Diesel mis-fuelling device

[wai]

G'day,

I have read many of the horror stories of people accidentally putting petrol into the fuel tank of a diesel engine. Touch wood (touches head) it won't happen to me.

RACQ and RAA SA both sell this device

https://shop.racq.com.au/Category/Di...lling%20Device

There is also another sold at Wholesale Cap, Hats, Clothing & Promotional gifts Supplier.

There is also an article on the Used Cars - New Cars - Search New & Used Cars For Sale - carsales.com.au web site where it mentions that most 2010 and later vehicles have such a device already fitted.

Does anyone who has purchased a diesel vehicle recently know if such a device is fitted to VW diesels? I hope to take delivery of one in the next couple of weeks.

Basically, it relies on the fact that a diesel bowser nozzle is larger in diameter than a ULP nozzle. The device has three tags 120 degrees apart that must all be pushed outward by the nozzle for the flap to be released. If a ULP nozzle is inserted, the smaller diameter means that all three tags cannot all be pushed outwards and so the flap will not move thereby giving the person filling the car an indication that the wrong nozzle is being used.

Thanks.

[Transporter]

I saw something like that in Repco, it was around $100

[stickshift3000]

Interesting find, might have to look into one of those.

[Greg Roles]

For $100 I'll just stop and think thanks!

[wai]

Well, just $69.95 + p&h from RACQ, but it is not just you that you have to worry about. Reading through things, I have read of instances where work was done on the fuel system of a diesel, the workshop drained the tank, only things got mixed up and ULP was re-filled rather than diesel.

It is surprising that manufacturers have not provided something as standard (apart from Land Rover). After all, legislation provided for a smaller filler nozzle for ULP so that leaded fuel could not be used which would damage catalytic converters.

[brad]

I can't quite understand how it works..... can you explain?

I really can't see how a mistake can be made. My wife is totally non-car. She also has no eye for detail (describes herself as "A Big Picture Person"). She has had company cars since 1988 & treats them like any other household appliance. A few cars back, she had a diesel Captiva for 30,000km & never mis-fueled. IIRC, you could even fit hi-flow nozzles in the Captiva. Then she got a petrol Mitsubishi somethingorother, followed by a Calais then a few months back, went to a Mondeo diesel with a no-touch filler cap - i don't think hiflow fits in the opening. She still hasn't buggered it up.

[wai]

I can't quite understand how it works..... can you explain?

Ok.

Essentially there is a flap that has to move to allow the nozzle to go in. This flap is held closed by 3 clips ad say the 10 o'clock, 2 o'clock, and 6 o'clock positions. These clips are connected to three buttons that protrude into the hole the nozzle has to go into. The hole the nozzle goes into is only just a little bigger than the nozzle, so as the nozzle is inserted, the three buttons are pushed outwards, and this in turn releases the clips preventing the flap from moving out to let the nozzle go in fully.

The ULP nozzle is smaller in diameter than the diesel nozzle, so it cannot press all 3 buttons as it is inserted, so as all three buttons MUST be moved the flap stays put.

The thing about such a device is not that you will accidentally do it, but that someone else who might have control of the vehicle does the wrong thing like a mechanic or a relative or a child. That is what all such devices are about. Accidents do happen, otherwise we would not have any need for things like airbags.

I suppose one advantage of it is that it also helps prevent casual theft as you would have quite a time trying to press all three buttons to get a siphon hose in.

If you look at the statistics, it is alarming to see that in the UK, some 150,000 such incidents are reported each year. I even read that in some places, auto clubs have specially equipped vehicles that will go to the service station where you do this, pump out your fuel tank, flush the system and have you ready to fill up with diesel.

What happened to the friend I mentioned in my previous posts was that his daughter decided to help and offered to fill up when they stopped at Gundagai. She thought she had checked everything, but what also caused the problem was the price for 95 ULP was the same as that for diesel. She saw the price come up and in the jumble of nozzles picked the wrong one and it cost a couple of thousand dollars as they actually tried to drive out only the engine was very rough. At that point he checked the docket and found out it was 95 ULP that had been filled. Too late.

There are a couple of other types I found doing a Google search using the topic of this thread. One has no additional parts at all. You just push the diesel nozzle in, fill up and then remove it. Nothing more to do. Another utilises the difference in nozzle size to release the tank cap. Once that is done it is essentially a normal fill after which you push the cap back on. There are a number of YouTube videos on the various types.

It is for that one chance that something wrong is done. $70 is not that much given the amount we spend on other parts of our cars.

[Hilly]

I got one of these from RACQ - unfortunately on my particular Golf (2003) the filler door won't shut, as the cap sticks out too far, even with a modified cap that they sent me, so it will be going back to them. Apparently they are Ok on some vehicles, but not others (maybe my car was made on a Friday ) - try it and see I guess!

[wai]

I got one of these from RACQ - unfortunately on my particular Golf (2003) the filler door won't shut, as the cap sticks out too far, even with a modified cap that they sent me, so it will be going back to them. Apparently they are Ok on some vehicles, but not others (maybe my car was made on a Friday ) - try it and see I guess!

That's unfortunate.

Was your model listed in the compatibility table?

If you search on the web, there are a number of similar devices. It might be a case of contacting them to see if theirs will work.

There's one that does not require any cover to be replaced. You simply insert the nozzle to fill and then when you remove it, it seals.

[William_Foster]

We looked at one but couldn't justify the cost; if you had multiple drivers of your car it may be worth it, but for the average owner I find it hard to justify. By the way, you could probably pick one up from overseas for a cheaper price.