Hi all.

Hope someone can help or advise!

I have a 2004 Mondeo Tdci 130 which is used as a taxi. Have had the car 14 months, has covered 135000 miles and has had the usual DMF replaced.

Wilst someone was driving the car it started to knock and issue white smoke from the exhaust intermittently. I had the driver take the car to a garage where they diagnosed the problem as piston slap & small ends! (I don't think so). When I looked at the car it was obvious it was diesel knock, and the white smoke was unburnt diesel. I consulted a friend in a more reputable garage whom advised me it could be petrol in the tank or an internal injector seal!

I tested the injector leak back and all appeared to be identical, but I did notice a large number of air bubbles exiting the injector leak off point, is this normal?

I questioned the driver and he assured me he filled the car with diesel that morning, one sniff of the tank confirmed the git had infact put petrol in the tank!!!!

Knowing how damaging this can be, I imediatly emptyed the remaining fuel from the tank & flushed the pipes, replaced the fuel filter, removed and emptied the injector pipes and fuel rail.

I then refitted all the componenets, leaving the injector pipes off for priming, and placed a pump on the fuel filter output pipe (the one to the pump) and primed the filter. The pipe was then reconnected end engine cranked to prime the pump. Once fuel was issuing from the injector pipes I tightened the unions and attempted to start the engine. No such luck!

The !Removed! thing will not start! When cranking, the glow plug light flashes after about 5 seconds. I have tried everything I can think of and still can't get the car to start. Before I drained & flushed the fuel system the engine stared on the button, even though it was a mixture of petrol & diesel!

The last time I changed the filter it took an age to start. Could it just be air in the system or something more serious?

Grateful for any advice...........

petrol in the diesel can easily kill a car with the damage it causes from seals in the pump all the way through to injectors, not to mention the various sensors.with out further investigation i would not hazard to guess why the car wont start. you should get the driver to pay for the trouble.

My recently acquired Mondeo TDCi cut out with the glow plug light flashing and would not restart, after a tow to the local Ford garage it was diagnosed as the Camshaft airflow sensor and was just under £200 to put right with the diagnostics charge, sounds similar.

Hi all.

Hope someone can help or advise!

I have a 2004 Mondeo Tdci 130 which is used as a taxi. Have had the car 14 months, has covered 135000 miles and has had the usual DMF replaced.

Wilst someone was driving the car it started to knock and issue white smoke from the exhaust intermittently. I had the driver take the car to a garage where they diagnosed the problem as piston slap & small ends! (I don't think so). When I looked at the car it was obvious it was diesel knock, and the white smoke was unburnt diesel. I consulted a friend in a more reputable garage whom advised me it could be petrol in the tank or an internal injector seal!

I tested the injector leak back and all appeared to be identical, but I did notice a large number of air bubbles exiting the injector leak off point, is this normal?

I questioned the driver and he assured me he filled the car with diesel that morning, one sniff of the tank confirmed the git had infact put petrol in the tank!!!!

Knowing how damaging this can be, I imediatly emptyed the remaining fuel from the tank & flushed the pipes, replaced the fuel filter, removed and emptied the injector pipes and fuel rail.

I then refitted all the componenets, leaving the injector pipes off for priming, and placed a pump on the fuel filter output pipe (the one to the pump) and primed the filter. The pipe was then reconnected end engine cranked to prime the pump. Once fuel was issuing from the injector pipes I tightened the unions and attempted to start the engine. No such luck!

The !Removed! thing will not start! When cranking, the glow plug light flashes after about 5 seconds. I have tried everything I can think of and still can't get the car to start. Before I drained & flushed the fuel system the engine stared on the button, even though it was a mixture of petrol & diesel!

The last time I changed the filter it took an age to start. Could it just be air in the system or something more serious?

Grateful for any advice...........

Hi mate, I think what has probably happened is because petrol was put in it, it has messed up the firing order of the injectors. I had the same problem where the car would not start and the coil light (orange glow plug light) would be continously flashing. So wot i did is get a mechanic 2 reset the ecu.

Hi mate, I think what has probably happened is because petrol was put in it, it has messed up the firing order of the injectors. I had the same problem where the car would not start and the coil light (orange glow plug light) would be continously flashing. So wot i did is get a mechanic 2 reset the ecu.

I have been told that when changing the fuel filter it is best to soak it in diesel overnight but should imagine its good and wet by now

there may be a bleed on the bottom of the fuel filter housing. i am however considerably worried about the white smoke. this cannot be unburnt petrol or diesal as it would be another colour. however i am reassured that the engine turns over still , otherwise i would have considered the possibilit o little ends. if these had gone then the engine wouldnt turn over. first of all i would check if there is fuel in the filter housing and if possible dip the filter in fuel before bleeding.