this post was submitted on 31 May 2026
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Dull Men's Club

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She called me because she couldn't get her car started after work. We had to get it towed out of the underground parking which is quite a pain in the ass apparently.

I spent a couple hours troubleshooting the issue (smoky exhaust, barely started, ran like shit) and I burned out the starter in the process and had to put a new one in. Starters in these little 3.7L engines are pretty pathetic.

At some point in all this she mentioned she had filled up before driving to work, so I figured out how to jumper the fuel pump and pumped out this piss-colored junk. Feels oily like diesel, doesn't burn explosively like you'd expect with straight gas.

Fresh fuel and some Seafoam snake oil to maybe clean injectors. Since I didn't drop the tank to clean it perfectly, she's going to put small amounts in for a few fills and burn it off completely between fills because the solution to pollution is dilution.

Her receipt showed she uses the gas pump, not the diesel, so I'm wondering how many people got to deal with this bullshit since I'm guessing the station got an entire compartment contaminated. Haven't bothered to talk to the company, since I did the work myself and they certainly aren't going to reimburse me for my time.

Ah well, it's an excuse to do a pile of other maintenance I'd planned anyway and had parts for.

Wife is happy she isn't buying a new car. Happy wife, happy life.

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[–] HeerlijkeDrop@thebrainbin.org 127 points 4 days ago (17 children)

these little 3.7L engines

Are 3.7L engines really called little in America or are you being sarcastic? 😳

[–] ikidd@lemmy.dbzer0.com 54 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

Well, in that model, 2006 Grand Cherokee, that was the small engine. There was also a 4.7 and 5.7 Hemi. Engines have come a long way in 20 years.

And maybe America if you mean North America.

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[–] vext01@feddit.uk 18 points 4 days ago (1 children)
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[–] Botzo@lemmy.world 21 points 4 days ago (1 children)

I'd guess this is a mustang and that would make it the "small" engine (~305hp) for that car, the other option being a 5.0L.

[–] virku@lemmy.world 17 points 4 days ago (12 children)
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[–] varyingExpertise@feddit.org 53 points 4 days ago (3 children)

little 3.7L engines

Ah, America... 😁

[–] synapse1278@lemmy.world 10 points 4 days ago

I assumed it was a typo and OP meant 1.7L 🤣

[–] nova_ad_vitum@lemmy.ca 4 points 3 days ago (1 children)

And it will still somehow only produce 180HP.

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[–] FrowingFostek@lemmy.world 104 points 4 days ago (2 children)

"The solution to pollution is dilution." Muthafuckin mechanical Dr Seuss. An engine and word smith.

[–] Dozzi92@lemmy.world 33 points 4 days ago (1 children)

I've heard so many engineers giggle as they say it to each other simultaneously. But it's fair, who doesn't like rhyming.

[–] FrowingFostek@lemmy.world 15 points 4 days ago (2 children)

I pull cable for a living and it's my first time hearing it. I'm impressed and also stealing it.

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[–] neidu3@sh.itjust.works 13 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (5 children)

I'm happy until I hear "There's no replacement for displacement". Because the objective truth is that there is; It's called quality.

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[–] UndergroundParking@lemmy.cafe 21 points 3 days ago (2 children)

underground parking which is quite a pain in the ass apparently.

Hey, no need to be calling names! 😁

I have to say - those "dull" posts have truly been the most interesting things to read here, lately!

Thanks for the write up!

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[–] zipsglacier@lemmy.world 49 points 4 days ago (5 children)

This happened to me a couple of years ago. I called the gas station and as soon as I described the issue the clerk said they knew about the problem and gave me the number direct to their insurance guy, who made sure all repair costs were covered. (Pumped the tank, flushed the system, and some other stuff I'm not a car guy.) It was a hassle, but as soon as the insurance was involved, it was smooth. I think they were trying to avoid a law suit.

What happened? Insurance guy said that the diesel truck driver had somehow put diesel in their unleaded tanks. I was dumbfounded. He said, yes, a person has to be both an idiot and a very determined one to make that mistake. Said the gas station tried to get all the diesel out, but of course couldn't. So there we were.

My point is: it might be worth a call to the station she filled up at.

[–] whyNotSquirrel@sh.itjust.works 6 points 4 days ago (1 children)

don't they have different connector for different fuel?

Kinda like it's done on diesel car to avoid mistakes

[–] zipsglacier@lemmy.world 8 points 4 days ago (3 children)

Yeah, the insurance guy said that, but I guess people find a way to still screw it up.

[–] MBech@feddit.dk 5 points 3 days ago

Whenever you idiot proof something, the world just invents a bigger idiot.

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[–] BCsven@lemmy.ca 49 points 4 days ago (2 children)

Man that sucks.

