Diesel engine oil in petrol engine

geeash · 11th July 2009, 14:50

I have a linea emotion pack petrol which i had bought in month of april. After initial run in period of 1000km i went for a oil change in tata aftersales in concorde motor ambattur chennai. They changed the engine oil and gave me charging 1900/-.
Here is the post about it in my thread

Quote:

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...ics-pg2-4.html

Now my car has done 5000kms nearly. Now Some other linea owners have pointed out that by mistake the service advisors have put the diesel engine oil in my petrol car. ( can you believe that these authorised guys doing this)

Quote:

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/1378178-post318.html

I have run my engine nearly 4000km in the diesel engine oil. I have talked to the service advisors. they are asking me to change the oil now. They are saying both are the same and are not looking into the issues properly. Fiat is rather downplaying the issue

I am worried that something might have happened to my engine.
Does the diesel engine oil do harm to engine?. What are the consequences of it?. Does changing to recommended oil revert back the damage if already caused?. What are the problems i might have to look in down the line subsequently to identify if something has gone wrong?

Somebody please answer

DieselFan · 11th July 2009, 15:00

Typically Diesel engine oil have more detergents than petrol engine oil hence it shouldn't be a problem. But one can ascertain only if you can give the specs of Diesel oil put into your engine and the recommended specs of your car engine oil (As per manual).

tsk1979 · 11th July 2009, 15:01

AS long as the diesel oil meets minimum specifications required by your cars engine(for eg API-SG?) its okay.
your cars owner manual as the grade (15W40 etc.,) and the specification(API-SF ) etc.,
Post these for the engine oil as well as what your car needs.

Eddy · 11th July 2009, 15:02

I don't think it should be a problem for such a short duration. An oil change with a flush should do the trick.

geeash · 11th July 2009, 15:08

The oil recommended for petrol engine is selenia k

Here is the website for the specification of selenia k for petrol engines and selenia WR 5W-40 which was put which is actually for diesels
Selenia

technical data sheets for petrol
http://flcf.onion.it/commonfile/eng/...2_scat_ENG.pdf

for diesel engine oil
http://flcf.onion.it/commonfile/eng/...2_scat_ENG.pdf

It is there in engine oils

coolboy007 · 11th July 2009, 15:22

Here are the technical details :

For petrol LINEA

SAE 5W-40, ACEA A3/B3, API SM, FIAT 9.55535-M2 CONTRACTUAL TECHNICAL REFERENCE N°F214.I05, VW 505.00, VW 502.00, MB 229.3

For Diesel Linea

SAE 5W-40, ACEA B3/B4, API CF, FIAT 9.55535-N2 CONTRACTUAL TECHNICAL REFERENCE N°F515.D06, MB 229.3, VW 505.00, VW 502.00, GM-LL-B-025

geeash,
Why dont you also mail SELENIA on their helpline and ask them that you put in wrong WR-5W40 instead of SELENIA K in your petrol car and consequences of it.

As members here mention doesnt seems much of a problem with diesel oil in your car.

geeash · 11th July 2009, 15:28

Thanks for the specs coolboy. But today is saturday and weekends are holidays in italy. I might not get a reply from them by monday.

Abbas · 11th July 2009, 15:38

As far as i know it shouldn`t be much of a problem. Diesel engine oils are thicker compared to petrol engine oils. Generally 20 - 40 is what is used in diesel and that`s what they have put it into your car. Just flush it off and put 5-40 (as per manual) into it. Its not a big deal.

rranjith_kum · 11th July 2009, 15:49

I dont think it would have created any damage to your engine, but then changing back is highly recommended.

First of all didnt you feel any sluggishness in the engine ? Both oils are definitely different, with regard to the damage its really hard to tell. As now a days the engines are so complex the oils that are used are also specifically made (altered or what ever).
I have heard of people saying like you have flushing effect because of the constituents of the diesel engine but also some people saying that you loose the pressure because both the engines work on entirely different cycles.

