I’ve put AdBlue® in the Diesel tank: what should I do?
Publié le 22 April 2021. Edité le 25 June 2021.
Made a mistake while filling with AdBlue®? You’ve filled the AdBlue® tank with Diesel or vice versa and put AdBlue® in your Diesel tank. In either case, you will need to get your vehicle seen by a professional. If not, you risk causing serious damage to your car.
AdBlue® in the Diesel tank: what do I do?
Making a mistake while filling with AdBlue® can happen from time to time. To limit the repercussions, here’s what to do:
What do I need to do straight away?
If you have filled the Diesel tank with AdBlue®, do not start your vehicle. If you do, you risk causing serious damage to your car’s engine. To avoid a costly repair bill both for parts and labour, it’s better not to start the vehicle.
Hand your vehicle over to a professional
Whether you have noticed your mistake before starting the vehicle, or after having started it and noticed it is behaving strangely, contact a mechanic or repairman as quickly as possible. They will do what is necessary to remove the AdBlue® from the Diesel tank and get your vehicle going again.
> See also: AdBlue®: which Diesel vehicles need it?
Diesel in the AdBlue® tank: what should I do?
What should you do if you’ve put Diesel into your vehicle’s AdBlue® tank?
What to do
If you realise your mistake when filling, do not start your vehicle under any circumstances. A single drop of Diesel can contaminate several litres of AdBlue®. If you start up with an AdBlue® tank filled with Diesel, you risk causing very serious damage to your vehicle’s SCR system.
If you do start up, you vehicle will begin to behave strangely. Park up as soon as possible to avoid causing more damage to your car.
Call a professional
As soon as you realise your mistake in filling the AdBlue® tank, contact a repairman or a mechanic. Whether or not you have started your vehicle, they will know how to deal with the situation: draining and cleaning the AdBlue® tank, changing any parts needed.
> See also: Can you make AdBlue® yourself?
How do you fill up with AdBlue®?
Filling up with AdBlue® is simple. Here’s what to do.
Where to find AdBlue®
To fill up with AdBlue®, you have a number of options. You can buy AdBlue® in standard 5-litre or 10-litre drums in service station shops. These drums are also sold in the TotalEnergies e-store.
Some service stations also have AdBlue® pumps for light vehicles. However, to fill your car with AdBlue®, you must not use an AdBlue® pump intended for use by heavy vehicles which has a flow rate unsuited to light vehicles.
Steps for filling your tank with AdBlue®
Depending on the make and model of your vehicle, the filler port of the AdBlue® tank may be found in different places. Easily recognisable by its blue cap, this filler port may be located either:
- near the Diesel filler port behind the fuel filler flap;
- under the bonnet in the engine compartment;
- in the boot under the floor.
Once the inlet to the AdBlue® tank has been identified, start filling by inserting the nozzle of the AdBlue® pump into it in the same way as you usually do when filling with Diesel. If you are filling with AdBlue® using a drum, you can use the spout to help with filling.
