What Happens If You Put Sugar In A Gas Tank? Facts vs. Myths

in Ownership
Pile of sugar

Source: Pixabay

We’ve all heard of it. A scorned lover poured copious amounts of sugar into some poor car owner’s gas tank as an act of vengeance. The generous helping of sugar ruins the vehicle from the inside by causing the engine to malfunction. Vengeance obtained!

What happens if you put sugar in a gas tank? Does it caramelize and turn the fuel into a gooey sludge? Does this age-old rumor have any basis in reality at all?

For today’s post, we’ll tackle the urban legend that inspired the question: what happens if you put sugar in a gas tank? Let’s talk about the facts and myths and put this age-old notion to rest.

Here’s What Happens If You Put Sugar In a Gas Tank

Here’s the deal, sugar in a gas tank is never a good thing, but not for the reasons you think. The myth says that adding sugar into gas will turn it into a sugary petroleum mess – this is false.

When you add sugar into the fuel tank, it doesn’t dissolve as much and will instead settle at the bottom of the tank. In 1994, a solubility experiment was conducted by forensics professor John Thornton at the University of California, Berkeley, where he mixed sugar and gasoline.

Using a centrifuge, he spun out the undissolved sugar to determine how much substance had been dissolved. He found out that less than a teaspoon of sugar has been dissolved for every 15 gallons of fuel – more than a full tank for most vehicles. He also concluded that if you have less than a full gasoline tank, a smaller amount of sugar will dissolve due to less solvent.

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Sugar is twice as dense and heavier than gas, so it will sink to the bottom of the tank instead of dissolving. Only so much sugar will integrate with the fuel that it’s hardly a threat to the engine. However, because of the accumulated sugar at the bottom of the tank, the amount of fuel you can add is decreased.

Too much sugar will clog the filter and limit gas flow into the engine. This may result in your car stalling or hesitating as if it’s running out of gas. There’s no guarantee of this event happening, but it’s a possible scenario, especially if you keep driving over bumps.

How to Remove Sugar From a Fuel Tank

If you frequently drive over bumps, a small amount of sugar may get into the fuel filter. In this case, you may want to change the filter more often until the sugar problem clears up. At this point, a visit to your mechanic isn’t needed.

In an extreme case where someone poured a whole bag of sugar into the tank, you’ll have to take your car in to remove and clean the gas tank thoroughly. They may even flush the fuel lines and replace some affected components.

The procedure involves taking out the tank and cleaning out all the sugar inside and may cost $200 to $300 for the service. It’s a simple job for a professional mechanic and may cost you good money, but it’s a great deal cheaper than getting a new engine.

So, What Can Kill Your Engine?

Now that you know what happens if you put sugar in a gas tank, which substance can actually do real damage to the engine?

According to the folks at Popular Mechanics, dumping water into the gas tank will cause the type of damage that sugar can’t. The main reason water can be potentially destructive in a gas tank is because water prevents combustion. Remember that engines use combustion to make the wheels move.

However, it will take more than a mischievous prankster carrying a water bottle to do some serious damage. Without going too specific, there’s already water for every gallon of fuel you pump into your car, and it’s coursing through the fuel lines. Therefore, our water bottle prankster won’t cause too much damage.

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What if you pour too much water? With excess water, the liquid will settle to the bottom of the tank, but it will also displace some of the liquid fuel within the combustion chambers. Modern vehicles with onboard computers and oxygen sensors will detect the leaner mixture and automatically compensate.

If there’s too much non-combustible water in the chamber, the piston will be unable to complete its stroke, and the engine becomes hydrolocked. This phenomenon is where the engine either seizes or fails because of too much water in the cylinders. This is when the engine may suffer catastrophic damage.

However, it’s more likely that the engine will stop working before severe damage occurs, especially when caught early on. Even with a hydrolocked engine, a qualified mechanic can use fuel treatment to chemically clean the engine and get it working again.

Can You Drive a Car With Sugar in the Tank?

Now you know what happens if you put sugar in a gas tank. Is it safe to drive a car with a sugary concoction inside?

If you know someone has poured sugar into your gas tank, err on the side of caution and have your vehicle checked. Although there’s likely nothing to be concerned about, there are numerous symptoms you may experience with a sugary gas tank.

One of the most common symptoms you may encounter is the power surges during acceleration. The power surges are due to the fuel finally arriving for combustion. The sugar granules may block the fuel intake lines and prevent the fuel from being consumed.

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Another common side effect is that your car will not start. This is especially true when too much sugar is added into the tank and causes severe clogs. The vehicle may turn over during ignition, but nothing else will happen. Continued attempts to start the engine could have long-term damage to the battery and starter.

If you suspect there’s sugar in your tank, call a mechanic for an inspection and have the sugar removed.

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