Said It Here

I accidentally put the wrong fluid in my car

Adding the wrong automotive fluid causes immediate contamination that can destroy engines or cooling systems if circulated. Drivers dealing with this mistake face potential component damage and costly emergency flushes, though catching the mix-up early or in small amounts can sometimes limit the severity of the damage.

What people tried

Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.

  1. 1
    siphoning or turkey-basting out the reservoir tank
  2. 2
    rinsing and refilling the reservoir with correct coolant
  3. 3
    draining the system completely
  4. 4
    drain and refill asap
  5. 5
    Siphon out the fuel, refill with diesel, and open the fuel system near the engine
  6. 6
    Drain the tank, fuel lines, pump, and injector lines, then blow out with compressed air and replace fuel filters
  7. 7
    Get the vehicle towed to a shop to have the tank drained and the fuel system flushed

In their words

Unedited, most upvoted first, each linked to the thread it came from.

I accidentally put petrol in my diesel car.source ↗

Yes, I did drive it for about 15 minutessource ↗

jamaryoung1 · r/MechanicAdvice · 3 upvotes

So i accidentally pour the wrong coolant on my car , i should've know better , i did realize it when i was pouring and stopped myself from adding more , here's how much I poured , how much should I worry ? I know ima have to get it flush once I have the money for itsource ↗

spooky_bailey · r/MechanicAdvice · 2 upvotes

added a full quart over a few months.source ↗

I just realized I’ve been running transmission oil in my engine! How screwed am I?source ↗

Careless_Tax_9519 · r/AskMechanics · 1 upvotes

Ive been so stressed lol this car is my whole lifesource ↗

Careless_Tax_9519 · r/AskMechanics · 1 upvotes

It’s 11 o’clock at night so it’s sitting on the side of the road currentlysource ↗

jamaryoung1 · r/MechanicAdvice · 1 upvotes

Where this came up

People with this problem also raised