Unleaded in Duramax

[LisaBrat]

Yep I did the worse thing I could to my big beautiful 2015 Silverado 3500HD, I put a half a tank of unleaded in the tank. I got about a half a mile down the road and she died. I had her towed to a repair shop. They drained the tank, replaced the fuel filter and put in less than a half of tank of diesel. They called and said the truck was driven with no issues. I went to pick it up and it wouldn't start. The tech came out and after a lot of cranking got it started. Less than a block away it felt like i put on the brake but I didn't. That cleared after a few seconds. Got up to about 55MPH. About a mile it did the throttle back again. This time the Engine Power Reduced warning came up on the display, then a check engine light, then a Fuel Filter Requires Replacement. I limped it home and parked. Is this a normal occurrence after the bone head move? Or is there something seriously wrong? I'm still under manufacturer powertrain warranty so I'm afraid of taking it into the dealer to be checked out. I don't want the powertrain warranty voided but I also want to ensure experts are working on it. Any suggestions? I've been beating myself up for doing this. The truck only has 35K miles.

[Yukon6.2]

I have had to help quite a few people in your situation over the years of owning a shop.
I would get a couple of quarts of 2 cycle oil or more and add them to your fuel,if you only have 1/2 tank then mix the oil in some diesel before you add it.Then remove the codes and take it for a drive and see what happens.
There should be no damage to anything.
One lady had a brand new Dodge/cummins that added over 3/4 tank of gas it it. She was able to drive 25 miles till she encountered a construction site and had to stop. The truck died and wouldn't restart.
I drained the tank added 2 cycle oil and fresh fuel.New filter and injection lines got purged.
Truck ran fine,she wanted no record of our work because of the fact it was a brand new truck.She sent a postcard 6 months later,truck ran fine no after effects from the gas.

[DmaxMaverick]

Welcome aboard!

In many/most cases, I would agree with Yukon. However, these new(er) trucks with their emission systems is a different story. Old school was, if it wasn't too much gas in the mix, just thicken it up with some oil, and run it out. This is not a good idea on the late model Diesel engines. All of the old contaminated fuel should be removed and the system flushed from the tank to the high pressure pump. I seriously doubt the little running you did permanently damaged anything, but damage is possible. Continued running will eventually cause damage. If the computer attempted to run a regen (likely), it is important to flush that system as well. The engine can and will survive significant contamination, but the later (2011+) DPF system won't. I do not recommend running or driving it until this is complete, so it needs to be done where it is, or towed to a shop. If you have comprehensive insurance, most of them cover such incidents, including damaged system components. If that's the case, there's really no reason to not get it done properly. Good luck, and please let us know how it turns out.

[richp]

Hi,

I once did that with my old 6.5, literally out in the middle of nowhere in Utah. No place to go for service or to drain and re-fill.

Added a full bottle of Power Service ( the only thing I had for lubricity) and drove it with my eye on the pyro reading, to keep from melting the pistons. Topped off the tank at the next fuel station (to dilute the gas), and continued to noodle along, then topped off once again. (Should have, but didn't think to buy and put some two cycle oil in at this point).By the time I got to a location where I could have had it serviced, it was running cool enough and the gas had been diluted enough that I didn't bother with the full remedial steps ordinarily recommended.

(Note there are many who think gas contamination in diesel bulk tanks is not unheard of.)

What i did is not highly recommended, and certainly sketchy for the newer trucks. But I got away with it and the truck ran for many tens of thousands of miles after that with no problem.

FWIW.

[More Power]

We have a older thread here in The Diesel Page Forums that discusses gasoline.


Gasoline in my 6.6 Duramax
https://www.thedieselpageforums.com/...ad.php?t=23142

Good luck,

Jim

[LisaBrat]

Thank you for the advice. Im trying to find a reputable shop in my area to take it to that wont rip me off. Most places up here see a female walk in and only see a dollar sign. When I asked if they purged the fuel lines I was told they drained the tank, Im sure theres still unleaded in the lines. Is there a reason why it would throw the check engine light and say the fuel filter needs to be replaced? Unless they didnt do the work they said they did. All I keep asking is why did I make this huge mistake. I tow horses with this truck so reliability is a must. I just hope She can be fixed and be back to the perfect running truck she was.

[LisaBrat]

The technician last night mentioned there could be air in the fuel lines. Not good. If that is the case how can that be purged out? I just want to be educated as much as I can so I can ask the important questions. I dont trust many people with my vehicles. Now get to add myself to that. lol