contamination is responsible. It depends on the state in which you live. The dealer might be right about the insurance picking up the tab.

Jeff

I should say I loaned my car which only gets unleaded fuel until diesel was added. The car apparently stopped running after a few miles and towed back to the dealership in So. Calif where I bought it. They diagnosed the problem for a couple of days and said that the fuel injection, fuel pump, plugs, catalytic converter, exhaust system, etc.were all damaged beyond repair and needed to be replaced. I guess the fuel filter could not minimize the damage? I'm sure they saw a 'cash cow' when they got my car! But if my insurance will not cover, I'm hoping in the interest of keeping my business, the dealer will trim the cost if I pay out of pocket or find a qualified mechanic who will save me $$$.

I would talk to the person who filled the car with diesel.

BTW, your car only got unleaded fuel. Diesel does not have lead in it either.

First, who put the Diesel in the fuel tank, and how did it get there? Was this someone who filled the car from the wrong pump, or was the gasoline contaminated inside the gas station storage tank?

Establish who is going to get the bill before you begin. If it's the gas station or the refinery or the tank truck company, they can waste all the money they want on fixing it, or they can scrap it and replace the car if they wish. But if you are going to end up getting stuck with the repair bill, do it the sensible way.

If this was done by a person you loaned the car to, they are on the hook, period, end of discussion. That's why there are stickers on the fuel door that say "Unleaded Gasoline Only" or "Diesel Fuel Only."

Don't try to soak them for unnecessary repairs, but make them understand that when they screw up, they need to own the screw-up and make good for it somehow. They owe you big time, and you will take E-Z monthly payments or let them work it off if needed - they can mow your lawn for the next 10 or 20 years...

Start with simply dropping the fuel tank (or open the fuel pump port on top and siphon it out) draining out the contaminated fuel, and rinse the tank with fresh gasoline. Change the fuel filter, flush the fuel lines. Check the electric in-tank fuel pump and the gauge sender for function before putting the tank back in.

Change the engine oil and filter in case any unburned diesel got past the piston rings and diluted the oil.

Flush out the fuel rail at the pressure test port, and the fuel return line from the pressure regulator back to the tank. After that, the engine should be able to mix in and burn up any small traces of diesel (under 2%) with the gasoline as it runs - you just have to get all the pure stuff out of the system.

Then put fresh gasoline in and start it up, have the mechanic give it a very thorough check-over. Once it's running if there is any more engine damage or real problems, it can be found and fixed as it is identified. If the catalytic converters are wrecked, the Oxygen Sensors will figure it out and throw up a fault code soon enough - and if the catalyst matrix is partly melted that will restrict the exhaust and can be detected.

I wouldn't freak about the EFI or catalyst being "wrecked" or other internal engine damage, because there may not be any. You don't tear the entire car down to the frame rails and waste several thousands of dollars on new parts on a "maybe" guess - get it running and find out. Diesel isn't radically different chemically from gasoline, it's just too heavy a petroleum fraction to light off easily with the spark and compression available in a gasoline engine block. The second the diesel got to the injector rails it probably just sputtered and ran like crud for a few seconds and died right there.

The dealer is invariably going to give you the most expensive estimate possible and change everything that could possibly be affected, because they don't know what's really wrong till they tear it down (or get it running and diagnose it from there) and they do not want to chance missing a single possible problem.

And economy isn't the dealer's problem, they'll get paid handsomely by someone for all the work they do. Necessary or not.

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Your new car warranty does not cover damage due to the use of improper products. For example, if you used steel wool to clean dirt off of the paint and scratched the paint, the paint is not defective. The fuel filler door has a label indicating that only unleaded gasoline should be used.

The mistake of using diesel fuel in a gasoline engine is not very common so not many shops have experience in dealing with it. I doubt if the entire fuel system has to be replaced. Ask them to drain the fuel tank, flush the fuel lines and injector rail, and replace the fuel filter. You will probably have to pay a fee to dispose of the contaminated fuel. The car should start. Worst case, you may have to replace the catalytic converter(s) and fuel injectors, but I doubt it.

Is this person a licensed driver?

Take your vehicle somewhere else for an estimate. Tell them what you want done. Just have them flush out the diesel and change the fuel filter as I and Ray mentioned in our posts. Four thousand dollars is absurd IMHO.

How did they fill the car with diesel fuel? Most stations use the large filler nozzle on the diesel pumps, but I have found a few that did not. If you can find the station that had the unleaded fuel nozzle on a diesel pump, I'd go after them.

As for needing all that work - I don't think so. Diesel fuel is not corrosive and it is less of a solvent than gasoline. The car might not run on diesel fuel, but I feel certain the disel fuel did not destroy all the components you mentioned. Before I paid thousands of dollars to a dealer, I'd ask an independent garage to empty the tank, repalce any fuel filters, purge the fuel lines, and see if the car will run. I'm betting it will run just fine. I doubt that it ran long enough on the diesel fuel to damage the catalytic converter.

And if it was an older car out of warranty (and it was mine), I would just remove the tank, empty it, put in a few gallons of gas, and try starting the car repeatedly until it started running. I am betting it would run after a few tries.

BTW, I would not totally dismiss the insurance angle. At least talk to your agent. Do you have comprehensive insurance? Here is what my company says about comprehensive coverage:

"Comprehensive Coverage

"Comprehensive refers to broad coverages or an extensive amount of insurance coverage under one insurance contract. In auto insurance, it may cover physical damage losses to your insured vehicle other than those caused by collision or upset.

"Comprehensive coverage usually includes, but is not limited to losses to your vehicle caused by contact with a bird or animal, falling or flying objects, theft, larceny, fire, windstorm, hail, water, flood, malicious mischief, vandalism, riot or civil commotion, breakage of glass, explosion or earthquake."

Since someone else filled the tank, I would consider fillling the tank with diesel to be malicious mischief. The insurance company may disagree (see