From the tech specs you provided, API SM (Selenia K) refers to the engine oils which offers very good wear protection so I would recommend you to change the oil as soon as possible.

nehamit · 11th July 2009, 16:08

Dear Ashwin,
Just tried to google and here it is:

Can I use diesel engine oil in my petrol engine?

This is an awkward question to answer. Diesel engines run much higher compression ratios than petrol engines and they run a lot hotter, so the oil is formulated to deal with this. Plus they produce a lot more dirt in terms of combustion by-products. Diesel-rated oils typically have more detergents in them to deal with this (see Using Diesel oil for flushing above). It's not unheard of for diesel oils to clean a petrol engine so well that it loses compression. Diesel-rated oils also have an anti-foaming agent in them which is unique to diesel engines, and not needed in petrol engines.
So is that the be-all and end-all answer? Well not really and that's why this is a difficult question to give a straight answer to. The above statement is more relevant to commercial diesel engines. Nowadays, just about all passenger car / light commercial oils (including OEM ones designed for both petrol and diesel engines) will carry the ACEA A and B specifications. ie. formulated to satisfy the requirements for both types of engine. So just because the oil is labelled "Diesel" doesn't mean it's not suitable for petrol engines - it will more than likely carry an ACEA A3 / OEM petrol spec as well.
However you do need to be a bit careful regarding choosing the right diesel spec - if you have a modern common rail / direct injection diesel, chances are it will require at least an ACEA B4 spec to cope with the higher piston temperatures that can cause piston deposits (and stuck rings). ACEA B4 is fine where B3 is recommended.
Another reference I found is at Difference between Petrol an Diesel Oils? [Archive] - XPowerForums - For MG, XPower & Motorsport Enthusiasts
So, whatever happened is very serious but at the same time its good that probably there is no much harm to the engine.

tsk1979 · 11th July 2009, 16:20

From what you posted, your car requires API-SM minimum, but Selinia is API-SL
Therefore you have put in a slightly lower grade oil than required.
So not to worry much, next time put in the correct oil
No need to waste money on flush either, diesel engine oils have more detergent, and therefore your engine has already been flushed.
However since the mistake was done by workshop, ideally they should give you new engine oil.

As for the post from carbibles, they are talking about cases when the diesel engine oil meets the specifications required by your car, for cases where the diesel engine oil is not meeting specifications required by your car, its always better not to take the risk

kutlee · 11th July 2009, 16:51

not to worry. i have used diesel oil in petrol car and safely gone back to petrol oil. yes of course min requirements are met.

rranjith_kum · 11th July 2009, 17:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by nehamit

Dear Ashwin,
Just tried to google and here it is:

Can I use diesel engine oil in my petrol engine?

This is an awkward question to answer. Diesel engines run much higher compression ratios than petrol engines and they run a lot hotter, so the oil is formulated to deal with this. Plus they produce a lot more dirt in terms of combustion by-products. Diesel-rated oils typically have more detergents in them to deal with this (see Using Diesel oil for flushing above). It's not unheard of for diesel oils to clean a petrol engine so well that it loses compression. Diesel-rated oils also have an anti-foaming agent in them which is unique to diesel engines, and not needed in petrol engines.
So is that the be-all and end-all answer? Well not really and that's why this is a difficult question to give a straight answer to. The above statement is more relevant to commercial diesel engines. Nowadays, just about all passenger car / light commercial oils (including OEM ones designed for both petrol and diesel engines) will carry the ACEA A and B specifications. ie. formulated to satisfy the requirements for both types of engine. So just because the oil is labelled "Diesel" doesn't mean it's not suitable for petrol engines - it will more than likely carry an ACEA A3 / OEM petrol spec as well.
However you do need to be a bit careful regarding choosing the right diesel spec - if you have a modern common rail / direct injection diesel, chances are it will require at least an ACEA B4 spec to cope with the higher piston temperatures that can cause piston deposits (and stuck rings). ACEA B4 is fine where B3 is recommended.
Another reference I found is at Difference between Petrol an Diesel Oils? [Archive] - XPowerForums - For MG, XPower & Motorsport Enthusiasts
So, whatever happened is very serious but at the same time its good that probably there is no much harm to the engine.

