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Maintenance & Repair Maintenance & Repair - Archived Discussions Dealing with sugar in gas tank 
13 messages, Last post on Apr 17, 2002 at 5:52 AM
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There are far worse things to put in a gas tank but I'm not going to reveal them for obvious reasons. Let's just hope vandals keep thinking sugar is deadly. Probably the worst thing that can naturally happen to a car's fuel system is rust or water, both of which might require dropping the gas tank and possibly replacing the injectors. |
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| I think I saw in another post that the reaction took a couple weeks. | |
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Click and Clack deal with sugar (not that serious)...
http://cartalk.cars.com/Columns/Archive/2001/February/02.html
Modern Maturity (auto myths)
http://www.aarp.org/mmaturity/jan_feb01/consumer.html
Straight dope (could clog)
http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/msugargs.html
2Car Pros (injectors probably plugged)... |
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| If you put enough of anything in a gas tank it will foul it up. I'm sure Cheerios are as deadly as sugar. (and you can add milk, too!) | |
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Thanks for the informative posts. o_h_w, I'll keep the test tube tests going and will follow-up in a couple of weeks. My last concern is that water condensation in the tank will dissolve some sugar. My strategy is to add 1/2 oz isopropyl alcohol with each fill up to dilute and minimize the sugar load downstream. I also plan to inspect a spark plug at the same interval to look for fouling. I'm also a little concerned that fuel injector contamination from sugar water/alcohol could be hard to clean since water can't be used - at least not in the usual way. |
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If it dissolves in water then it will go through the filter (filter should stop water too but some still dissolves into the gas, especially when you use the water remover/alcohol/dry gas etc) and harden/plate out like laquer/glaze in the injectors/intake valves and is almost impossible to clean except by physical(abrasive) action. Keep it solid and let the filter catch it...just change the filter is alot easier... Years past I have always seen that sugar in the tank really had to have tank removed and rinsed/dried, fuel lines air blown in reverse to really clean it right. Best thing is to find the people responsible and watch them do the work. good luck |
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Why take a chance? I'd even drop the gas tank. And remember, "Equal" is better than sugar! In coffee, that is. Never in your tank. |
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that dirt can really clog up a tank, having deposited several handfulls in one myself. Dad definitely was NOT happy. Seriously, I would drop and clean the tank immediately. The cost of that repair isn't bad compared to the dangers it can cause. |
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Someone telling me that a handful of moth balls would neutralize the gasoline. Never tried it. |
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| It is one week since I placed 10 cc of gas in a test tube and added 2 sugar crystals and the sugar is 100% in its original crystal form. My van is also operating normally with only a change of the fuel filter which contained no sugar. | |
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