A friend of mine has a car that won't start and she's asked me to take a look at it for her. Several people have already looked at it and cant find anything wrong with it. It's been suggested that perhaps her Xbf put sugar in the gas tank. When I look at it tomorrow I'll check for the usual spark and fuel, but if I find nothing wrong... is there anyway I can check the gas for sugar? Like, if I take a sample of gas from the tank, is there some way I can test it? Visibly will it look different? Maybe the pH will be different? Any ideas?

 

I don't think sugar dissolves in gasoline, so you may be able to take a sample and strain it out. I don't know if you can get a hose down into the tank or not, though. You should inspect the filler and see if she thinks it's been tampered with, or look for sugar, obviously.

Another thing that you should have thought of before: did the car start and die? If so, check the fuel filter. If the sugar is keeping the car from running, it's either blocking the fuel pickup or the fuel filter. The car should run with sugar in the tank, although I wouldn't reccomend running it like that, so if it didn't start at all there probably isn't sugar in the gas(or at least it isn't causing the problem). Since it doesn't dissolve, I think the pH would be unaffected. Gasoline pH probably varies a bit with region, so that probably wouldn't be reliable anyway.

 

i've also heard the sugar is a "urban legand" or "old wives tale" and that it won't actually get to the engine, other than the already mentioned fuel system blockage it's harmless. no real experience with it.

 

Sugar will not dissolve in gasoline, and remains granular. This can present a problem, however, since the sugar will act just like sand or sediment, and can clog the pickup screen (sock) and/or fuel filter. I can't imagine that any sugar granules that get sucked through the pump would do the pump any favors either. One way to dissolve teh suga and clear it out is to fill the tank with warm water and pump it back out, but this has its own set of problems.

 

I had to fix a diesel truck that somebody had put sugar in the fuel tank. The fuel filter was plugged solid. They don't use a sock filter in the tank.

 

true, sugar wont dissolve in gas, so if any you will find it at the fuel filter.
the real damage is to put sugar in the oil, it wont mix either, but after start the heat will get it liquid, the problem will be after shut down cool off...you wont be able not even to turn the engine. it'll be seized solid.
Fernando.

 

You are all correct about sugar not dissolving in gasoline yet plugging up the fuel filter. However, if there is a little water in the tank, from condensation for example, the sugar will dissolve in that and if the tank is run to almost empty the sugar water can get sucked into the engine. I wouldn't try to remove it by siphoning, you need to empty the gas and rinse the tank with water.

HOWEVER, if the gas in your area comes with alcohol in it, a tiny bit of sugar can dissolve because it is slightly soluble in alcohol. Since the alcohol is mixed with the gas, that will reduce the sugar solubility. I doubt if anyone can predict the amount of problems caused by this small amount of soluble sugar.

 

You could taste the gas and see if it tastes sweetened.


Man, how could a guy do something like that to a girl's car.... to even consider its possibility.... guys are such jerks these days, makes guys like me a bad name.

 

exactly fyre...
some people have no honor, in my humble oppinion, anyone can be a male, that's granted...
but being "gentlemen" ...we are very few.
Fernando.

 

What's with your hood in that pic, Fernando?

 

yea my boss had sugar poured in his tank last year, and tires slashed, all it turned out to be was a plugged filter, everything else turned out ok. he found out who did it with a security camera from a store he was parked close to, and made him pay for a new pump and filter... not sure if it needed a pump, but the filter was packed solid like earlier said.

good luck