Sugar in the tank!

[CamaroAdam73]

Wow. That snopes.com aggravates me, I'd like to see the science behind that statement. Because I'll show them pictures to prove that it DOES destroy your engine, in fact I'd even ship them the cylinder heads off my old sugared engine. It burnt the valves WHITE, ruined two carbs, and two fuel pumps one of which i tho through an email, and that's when i pulled the engine and realized the true damage.

To further prove my point, at one point the valves where almost trying to seize, bad enough to cause the cam to force rocker arm + stud right out of the head!

 

[Blake442]

They busted this on Myth-Busters a while back.

They even had a tank with a clear top, and you could clearly see that the sugar just sat there and didn't effect the engine at all. It's probably on youtube, I'm just too lazy to search for it...

 

[CamaroAdam73]

Blake the conditions in there test's are totally irrelevant. They didn't run the engine long enough, or let it get hot enough, or let it cool down then run it again. They also didn't run the entire tank of gas + then some through the engine.


I didn't even watch that myth busters episode, because i don't have to, to know that they are dead wrong. I've seen first hand what sugar does to an engine, I've seen it with my own two eyes, and repaired the damage with my own two hands.

 

[tc1959]

Sugar will not dissolve in gasoline, get a old coffee can pour in some gas and some sugar and see for your self.
Every car I have ever fixed ,We replaced the intank pump and sock, replaced the fuel filter and had the tank cleaned .
Most radiator shops around here will boil out a tank. Bleach on the other hand will destroy any thing made out of metal,turns a tank in to rust over night.

 

[-83MONTESS-]

I guess it was easily preventable considering I could have got a locking cap in the first place but I live in the middle of no where and didnt really think I had enemies. Lesson learned and thank god I ran it real low on gas that day!!!

 

[CamaroAdam73]

Yeah a locking cap is a must, for any reason at least to keep people from stealing your gas lol. Or to stop c**ks**kers who don't have enough balls to bring the problems they have with you to your face.

 

[pontiacgp]

They busted this on Myth-Busters a while back.

They even had a tank with a clear top, and you could clearly see that the sugar just sat there and didn't effect the engine at all. It's probably on youtube, I'm just too lazy to search for it...

Sugar will not dissolve in gasoline, get a old coffee can pour in some gas and some sugar and see for your self.
Every car I have ever fixed ,We replaced the intank pump and sock, replaced the fuel filter and had the tank cleaned .
Most radiator shops around here will boil out a tank. Bleach on the other hand will destroy any thing made out of metal,turns a tank in to rust over night.

thank you and thank you...there was a thread about sugar in a tank a while back and no one seemed to understand that it doesn't mix with gas and it won't destroy the engine...it doesn't matter how long they run the engine the fuel in the tank never warms up...

 

[454muscle]

They busted this on Myth-Busters a while back.

They even had a tank with a clear top, and you could clearly see that the sugar just sat there and didn't effect the engine at all. It's probably on youtube, I'm just too lazy to search for it...

Sugar will not dissolve in gasoline, get a old coffee can pour in some gas and some sugar and see for your self.
Every car I have ever fixed ,We replaced the intank pump and sock, replaced the fuel filter and had the tank cleaned .
Most radiator shops around here will boil out a tank. Bleach on the other hand will destroy any thing made out of metal,turns a tank in to rust over night.

thank you and thank you...there was a thread about sugar in a tank a while back and no one seemed to understand that it doesn't mix with gas and it won't destroy the engine...it doesn't matter how long they run the engine the fuel in the tank never warms up...

Pontiacgp, Blake442, and tc1959: I get that the tests failed on mythbusters, and your theory is "sound" and "makes sense" but you should know that theory and reality are two different things. In science, humanity has ONLY learned from hindsight. We percieve what happens, then we write up our conclusions, because our "theories" are often wrong. Why? Because we forget to account for other "what if" circumstances, substances, temperatures, velocities, the list is infinite.

Now for the sugar... sure, it won't dissolve in gasoline. And if it never dissolves in gasoline, it never makes it to the engine except in crystalized form (if that), and hance no damage. What about water? Does it dissolve in water? Does water ever get in the gank? You might say the amount of moisture in the tank is negligible. What if water acts like a catalyst to dissolve sugar in gasoline. Whatever the science behind it is...... my 2nd GP, 1981 GP with 454BBC on a TH2004R had suger in the tank from it's previous owner -- long story but basically when changing the tank out, it was FILLED with yellowish sludgy goo. GOO, mind you, which made it to the carburator.

How would you dismiss what CamaroAdam73 said? Could be an explanation, I understand. But I personally don't think so.

Other what ifs: Type of car, engine size, EFI or carburated, type of sugar (granulated/powered/liquid), fype of fuel (regular/premium), how long to run the engine, running the engine idle or under load, amount of vacuum, fuel pressure, and so on.....

Conclusiong: the test is by no means conclusive. Just my 2 cents.

 

[pontiacgp]

then please find me some research that says sugar will destroy an engine.....camaroadam said "It burnt the valves WHITE"...sugar may be white but when burnt it caramelizes and turns brown

 

[454muscle]

Coming right up.

I believe there's enough of a discussion here to get the Mythbusters to reconsider their "Sugar in the Tank" conslusion. I mean, I'm sure someone's emailed them.... maybe not. But I have their contact info and I'm directing them to this thread. Maybe they'll do another test on another show? That would rock!!

Perhaps if they try other "what if" scenarios, it may change the results.