Nissan Titan Forum banner

DEF in fuel tank mistake

4K views 9 replies 6 participants last post by  07xln 
#1 ·
The other morning my wonderfullll husband drove my 2017 to get it ready for us to take on a trip. Washed, diesel full, def full.. the norm. He ends up putting DEF in the fuel tank while the truck is running. He noticed immediately, halfway through the box and turned the truck off. This was on a full tank of diesel. The truck ran for a minute and a half total from time he was putting it in until he realized. Towed it to Nissan. They claim it’s $16.5k repair and every thing needs to be replaced. We called around and another diesel shop says it’s a $600-$1k job as it all just needs to be flushed. Does anyone have experience with this? I’m not sure who to go with and trust. I just want my truck running again with no ongoing issues l. 16,000 is a bit steep though. 😣
 
#3 ·
well, according to google, since the truck didn't die on its own, you guys have to do the flush like the diesel shop says. it sounds like Nissan is giving you the cost of replacing everything and maybe the engine. 16k was the cost of a new engine and the work for changing it, on my truck in January this year
 
#4 ·
Nissan is trying to get you to buy a whole new engine.

Was the fuel tank empty when he put the DEF in it or did he fill with diesel then put the DEF in? If the tank was full then he put the DEF in then you're fine and you simply need to drain the tank and probably swap filters just to be safe. If he put the DEF in first then you still need to do the same but theres a better chance some DEF got into the fuel system. Either way I'd go to the diesel shop and pay the $600-1000 if you can. Or if you have the means just do it yourself. Either way I think you're gonna be fine
 
#5 ·
Flush of the fuel system and filters, maybe a fuel pump, maybe the injectors. Worst case, $6K. I would go with the diesel shop's solution first. Whatever you do, don't turn on the ignition. That gets the fuel pump going which can bring the DEF into the rest of the system. Pulling the fuses on the fuel pump would be a good idea, if it hasn't already been done.
 
  • Like
Reactions: busemans
#6 ·
I'm going to go out on a limb and say that if you have any issues going forward, you taking it to Nissan, they will review your history and see that you took the vehicle in for this. They might use this to get out of any warranty obligations on the engine, just something to think about.
 
#7 ·
They might, but you also won't get the same warranty on the new engine (which is effectively what you're paying for at $16k) so it may be a wash.
 
#8 ·
Oh yeah, I personally wouldn't pay for a new engine. I was saying that I don't think I would've taken it to Nissan right away. I'd flush and run a few tanks of good quality diesel for a bit before running cheaper brands. The saving grace is that the tank was full, so there were less parts per volume going into the fuel system.
 
#9 ·
Does the Titan have a water separator? If so, check that and see what's in there. No water = No damage. In that case, drain the fuel from the tank, maybe replace the filter at the water separator, and call it good.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 07xln
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top