Eli5: why is it bad to put sugar in the cars gas tank?

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Does it really mess up the engine?

In: Engineering

19 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

Sugar is unable to disolve in gasoline or ethanol but can in the little water in the ethanol. This will bring a tiny amount in the cylinders where it could gum up the cylinders.

But the real issue is that it will eventually make it’s way into your fuel filters and clog it.

There is a fine mesh before the pump designed to block what would damage the pump. It is relativelly big. Then you have the fuel filter itself, which is very fine. Some sugar crystals will pass thru the mesh, but then get trapped in the filter. With time, no more filter capacity and you get fuel delivery issues.

Also, sugar shoshing around will wear itself and break into smaller pieces. What initially couln’t pass may be able to now pass througj the mesh.

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