diesel fuel in Prius

With the new multi-grade and diesel gas pumps, it is quite easy to add diesel fuel to a Prius. You just have to be at an unfamiliar station. My wife just did this, ignoring the beautiful green handle on the nozzle, which fit perfectly; it was identical in size to the regular nozzle. The apparent key to resolving this problem is to have the car towed without starting up the engine...kind of tricky, when all you're trying to do is put it into neutral to push it out of the way. I also hear the gas tank may have to be replaced because of how hard it is to totally drain one. Swell.

 

In the UK where diesel cars are much more common this happens about 100,000 times a year. There are now organisations that do little else than recovering from this situation. The secret to a successful low cost (relatively) result is to not start the car and call for help. I think virtually every gas station has a number for a local company offering this service.

 

That's odd.

When I checked last year, at a truck stop, it was impossible to insert a diesel pump nozzle into the fill. The truck stop I checked, has two separate nozzles on the pump bay.

One nozzle handles 87, 89, 91 octane. The other nozzle handles ULSD

 

I thought the diesel nozzles were larger.

Tom

 

Yes, they were last year when I checked

 

In Oz the diesel pumps have a thumb lock to prevent accidentally lifting the diesel nozzle. You need to push the lock across to lift the nozzle off the pump.
The plate inside the filler prevents inserting a leaded nozzle (now banned) or diesel.

To select neutral without starting, from the powered down press power button twice with your foot OFF the brake pedal then select neutral. Another press when your done with your foot off the brake, or 2 presses with your foot on the brake powers down again.

 

I don't think the OP, drlarkin, was a troll. I could not detect any insincerity whatsoever in his initial and only post. I was surprised that some of you called him a troll based on so little or no evidence.

I don't know exactly what the law required in terms of nozzle sizes. It may have permitted the grandfathering of nozzles. I know that in the early Nineties, my friends accidentally filled their new Explorer with leaded gas.

BTW, I just checked the White Pages for a DR Larkin in Fleetwood, NC, and found this:

Denis R Larkin

244 Gap Trl
Fleetwood, NC 28626-9761
(336) 877-3335

Age: 65+
Household: Helen K. Larkin

My bet is that the OP, drlarkin, was the real deal, and that he was unfairly the subject of name calling here.

 

There are two different sizes of diesel pumps:

• Most diesel pumps that I use are auto diesel pumps and have one nozzle for 87/89/91 gasoline and a separate diesel nozzle. I don't recall the diesel nozzles being larger than the gasoline nozzle.
• Truck pumps that are used by tractor trailers have a much larger nozzle and a higher flow rate.

My 2003 TDI has a fuel fill large enough to accept the nozzle from either a truck pump or auto pump. There is a button inside the fill that opens a valve to vent the tank and allow faster fueling from the truck nozzle. My friend's 2006 TDI has a smaller fuel fill and he can only use auto diesel pumps.

 

The diesel filler opening on our boat will take up to a 1.5 inch nozzle.

Tom

 

THIS IS NO TROLL, MY FRIEND, YES IT CAN HAPPEN...DON'T ASK ME HOW, BUT YES IT CAN HAPPEN.
DAUGHTERS PRIUS JUST STOPPED, MY HUSBAND WHILE WAITING FOR THE TOW AND HAVING A CONVERSATION WITH HER FOUND OUT THAT SHE FILLED IT UP, A LITTLE AT A TIME BECAUSE THE "THING" WAS TO BIG FOR IT, BUT SHE FILLED IT UP THE OTHER DAY, HAS BEEN DRIVING IT TILL IT STARTED MAKING NOISES AND JUST DIED... TO TOYOTA WE ARE GOING TO SEE THE PAINFUL RESULT, BUT YES, SHE DID, AND NO SHE IS NOT "SPECIAL" JUST wow!!!

 

The diesel pump nozzle is to big for regular size gas size fill holes you have to hold it up to it to make it work and it’s a very imperfect seal and will leak fuel which should alert you to an issue.

Very very expensive repair in a Prius.