I remember reading these exact texts I guess its from Carbible.com right ?

nehamit · 11th July 2009, 18:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by rranjith_kum

I remember reading these exact texts I guess its from Carbible.com right ?

Yes, it is from carbible.com and the bold header is hyperlinked to that article only.

Abes · 11th July 2009, 19:22

Vow, how could the service people make such a mistake. They cannot distinguish between a petrol engine and a diesel engine? They don't know which oil is for what?

The engine oil for diesel engine could be used in petrol engines. But, that is beside the point.

You should politely insist that the service center should replace the oil for you free of cost (both labour and material). Its their mistake.

11th July 2009, 15:00	#2
DieselFan Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,584 Thanked: 259 Times	Typically Diesel engine oil have more detergents than petrol engine oil hence it shouldn't be a problem. But one can ascertain only if you can give the specs of Diesel oil put into your engine and the recommended specs of your car engine oil (As per manual).
	() Thanks

11th July 2009, 15:01	#3
tsk1979 Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 23,717 Thanked: 22,823 Times View My Garage	AS long as the diesel oil meets minimum specifications required by your cars engine(for eg API-SG?) its okay. your cars owner manual as the grade (15W40 etc.,) and the specification(API-SF ) etc., Post these for the engine oil as well as what your car needs.
	() Thanks

11th July 2009, 15:02	#4
Eddy Team-BHP Support Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Delhi Posts: 9,386 Thanked: 13,292 Times	I don't think it should be a problem for such a short duration. An oil change with a flush should do the trick.
	() Thanks

11th July 2009, 15:08	#5
geeash Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Chennai Posts: 1,513 Thanked: 145 Times	The oil recommended for petrol engine is selenia k Here is the website for the specification of selenia k for petrol engines and selenia WR 5W-40 which was put which is actually for diesels Selenia technical data sheets for petrol http://flcf.onion.it/commonfile/eng/...2_scat_ENG.pdf for diesel engine oil http://flcf.onion.it/commonfile/eng/...2_scat_ENG.pdf It is there in engine oils Last edited by geeash : 11th July 2009 at 15:15.
	() Thanks

11th July 2009, 15:22	#6
coolboy007 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: New Delhi Posts: 1,852 Thanked: 2,137 Times	Here are the technical details : For petrol LINEA SAE 5W-40, ACEA A3/B3, API SM, FIAT 9.55535-M2 CONTRACTUAL TECHNICAL REFERENCE N°F214.I05, VW 505.00, VW 502.00, MB 229.3 For Diesel Linea SAE 5W-40, ACEA B3/B4, API CF, FIAT 9.55535-N2 CONTRACTUAL TECHNICAL REFERENCE N°F515.D06, MB 229.3, VW 505.00, VW 502.00, GM-LL-B-025 geeash, Why dont you also mail SELENIA on their helpline and ask them that you put in wrong WR-5W40 instead of SELENIA K in your petrol car and consequences of it. As members here mention doesnt seems much of a problem with diesel oil in your car. Last edited by coolboy007 : 11th July 2009 at 15:23.
	() Thanks

11th July 2009, 15:28	#7
geeash Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Chennai Posts: 1,513 Thanked: 145 Times	Thanks for the specs coolboy. But today is saturday and weekends are holidays in italy. I might not get a reply from them by monday.
	() Thanks

11th July 2009, 15:38	#8
Abbas BHPian Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Visakhapatnam Posts: 465 Thanked: 544 Times View My Garage	As far as i know it shouldn`t be much of a problem. Diesel engine oils are thicker compared to petrol engine oils. Generally 20 - 40 is what is used in diesel and that`s what they have put it into your car. Just flush it off and put 5-40 (as per manual) into it. Its not a big deal.
	() Thanks

