Water in gasoline

If the engine won't start in winter despite the battery spinning briskly, one possible cause could be water in the fuel.

Before we start arguing at a recent gas station, it's worth remembering that there is always some water in gasoline, which easily precipitates at low temperatures, forming smaller or larger droplets, which effectively prevents ignition.

In the old days, the only advice was a portion of denatured alcohol or ether (100-200 g) poured into a tank. At present, this method is deprecated, but there are many special preparations that bind water better than alcohol and prevent its condensation. You can buy a bottle of this drug for less than PLN 5. The best solution is to pour the appropriate part of the contents of the cylinder into the tank before filling. If you use the drug when the engine does not start, after filling it is worth knocking on the car so that the drug mixes better with the fuel.

Warm up the engine

If the coolant temperature does not reach the optimum temperature (75-90 degrees C) in cold weather, check the thermostat. If it's not damaged, consider putting a cap on the air intake. You can buy it ready-made, or you can cook it yourself, even from a piece of foil. A car engine will pay for itself a hundredfold. The combustion of gasoline or diesel fuel will decrease, the service life of the engine will be extended, which wears out very quickly when operating at low temperatures.

Help the current

Often the cause of inadequate electrical systems in a car (especially older ones) is corroded electrical connections that do not conduct electricity well or not at all. To "unblock" them, in an emergency, you can use special preparations that will remove moisture and reduce the electrical resistance of the connections.

Photo by Krzysztof Szymczak

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