There was water in the gas tank - how to get rid of a dangerous problem

Moisture, being a life-giving substance in most life cases, getting into the fuel tank of a car, turns into its opposite. And although simple preventive measures can minimize the process of water entering the gas tank, it is almost impossible to completely eliminate this danger. Fortunately, there are several effective ways to remove moisture from the fuel tank, the first of which were invented a hundred years ago. New-fangled means are also being developed. Is everything offered by motorists in this regard effective and safe for cars?

What threatens the water in the gas tank, how can it get there

Water, having a greater density than gasoline, sinks to the bottom of the gas tank and concentrates there. The fuel, being above it, prevents its evaporation and thus simultaneously contributes to its accumulation. The following are undesirable processes in the fuel system of a car:

1. Moisture provokes an oxidative reaction of metals in it, which leads to their corrosion. Especially dangerous is the process of electrochemical corrosion, which is started by water that absorbs sulfur compounds from low-quality fuel.
2. In gasoline direct injection systems and diesel engines, moisture provokes the cavitation effect, leading to the destruction of injectors.
3. In winter, the presence of water in the fuel system due to its ability to freeze and expand at the same time can lead to failure of the fuel lines and is fraught with subsequent disassembly of the engine and replacement of components.
4. In diesel engines, the presence of moisture leads to breakage of the plunger pair and its costly replacement.

The presence of moisture in the fuel tank can be determined by the following signs:

• difficult start of a cold engine;
• uneven operation of the motor;
• strange sounds made by the engine, which are accompanied by its concussion;
• decrease in the dynamic characteristics of the car.

It is extremely easy for water to enter the fuel bank. This inevitably happens when the vehicle is refueled. Together with the pouring fuel, air with the moisture contained in it penetrates into the tank through the open hatch. There, water condensate forms on the walls, which flows into gasoline and sinks to the bottom. This is especially intense in rainy or foggy weather.

During refueling, air with water vapor enters the gas tank.

The culprits of getting moisture into the filling capacity of a car are often small gas stations, in which there is an intensive circulation of fuel. Tanks are often emptied and filled, water condensate collects in them, as well as in fuel trucks. And although water does not dissolve in gasoline (and vice versa), with the active movement of these liquids and their mixing, an unstable emulsion is formed, which, getting into an automobile gas tank, again decomposes into gasoline and water. This is facilitated by the fact that the average static passenger car spends 90% of its life cycle at rest and only 10% in motion.

A significant contribution to the formation of moisture in the fuel system is made by the habit of many motorists to drive with half-empty tanks. They most often explain this by the desire to save on fuel by reducing the weight of the car. As a result, frequent refueling provokes a more intensive flow of air into the gas tank. In addition, the less fuel it contains, the larger the area of ​​​​contact between the air and its walls, and the more actively the process of moisture condensation takes place. Hence the recommendation of experts to keep the tank as full as possible, especially in wet weather.

How to remove water from a gas tank - an overview of methods, taking into account different nuances

During the existence of cars with internal combustion engines, motorists have accumulated rich experience in getting rid of fuel tanks from insidious moisture:

1. The most effective way to get rid of water from the filling tank is to remove the gas tank and clean it. It gives a XNUMX% positive result, but is associated with considerable effort and loss of time.
2. It is much easier to use the method of communicating vessels, for which the end of a long hose is placed at the very bottom of the fuel tank. The second end is lowered into some container located below the bottom of the gas tank. Under the action of atmospheric pressure, the water at the bottom leaves the filling tank through the hose.
3. In cars with injection engines, a gasoline pump can be used to pump out water, in which the hose going to the injector is redirected to some empty container. When the ignition is on, the fuel pump will quickly pump water out of the gas tank.
4. In parallel with the mechanical methods of freeing the filling tank from water, 100 years ago they thought of using alcohol for this purpose. This method uses the ability of alcohol to combine with water. Practically in a gas tank vodka of this or that concentration turns out. The density of alcohol is slightly greater than the density of gasoline, and the density of the alcohol-water mixture is even greater, but still less than that of pure water. At rest, this mixture rests at the bottom of the fuel tank, but during movement and the accompanying shaking it easily mixes with gasoline and eventually burns out in the engine. In addition, alcohol-bound water does not freeze in winter and therefore does not damage the car's fuel system. For such purposes, ethyl, methyl and isopropyl alcohols are used. They are filled in depending on the volume of the fuel tank from 200 to 500 ml. It is clear that the higher their concentration, the more pronounced the effect of their use. True, this method is not without drawbacks, since alcohol stimulates the corrosive properties of water. In addition, the resulting vodka affects the detonation process in the motor. This is not terrible for older models, but with modern engines with their fine tuning, it can cause problems.
   

   This old-fashioned way to remove water from a gas tank is still in demand.
5. Currently, dozens of different chemical dehumidifiers have been developed. The vast majority of them operate on the same principle of binding water molecules and moving them into the fuel mass for subsequent combustion in the engine cylinders. In addition, many of these products contain anti-corrosion additives.
   

   Today there are a lot of chemical fuel tank water removers.

At the same time, experts emphasize that fuel dryers containing alcohol are suitable only for gasoline engines and are extremely contraindicated for diesel engines. Alcohol-containing products neutralize the lubricating properties of the fuel, allow water to seep through the fuel filter and thereby provoke the occurrence of harmful cavitation processes in the high pressure zone.

What non-working methods are offered on the Web

Not all motorists suspect that water may appear in the gas tank, believing that it simply has nowhere to come from in a closed fuel system of a car. Those who are familiar with the problem quickly master the rich arsenal of fuel dehydration tools accumulated by their colleagues. Therefore, they do not need to come up with extravagant and incapacitated ways to deal with water in a gas tank. But on the other hand, there is a very lively controversy on the Web about the results of using proven tools. For example, it is known that alcohol can be replaced by acetone. This liquid, binding water, burns well, has a low density and even increases the octane number of gasoline. However, in older cars, acetone can corrode hoses and gaskets. And ethyl alcohol, which forms vodka in a gas tank, on the contrary, is more dangerous for modern cars, as already discussed above.

Video: removing moisture from the fuel tank

Preparing the car for winter \uXNUMXd REMOVE WATER FROM THE FUEL TANK \uXNUMXd

Gasoline and water are incompatible things. The presence of moisture in the fuel tank is fraught with corrosive processes, interruptions in the operation of the engine and even its failure. If water is found in the gas tank, immediate action must be taken to remove it.