Sugar In Fuel Tanks, Does It Work?

[ThoR_]

Hey guys my mates were going on about the other day saying if you put sugar in a fuel tank it turns the petrol into liquid cement and when the car stops it sets and stuffs everthing. Is this true or just a myth?

[XR Martin]

Myth.

[Polyal]

Quality not Quantity.

Either way its not good.

[M&Ms]

Link

Not true, but feel free to try it and prove us wrong.

[pertuan]

If you put enough sugar into a liquid, it will turn into a slush with potential to solidify. :P

[phantomxr6t]

It will dissolve in the petrol and once it reaches the engine it will crystalise again and eventually seize your engine. I have seen the results from this being done.

[jaydee]

Mythbusters disproved this one I think, but if you put enough in it's obviously going to glug up like toffee.

[yift]

i think a high strength floor cleaner does more damage, watch myth busters they tried it

[Turboconvert]

i watched that episode before, if i remember correctly everyone has been right. i am sure sugar would be no good in your engine. the whole cement thing might be overexaggerated but i am sure the effects would be similar. i also remember them saying that they did not get any bad side effects from moth balls in the tank (they supposively improve the octane) but i still wouldnt do it thou.....

[bodes-sh]

try some rapid set instead, should work better...

[GT290]

just fill the tank with expansion foam

[RG]

Flaming petrol soaked rag hanging from the filler nozzle will have the best effect.

[XCSEDAN]

ThoR i love your avatar mate ROFL
and no it doesnt turn it to cement, does seize the engine though. saw dust is another option.

[XR Martin]

Originally Posted by XYSEDAN

ThoR i love your avatar mate ROFL
and no it doesnt turn it to cement, does seize the engine though. saw dust is another option.

It wont sieze the engine, regardless of how much you put in the tank. The injectors, lines and fuel pump will block well before any large amount will enter the engine.
Now if you put a bag of it in the oil....

[Yaw]

I don't know about a car engine with a good fuel filter however about 15 years ago when I was a small engine mechanic there was a spate of Briggs and Stratton 4 HP engines that were tampered with by a disgrunteled employee at the factory. The sugar was put in the sump though (from new) and when sold on a mower they were shipped without oil in the sump, we filled the sump and tank to test a new mower, but we had about half a dozen come back with the same problem within 5 hours use. All of them were siezed solid.
it took us some time to work out what it was, when we stripped the engine, there was no scoring or other marks, just this white sticky sludge. We tried the parts cleaner to clean the parts but that would not budge this sticky stuff, only thing that worked was hot water and it litterally disolved. We sent the 3rd one we found out for a lab testing, it was that that confirmed sugar and oil. Once they were stripped, cleaned and rebuilt there was no problem.
Seems the oil and sugar mix when hot quite well to a white sludge and then set causing the seizure. But honest to god, there was no scoring on the piston or cylinder once cleaned with hot water.

[ba_5speed]

at my work we had a commodore VS come in that had been vandalised, they put water in the fuel tank. it stuffed everything, fuel tank, fuel pump, fuel lines, injector rails, injectors etc.

we replaced all fuel components and the car was running perfect, but at a nice price

[1970galaxie]

Add 2 spoons of coffee for taste.

[Deviateboy]

best added to a "red" tank

[ThoR_]

Foam would work good as foam+petrol=napalm (goo)

[351Fordgrunt]

A friend of mine had sugar put in his fuel tank, old hq holden it clogged the fuel filter and would not start after closer inspection and a taste test? He found his petrol was sweet! Big job to clean tank lines and carby but no major damage done.

[GreenMachine]

Originally Posted by 351Fordgrunt

A friend of mine had sugar put in his fuel tank, old hq holden it clogged the fuel filter and would not start after closer inspection and a taste test? He found his petrol was sweet! Big job to clean tank lines and carby but no major damage done.

Taste testing petrol... Sounds like an HQ owner!

[superpursuit83]

My father in laws EX wife filled his XT Gt tank with sugar, many years ago.. It did stop the car starting eventually, and cost a heap for cleaning out.. Thats his story anyway.

[HOON69]

2kg bag of sugar will clog the filter etc and does stop car but wont stuff it(once you clean it out)
we know we had it done to a race car back in the day.

[Feathers]

We bought 2 cheap forklifts that had had sugar put in the fuel tank by an ex employee of the company we bought them off. They couldn't figure out what was wrong, so we got them cheap and rebuilt them. Been fine for the 14 years we've had them now.

[bathurst77]

Mythbusters sometimes miss the point (Myth the point?)

I reckon the sugar might form goopy clumps in the fuel lines, filter and injectors. Stop the car that way. They didnt look at that really.

[BJ]

The best thing i have found is caustic soda. Doesnt do much in the tank but once it hits a heat source look out. Not only dose it burn but it burns with intense heat, enough to melt valve edges and some piston. Normally about 500grams to a tank works well.

[blueline]

it crystallises in the fuel system and clumps together. i am not sure bout cars, but we had a customer come in to our workshop with his daf truck, someone had put a couple of 2kg bags of sugar in the fueltank. we pulled apart the engine, there was crystallised clumps of sugar everywhere. it ruined the injectors and the units that control the injectors. we replaced all the fuel lines, and ended up havin to replace the ecu cos dafs run fuel through the ecu to keep it cool. but it ended up clogging that as well. it was not a cheap exercise.

[[Tonko]]

Originally Posted by BJ

The best thing i have found is caustic soda. Doesnt do much in the tank but once it hits a heat source look out. Not only dose it burn but it burns with intense heat, enough to melt valve edges and some piston. Normally about 500grams to a tank works well.

Remind me not to get on the bad side of the Cleveland Mafia then :

[Ives]

Only one way to find out.

[mrnsx]

petrol + styrofoam = superglue. dont beleive me, go see for urself