There was a tiktok prank where the wife calls the husband with this exact complaint and says it happened after filling up a new gas station that had yellow pumps. Then they record the husband's realization the wife means diesel in the gas. 😥

My wife called me from work and gave the spiel about being stranded, and we got to the yellow pump part. And in my head I'm thinking aww crap. But I said no problem, go to the nearest store and grab a coffee/snack, I'll get a tow truck to come.

After a while she said LOL, just kidding. And she asked why I was so calm about it. And so I explained that she has done quite a few things to/with the car that I can't waste energy on being frustrated and instead just deal with the logistics of these things.

She said she wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing...means its happened too much. LOL

[–] acockworkorange@mander.xyz 1 points 22 hours ago

Man that sucks

Are you assuming his sexual preferences?

[–] atomicbocks@sh.itjust.works 32 points 4 days ago (10 children)

Your wife played a TikTok prank on you? Personally I would be far more upset about that than the car.

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[–] 87Six@lemmy.zip 10 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Man, at least publicise this more so that gas station goes down the drain.

They don't deserve to be in business after ruining so many cars.

You have to fight for others that were also messed up. Don't bend the knee.

Post this so your local community can acces it so they know and gather to sue the shit out of them.

[–] Whats_your_reasoning@lemmy.world 4 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Yes, please do this. You got lucky here, OP. Some people are going to end up spending absurd amounts of money without knowing the cause of the trouble, and will probably miss work because of this, possibly while living paycheck-to-paycheck. Money's really tight for a lot of people right now, this can be disastrous for them.

You don't owe the station anything, but your community deserves to know where they should avoid.

[–] CMDR_Horn@lemmy.world 32 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

Form a small business and write up an invoice to yourself for your work. See how far that goes.

*Edit not legal advice

[–] ikidd@lemmy.dbzer0.com 37 points 4 days ago (3 children)

I do have a corporation but sounds like more work than it's worth in order to maybe get in a pissing match with an oil company.

Fuck em, they're on the shit list now anyway. Not like I'd redeem a free tank of gas from them for obvious reasons.

Shell, just to name and shame.

[–] Hello_there@fedia.io 10 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Gas stations are usually franchises, owned by small businesses

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[–] over_clox@lemmy.world 9 points 4 days ago (4 children)

Assuming their gas indeed is contaminated, go buy 1 gallon of gas, in a spare gas jug, and check it out yourself to confirm. If it's contaminated, well there's your proof. If it doesn't look contaminated, but perhaps you don't trust it anyways, well run it through a lawnmower..

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[–] adarza@lemmy.ca 24 points 4 days ago (1 children)

this happened to my mom years ago, sometime in the mid 80s. she never pumped her own gas unless she had no choice. the culprit was a full serve station. they put in diesel instead of regular (car was from the 70s).

nowadays that couldn't happen unless the tanks at the station were wrong (tanker delivery screwing up). unleaded-only cars (the norm now) have narrower openings and pump nozzles to match. diesel and the old 'regular' pump nozzles literally won't fit.

[–] erusuoyera@sh.itjust.works 26 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

Neighbour of mine told me that they had broken down because they put diesel in their petrol car. My first question was about the nozzle not fitting. They said they thought it was odd that it didn't, and it took ages to fill the tank because it kept overflowing. So I wouldn't say it can't happen.

[–] adarza@lemmy.ca 14 points 4 days ago

true. "this shouldn't happen" would be a more correct phrasing.

[–] brucethemoose@lemmy.world 15 points 4 days ago

Small thing, but you sound like a nice spouse.

Some partners are quick to pin blame on spouses, in a hostile way. For example, they might quickly blame the other for a car breaking down, and make an issue of it, when the issue at hand is fixing the car. That kind of stuff rubs me the wrong way.

[–] regedit@lemmy.zip 5 points 3 days ago

I suspect this happened to my wife. Got gas at Casey's in her Ford Escape and barely made it home. Of course, she didn't bother to call the station and just accepted it was time to replace it.

[–] artwork@lemmy.world 12 points 4 days ago

I am sorry you got into the trouble, and I do believe the gas station company MUST pay for your priceless precious life time, your and wife's time, and worries... They have camera videos showing the wife used the correct pump, but the essence you paid for was not provided, and also damaged your property - your car, and likely yours wife worktime.

One thing I can also tell is that you are a great man, a good husband, and just a freaking marvelous person I appreciate you for...
Thank you... dear @ikidd@lemmy.dbzer0.com ... for being a miracle...

[–] Big_Boss_77@fedinsfw.app 8 points 4 days ago (2 children)

Combine seafoam snake oil with some premium higher octane shit, anecdotal maybe... but less ethanol is definitely going to help you get through this with fewer hard starts and sputtering takeoff.

Source: someone who's dealt with bad gas on multiple occasions.

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[–] HubertManne@piefed.social 11 points 4 days ago (4 children)

I hate when the only pumps available are ones with a diesel option. I always preferentially use the one with the e85 options instead. Im so paranoid about it.

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