An accidental mishap at the pump -- a tankful of diesel instead of 97 octane petrol -- led to the complete shut-down of our 1990 Nissan Micra two miles later. Is there anything that can be done to fix it? How severe is the damage to begin with?

John in the Algarve, May 2010

you will need to completely drain/syphon all of the diesel/petrol mixture from the tank. refill with about a gallon of petrol to start with. try to start it. you may need to turn it over for quite a while & when/if it starts it will smoke quite a lot. if it doesn't start, remove the spark plugs & give them a good clean & if you are competent enough clean the carburettor & fuel pump. it's unlikely any damage will be done because your car most likely has a carburettor (not fuel injection) & probably wont have a catalytic convertor.

jim, May 2010