Don’t think we’d want to be the manager at this Circle K store. Evidently, the fuel tanker driver got a bit mixed up when making a fuel drop at a Circle K in Avon, Ohio. You guessed it: He dropped diesel in the unleaded tank, and unleaded in the diesel tank. The gas and diesel mix-up looks to be turning into a financial disaster for the gas station.
Gas and diesel mix-up leaves at least 14 stranded
It seems the Circle K sells more unleaded than diesel, because it wasn’t long before a string of angry customers found their gas-fired rigs weren’t reacting well to being topped off with diesel. The January 19 mishap left at least 14 drivers stranded. Apparently at least one “oil burner,” an F350 Ford truck, may have been mistakenly refueled with gasoline.
Circle K shut down the pumps when the boo-boo was discovered. Management is working with customers who’ve filed claims. It says they’ll reimburse repair and related costs after they’ve verified the claims. A Jeep driver said he ended up with a bill for $1,100 for repairs after his ride got filled with diesel, rather than gas.
And what happens if you put the wrong fuel in your rig?
A gas and diesel mix-up can be a major disaster for your rig. Just for the record, diesel, being denser than gas, can clog fuel filters and injectors in gas-fueled vehicles. The engine can gum up and seize due to failed combustion. And further down the line, catalytic converters can fail due to unburnt fuel and particulates.
Pity those diesel engine owners who may have sucked up gasoline. The difference in properties of the two fuels can easily lead to engine misfiring and stalling. Worse, gasoline can damage the fuel pump, injectors, cylinder walls, pistons, valves, and valve seats. Additionally, gas can clog fuel filters and lines, as well as damage fuel system seals.
We wonder. Does the tanker driver still have a job?
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Thank you for the news, Russ and Tina! Yikes! We were traveling with friends when he put gasoline in his diesel tank. The good news was the error was realized BEFORE trying to start the diesel engine AND the station had an attached diesel shop. Several minutes later the truck had been towed several feet from the pumps to the garage, the diesel tank dropped, emptied, cleaned, reattached, and filled with diesel. The error cost us about two hours! Have a great day and safe travels!
It happened 35 years ago to my dad. The station he always bought gas at, had the same type of mix up. His car caused all the valves to hang open and wouldn’t start. We pulled the head off to get it rebuilt. The machine shop that did the work told us about mix up at that station. And he told us that a new car dealer next to it would fill tanks on the vehicle it sold. A guy had 35 miles on his new Nissan and it quit. They redid the cylinder heads and didn’t drain the fuel tank. He drove another 35 miles and it happened again. Then they realized what was happening. My dad got reimbursed about 6 months later after filing an Insurance claim against them. I always get a receipt when I get fuel.
My long deceased uncle filled his gas tank with diesel nobody’s fault but his. (He liked his drink )
Engine ruined bought new car
How come the company that deliver the fuel is off the hook? Seems to me the company and driver should cover the expensive repairs to the vehicles.
The cost of repairing the vehicles was probably nothing compared to the cost of cleaning out the tanks and pumps at the gas station, as well as the loss of business while it was being fixed. I’m sure the fuel delivery company was insured for this but I doubt the driver has his job.
If when filling tanks at station ,the hose was a different size ? This way the driver when filling tanks couldnt place the wrong fuel in the wrong tank? Its not rocket science.
The customers used the correct nozzles in this case, the tanker driver put the wrong fuels into the underground tanks. No driver error.
The tank truck driver mixed the diesel and gas up when he refilled the station’s tanks. Nothing to do with individual customers.
You were referencing the fuel supplier?
Petroleum distribution tanker trailers aren’t designated to a single product type so one load can be unleaded, another diesel, the next kerosene. Even if you had different caps, connectors and colors, the liquid in the hose doesn’t care so the driver connecting to the truck needs to be certain what’s in each tank. I’d hinge to guess he confused the product placement of his last load with this one and in the midst of the brain fart, made the ever dreaded cross-drop. I wonder if his placards were wrong as well…..
The $11,000 dollar jeep bill is low compared to what the F350 cost. Replace whole fuel system!
That was $1,100 for the Jeep repair, still bad.
And replace exhaust system. Friend put gas in his Mercedes motorhome. All emissions, sensor and exhaust had to be replaced. Just over 40K to have it repaired. He was lucky, insurance paid for it.
Agree with others, why isn’t the tanker company on the hook for repairs? Circle K didn’t plug in the hoses.
I’m sure they will bear the cost of everything…vehicle repairs and the cost of cleaning the stations tanks. Entirely the fault of the tanker driver, not the station whose tanks were refilled with the wrong fuel.
I had a close friend who was a tanker driver (Now deceased due to lung fibrosis). He emptied his tanker of diesel into a gas underground tank at a local station. He realized his mistake when closing the ground tank cover and reported it avoiding it’s use. He lost his many years of tanker driving job. Tank truck trailers have 3 or 4 different tanks or types of fuel on board for delivery. I believe the valve and ground tank covers are color coded or marked – but in cold, wind and snow country……
I’m both relieved and distressed to hear that it’s not that hard a mistake to make. My instantaneous response was “can you even do that unintentionally?” The next question is “how hard would it be to update the system of connections to prevent it from being a choice?” Doesn’t seem like it would be too daunting a task.
Jeep driver’s repair only $1,100? I’m very surprised.