First off, let me start out by saying that I am NOT asking this because I want to mess with someone. I'm starting to think that this MAY have been done to me.
If Karo syrup/sugar/water/antifreeze, pretty much ANYTHING that can ruin an engine, were put into my gas tank, would it make my car run crappy the very next time it were started, or would it take some time before I'd notice it? To make a long story short, my car was fine on my way to work. 4 hours later, on my lunch, it cranked for what seemed like FOREVER, and when it did turn over, it sounded louder than the 1972 pickup that my hubby is restoring. (I drive an 06 Cobalt. Now, I know that they're not the quietest cars out there, but they're not THAT loud, either.)
Is it possible that someone put something in my gas? I'd like some opinions before I ask the asset protection guy at work to check the videos from that day. Thanks!!
Charles- I know about the mythbusters thing, thanks. BUT, if a pound of sugar were put into a car with a quarter of a tank of gas (which I was at), it would do a whole heck of a lot more damage than if it were put into a full tank. I'm not certain that it was sugar, it could have been anything from water, to bleach, to antifreeze. I am JUST trying to make certain that I have a valid reason for asking the AP guy to check tapes.
A blown intake gasket because my car is running loud??? Uhh, where did that come from?
7 Answers
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Syrup stops the engine pretty quickly because it is denser than gasoline, settling around the pickup and getting picked up immediately, then it easily gets through the fuel filter and into the injectors where it blocks fuel flow. That is consistent enough with the very hard start but nothing in the process will make the car loud.
I recommend finding where the loudness is coming from and going from there. I would still not rule out tampering, so if a security tape is available I suggest pursuing that. I can't think of a great reason for these changes to occur in your Cobalt while parked unless there was tampering.
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Sugar and syrup are heavier than gas and the syrup may dissolve in the gas, and clog up the filter and possibly injectors, but it should not harm the engine its self, but the sugar will sit in the bottom of the tank usually it does not dissolve in gas so it may plug the pump and not cause the car to start, but it will not reach the engine.
Now water and antifreeze will get to the engine and cause it to run poorly, or not at all if there is too much of it, but usually no harm is done once all the water has gotten out of the system.
I would say something else is wrong with the car, being loud like that means you may have blew a exhaust manifold gasket, or the muffler came apart or some other part of the exhaust, and it is possible that if the exhaust pipe came off before any of the oxygen sensors it might make the car hard to start.
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None of that stuff will ruin an engine, It could make it start hard or not at all in time.
If it is loud, I would suspect someone cut the catalytic converter off of it or something along these lines.
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I've heard sugar can mess up your engine but I've also heard that is a myth. Karo syrup is thick and sticky so it could clog up your fuel line IF it got that far. It might just settle to the bottom of the tank and stay there. It is heavier than gas and may sink. I'm just guessing. It might mix with the fuel and create a mess...
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it looks like some one poured karo syrup down the side of my car and maybe into my cad tank
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Something put into the fuel tank would affect the engine immediately. Check the cameras. There is a chance you have oter issues, such as a bad sensor somewhere
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You have a blown intake gasket.
