"Chris" <chris@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
news:20080426222659.77c74432@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>I have been asked to drain engine oil out of a diesel car and fill it
> with diesel engine oil.as the husband got petrol oil and not diesel
> oil.because it was cheaper than diesel oil.(what a pratt) does anybody
> know would it of done any harm to the engine? he has only driven it
> about 2 miles to me .
I'd be surprised if it's made much difference at all. Most engines these
days will go in a petrol or a diesel engine - you rarely see any with less
than A3/B3 and SM written on the packaging. If it's a direct injection
engine (ie. HDI) he should be using oil that's graded as B4 at least.
On the other hand, some engines can be very fussy about what oil is used -
VW extended service engines will complain if you use the wrong oil and
demand a service early. The correct grades for the oil will be listed in
the
car handbook, including manufacturer specs (VW specs tend to be
500.something or other, and oils will have what manufacturer specs it
meets
printed on the packaging). If I were him, I'd run the car for a week or
two
(500-1000 miles) and then swap the oil and filter for a diesel specific
one
*if* the oil he's bought doesn't meet spec, and treat it as an engine
flush.
If it does meet spec, there's no reason for it to not stay in there. Even
in
a turbo diesel I'd expect the oil to work fairly well - turbo petrol
engines
reach much higher temperatures than turbo diesels. The main difference
with
the diesel oil is that it's capable of holding more crap for longer, as
diesels black their oil much quicker.
One thing you haven't mentioned is whether he's put a sump full of oil in
there or just a pint or two. If it's a pint or two, I'd be even less
inclined to worry, providing it's not a brand spanking new super high tech
extended service engine. I suspect it's not, as you shouldn't really need
to
top up oil in a new engine. If it's something older like a non-turbo XUD,
I'd be inclined to not worry and leave it in there. Oil is oil is oil as
long as far as I'm concerned for engines like that - they're not high
tech,
and if they're leaking, it's going to be pretty dilute after a couple more
top ups.
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