In some cases it is possible that sugar – or other elements, such as sand or other impurities – can be introduced into your car’s tank. Some people, in fact, make this move. But what does it mean for your engine? Here’s everything you need to know about this eventuality and why it is sometimes done.
Let’s start right away by saying that only the right fuel should be placed in the tank of our car. A diesel car will need diesel, a car with a petrol fuel system only and exclusively petrol, and so on. Entering any other element, therefore, could seriously affect the performance of your car andin the worst cases, break the engine.
Why then do some people enter it sugar or other dusty or granular items inside the tank? Only and exclusively for make a bad joke on someone or a real revenge.
Something that can damage the car, also because it’s not always easy to immediately notice that something foreign has been inserted into the tank. But is your car’s engine seriously in danger of compromising its operation forever?
Much will depend on the car model and the electronic system present. For new generation machines, the risk of not noticing the presence of something anomalous is really very complicated. But let’s find out all the details on this story and what to do if there is sugar in the tank.
The bad joke of sugar in the tank: here are all the risks for the engine
As anticipated, for a modern car the risk of suffering serious damage is much lower than for cars of the past. First of all, it should be said that the sugar, being heavier than the fuel, will settle on the bottom of the tank. And, therefore, only very small quantities of this element can actually be sucked into the supply circuit.
But if the sugar also ends up in the feeding circuit, the new generation machines have particular filters capable of blocking “uninvited guests”. Furthermore, the electronic sensor present on these filters would immediately make you aware of the presence of an anomaly, thanks to thewarning light on dashboard of your car.
A “beneficial” could also happen automatically reduction of the power of your car, so that you can really see that something is wrong. At that point, therefore, you will be able to go to the mechanic and make sure of the abnormal presence in the tank.
Your trusted workshop will take care of clean the filters and any sugar that has ended up in the supply duct. The operation will cost you a few hundred euros, but you won’t run the risk of compromising the functioning of your car’s engine. After this extraordinary maintenance operation, your machine will be like new again.
Sui older engines and in older generation machineshowever, the presence of sugar in the tank could give bigger problems. Indeed, in the absence of modern filters, this substance could reach the injectors and cylinders. In the most serious cases, therefore, there could also be a definitive breakage of the engine.
In older generation machines, without all today’s electronics, therefore, realizing the presence of sugar could only take place after an actual malfunction. With all the risks that follow.
