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Yikes!! sugar in the gas tank

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Jon Hagen

12-28-2000 13:12:35




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Was reading a magazine that had a a true/false quiz about things that can hurt your car, one that really caught my eye was that sugar in the gas will ruin your engine. The answer was false, my reaction was BS, everyone knows that thousands of engines have been sabatoged by this method. Ruined by being stuck with an internal coating of carmalized sugar, have heard this all my life. Well this must be the standard reaction because the guy went on to say"put sugar in a jar of gas and see if you can get it to disolve" said it will only disolve in water not oil(gasoline). I put a teaspoon of sugar in a pint bottle and filled it 3/4 full of gas,shook it hard and long. As soon as I stopped the sugar would settle to the bottom of the jar like white sand. Poured a couple oz of this sugar saturated gas into a tin can which I set in the middle of the shop floor and lit it, thinking that when the gas burned away that the can should have a layer of sugar/carmel in the bottom. Well it did a slow burn for 10 min untill the gas burned up.When the can cooled I checked it, found only a bit of gasoline soot, not a trace of sugar. The story said that the worst thing sugar could do is to plug the fuel filter with sugar granules. What do you guys think. What about an old tractor with gravity fuel feed and only a screen in the fuel system, would sugar granules get into the engine or would it just plug the screen or carb jets ?? This looks like another urban legend bites the dust.

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Michelle Ballard

06-24-2005 08:45:47




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 Re: Yikes!! sugar in the gas tank in reply to Jon Hagen, 12-28-2000 13:12:35  
I am reading everything I possibly can on the web this morning because someone has put sugar in my gas tank. I have called a couple of shops this morning and so far it is 50/50 on wheather or not I can still drive the car or not. I was told to put some heat in the tank and to keep on driving! I still am not convienced of this, please help! I have a 2000 Ford Windstar with 75,000 miles.



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RB

12-29-2000 04:22:46




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 Re: Yikes!! sugar in the gas tank in reply to Jon Hagen, 12-28-2000 13:12:35  
Conditions!I have had that done to me on more than one occasion.Once the culprit put near five pounds in it,at least that was the amount of crude they dug out of my engine when it had to be rebuilt.Second time,all I had to do was clean up carb a little,not very much crude built up,just emough to run a little rough.Guess it depends on how much sugar and how much gas you have in the tank.



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Dean

12-28-2000 17:40:12




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 Re: Yikes!! sugar in the gas tank in reply to Jon Hagen, 12-28-2000 13:12:35  
You did not conduct the experiment correctly. Pouring sugar in a gas tank by itself is meaningless. It must first be dissolved as a supersaturated solution in water. That gets poured into the gas tank. Done correctly, everything in the fuel system will be affected to the point where the entire system must be cleaned. This almost always, depending on the vehicle, requires disassembly to remove the sticky gel that forms.

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John

12-28-2000 18:31:35




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 Re: Re: Yikes!! sugar in the gas tank in reply to Dean, 12-28-2000 17:40:12  
Water doesn't dissolve in gasoline either! Jon is right, this is just a urban ledgend.



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Dean

12-28-2000 21:28:13




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 Re: Re: Re: Yikes!! sugar in the gas tank in reply to John, 12-28-2000 18:31:35  
Obviously you've never seen the damage that can be done! Of course water doesn't dissolve in gasoline, so what? What actually happens is that the sugar/water solution, much heavier than gasoline, settles in the low spots in the fuel system. In a tractor this is usually the fuel line and/or carb float bowl. The gel that forms does not allow gasoline to pass. And cleaning with hydrocarbon based cleaners like carb cleaner has zero effect. Only hot water will remove it. If you don't believe it, try it on your tractor!

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John

12-29-2000 09:01:28




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 Re: Re: Re: Re: Yikes!! sugar in the gas tank in reply to Dean, 12-28-2000 21:28:13  
It's sugar in the gas tank not Pespi. Fuel systems are manufactured in such a manner as to work with a large amount of water in the system.



