You're familiar with those perspiration-like beads that form
on the outside of a cold beer bottle. That's moisture condensing out of the
atmosphere. The drips can be irritating, but they won't ruin your day. But when
condensation occurs in your car's fuel tank the impact can be far more serious.
Read on to learn how to avoid this mishap from our team at Sheehy Nissan of Mechnicsville.
Gasoline and water don't mix. Usually the water sinks to the
bottom, from where it can get drawn in to the engine. And as water doesn't
burn, your engine is going to cough and splutter. That's not the end though.
Where there's water, corrosion isn't far behind, and a fuel tank with water in
it can start to rust from the inside, as can the fuel lines.
Throw in freezing temperatures and the problems multiply.
When water in fuel lines turns to ice the engine will be starved of gasoline
and you won't be going anywhere until things warm up.
There are three main ways water gets into the fuel tank: it
was in the gas station's storage tanks, it got past a badly fitted gas cap
(perhaps when using a car wash or during a rainstorm,) and condensation. The
first you can avoid by patronizing gas stations that do a high volume of
business. (Rapid turnover keeps the tanks filled with gasoline.) The second is
just common sense, and as for avoiding condensation... well here are some suggestions.
Condensation comes from water vapor in the air. The amount
of vapor air can hold is closely related to its temperature: warm, moist air
holds more than cold, dry air. Armed with this knowledge you'll see that the
keys to reducing condensation are to minimize both the amount of air in the
tank and the temperature range it sees.
Keeping the fuel tank full is perhaps the easiest step. The
less air inside, the less water vapor there will be to condense out when the
temperature drops. As for minimizing temperatures, if a temperature-controlled
garage is out of the question, the next best thing is to limit exposure to
extremes.
If the car is garaged, avoid leaving the door open on frigid
winter days as cold air will quickly chill the air in the tank. And conversely,
don't let the garage get too hot in summertime as a cool night will lead to
moisture in the air in the tank condensing out. Insulation in the garage roof
space will help, and you could try cracking the door open a touch too.
But what if, despite your best efforts, you think water has
found a way into your fuel tank? Bring your car or truck into our dealership.
We’ll be happy to determine if water really is the cause of your problems.