11th July 2009, 15:49	#9
rranjith_kum BHPian Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Coimbatore/ Aachen Posts: 693 Thanked: 20 Times View My Garage	I dont think it would have created any damage to your engine, but then changing back is highly recommended. First of all didnt you feel any sluggishness in the engine ? Both oils are definitely different, with regard to the damage its really hard to tell. As now a days the engines are so complex the oils that are used are also specifically made (altered or what ever). I have heard of people saying like you have flushing effect because of the constituents of the diesel engine but also some people saying that you loose the pressure because both the engines work on entirely different cycles. From the tech specs you provided, API SM (Selenia K) refers to the engine oils which offers very good wear protection so I would recommend you to change the oil as soon as possible.
	() Thanks

11th July 2009, 16:08	#10
nehamit BHPian Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Ahmedabad Posts: 121 Thanked: 3 Times	Dear Ashwin, Just tried to google and here it is: Can I use diesel engine oil in my petrol engine? This is an awkward question to answer. Diesel engines run much higher compression ratios than petrol engines and they run a lot hotter, so the oil is formulated to deal with this. Plus they produce a lot more dirt in terms of combustion by-products. Diesel-rated oils typically have more detergents in them to deal with this (see Using Diesel oil for flushing above). It's not unheard of for diesel oils to clean a petrol engine so well that it loses compression. Diesel-rated oils also have an anti-foaming agent in them which is unique to diesel engines, and not needed in petrol engines. So is that the be-all and end-all answer? Well not really and that's why this is a difficult question to give a straight answer to. The above statement is more relevant to commercial diesel engines. Nowadays, just about all passenger car / light commercial oils (including OEM ones designed for both petrol and diesel engines) will carry the ACEA A and B specifications. ie. formulated to satisfy the requirements for both types of engine. So just because the oil is labelled "Diesel" doesn't mean it's not suitable for petrol engines - it will more than likely carry an ACEA A3 / OEM petrol spec as well. However you do need to be a bit careful regarding choosing the right diesel spec - if you have a modern common rail / direct injection diesel, chances are it will require at least an ACEA B4 spec to cope with the higher piston temperatures that can cause piston deposits (and stuck rings). ACEA B4 is fine where B3 is recommended. Another reference I found is at Difference between Petrol an Diesel Oils? [Archive] - XPowerForums - For MG, XPower & Motorsport Enthusiasts So, whatever happened is very serious but at the same time its good that probably there is no much harm to the engine.
	() Thanks

11th July 2009, 16:20	#11
tsk1979 Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 23,717 Thanked: 22,823 Times View My Garage	From what you posted, your car requires API-SM minimum, but Selinia is API-SL Therefore you have put in a slightly lower grade oil than required. So not to worry much, next time put in the correct oil No need to waste money on flush either, diesel engine oils have more detergent, and therefore your engine has already been flushed. However since the mistake was done by workshop, ideally they should give you new engine oil. As for the post from carbibles, they are talking about cases when the diesel engine oil meets the specifications required by your car, for cases where the diesel engine oil is not meeting specifications required by your car, its always better not to take the risk Last edited by tsk1979 : 11th July 2009 at 16:21.
	() Thanks

11th July 2009, 16:51	#12
kutlee Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 1,141 Thanked: 232 Times View My Garage	not to worry. i have used diesel oil in petrol car and safely gone back to petrol oil. yes of course min requirements are met.
	() Thanks

11th July 2009, 19:22	#15
Abes BHPian Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Muscat Posts: 201 Thanked: 60 Times	Vow, how could the service people make such a mistake. They cannot distinguish between a petrol engine and a diesel engine? They don't know which oil is for what? The engine oil for diesel engine could be used in petrol engines. But, that is beside the point. You should politely insist that the service center should replace the oil for you free of cost (both labour and material). Its their mistake.
	() Thanks