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Dean

12-29-2000 10:54:23




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 Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Yikes!! sugar in the gas tank in reply to John, 12-29-2000 09:01:28  
You apparently don't understand what "supersaturated solution" means. It isn't "Pepsi"!

And fuel systems are NOT designed to handle "large amounts of water". Go put a gallon or so in your tank and let me know how well it runs!



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John

12-29-2000 14:05:41




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 Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Yikes!! sugar in the gas tank in reply to Dean, 12-29-2000 10:54:23  
That's syrup Even at 120 degrees F it takes either a gear or sine pump move any quanlities of syrup around. The story is sugar in the gas tank not Log Cabin. Just can't give up your belief in that ledgend. I guess you still believe in the tooth fairy.



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Jason

12-29-2000 23:05:37




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 Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Yikes!! sugar in the gas tank in reply to John, 12-29-2000 14:05:41  
John,
Despite all your scientific "facts" such as "water doesn't dissolve in gas" and "fuel systems are designed to handle large amounts of water", I think that you are missing the point when you accuse a fellow who is trying to enlighten you of believing in the tooth fairy.

If you will stop smarting off long enough to go pour a gallon of sugar-saturated water in your fuel tank, you'll be hoping there is an engine fairy.

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John

12-30-2000 06:37:38




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 Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Yikes!! sugar in the gas tank in reply to Jason, 12-29-2000 23:05:37  
OK, will you show me one valid story about this which can be verified? You can not!!!! FYI most fuel tanks still have about one to one and a half gallons of fuel inside when the engine stops because the fuel system is out of fuel.



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Jon Hagen

12-28-2000 22:04:11




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 Re: Re: Re: Re: Yikes!! sugar in the gas tank in reply to Dean, 12-28-2000 21:28:13  
Yes but the old story is that the engine slowly consumes suger laden fuel untill it locks up from burned/melted suger on the valves and pistons. Seems to me this goop you are talking about would stop the engine from lack of fuel before any sugar got into the engine.The damage would be to the fuel system, not the engine.



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H MN

12-28-2000 17:03:58




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 Re: Yikes!! sugar in the gas tank in reply to Jon Hagen, 12-28-2000 13:12:35  
Jon: Did it say anything about putting sugar into the oil?? ..or salt? Almost as easy to add to oil on many machines. Gotta damage more in the oil?
harvey



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Jon Hagen

12-28-2000 19:58:19




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 Re: Re: Yikes!! sugar in the gas tank in reply to H MN, 12-28-2000 17:03:58  
The story only mentioned sugar in the gas. I wonder what temp will melt sugar? engine oil can hit 200-250 degrees. as to salt, I would bet it's not much less damaging than dirt or sand in the oil.



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TomH

12-28-2000 16:31:03




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 Re: Yikes!! sugar in the gas tank in reply to Jon Hagen, 12-28-2000 13:12:35  
The result of your experiment makes sense, after all isn't antifreeze mostly sugar (the "glycol" in ethelene glycol)? That should be just as harmful, but I've never heard of a carmelized engine from a leaky head gasket.



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IHank

12-28-2000 13:46:55




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 Re: Yikes!! sugar in the gas tank in reply to Jon Hagen, 12-28-2000 13:12:35  
Jon- Thanks for the good research report and for poking holes in another urban legend! Keep it up! IHank



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Bart

12-29-2000 11:44:26




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 Re: Re: Yikes!! sugar in the gas tank in reply to IHank, 12-28-2000 13:46:55  
How about Cairo Syrup??? Any thoughts on that? Sure is sticky stuff.



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John Healey ( Maine )

12-30-2000 16:15:53




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 Re: Re: Re: Yikes!! sugar in the gas tank in reply to Bart, 12-29-2000 11:44:26  
This all sounds pretty rotten and cowardly to me .



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