The worst things to put in a gas tank are soda, antifreeze, water, urine, salt, hydrogen peroxide, brake fluid, and sugar. They will damage your fuel tank, fuel lines, filters, and your engine.
The only thing that has business with a gas tank is the gas itself, as the fuel tank was created to contain the gas that powers the engine of your vehicle.
Worst Things to Put in a Gas Tank
The 11 worst things to put in a gas tank are:
1. Soda
Soda is one of the worst things to put in a gas tank and this is because of the amount of sugar present in Soda.
Letting soda into your fuel tank is like inviting armed robbers into your house to steal your gold because the end product will not be pleasing at all.
2. Using the Wrong Fuel
Using the wrong fuel or gas for your car is another worst thing to put in your gas tank. It is the quickest way to ruin your engine.
Someone once asked us, what is the quickest way to ruin a diesel engine and we told them to use other gas that is not diesel in your gas tank.
Imagine using fuel in a fuel tank that is meant for diesel. What do you think will happen to your engine? Therefore, be sure you are using the correct recommended gas for your fuel tank to avoid stories that touch.
3. Bleach
Bleach is one of the worst things that can find its way into your fuel tank. The effects of bleach can cause your tank to start leaking fuel, as the chemical composition of bleach causes steel and iron to rust once it settles on the iron for a long time.
Aside from that, anything that gets into the gas tank will definitely find its way to the engine of your car, and also to other mechanical parts that keep the car functioning, this doesn’t exclude bleach.
If bleach can cause your gas tank to rust, it can certainly cause those mechanical parts, and the engine to rust, break, leak oil, and break down completely.
Vindictive people pour bleach into their neighbor’s car to get the engine damaged and render the car useless. Unless you want to destroy your car completely, keep bleach far away from your gas tank.
4. Hydrogen Peroxide
Hydrogen peroxide will cause more harm than good if it finds its way into your fuel tank. The question is, how on earth will hydrogen peroxide get into your gas tank? What if someone puts it into your gas tank without your knowledge?
It is important to note that hydrogen peroxide when mixed with gas can make your car run faster but with time, the nitrous oxide it has turned into will cause your engine to heat up with or without coolant, which will end up damaging some parts of your car.
5. Sugar
Sugar is not liquid. It doesn’t melt when it gets into gasoline, and as a result, when it gets into your gas tank, it simply accumulates, finds a way to get together, and causes a huge problem for the fuel filter by blocking it. That’s just one problem.
When the gasoline in your gas tank becomes sweetened by the sugar, it may cause the car to run rough. Like bleach, you should avoid putting sugar in your gas tank. These are the reasons why sugar is one of the worst things to put in a gas tank.
6. Brake Fluid
Brake fluid is meant to be used for the brake alone and not for your gas tank. Brake fluid should not be put in another place except where it is meant to be.
You don’t put brake fluid in your fuel tank to avoid causing the engine to misfire. I’ve heard some people who said they accidentally put brake fluid in their fuel tank. How can you make such a mistake?
7. Coke
Coca-Cola is very dangerous to your gas tank. Not just the Coke itself, but any other drink that contains cola. This is because the chemicals mixed in those liquids are harmful to a tightly closed gas tank filled with fuel.
What it will cause is a destructive, acidic mess inside your fuel tank and then it will go ahead to destroy your engine once it makes its way into the engine.
As if the cola and other chemicals inside it aren’t enough, there is also sugar in these drinks such as Coke, Pepsi, and other chemical mixtures.
You should avoid putting Coke or any form of drink that has cola inside your fuel tank, except your plan is to deliberately destroy it.
It has the same effect as it would if you put sugar, and even much more, as the acid present in it will not only destroy the gas tank, it will dilute your gasoline and then ultimately destroy the engine of your car.
8. Salt
Salt causes decomposition to your gas tank once it settles at the bottom of the tank, and this decomposition leads to your fuel tank leaking at the spot where the salt settles in.
Another thing salt does is impede the fuel filter of your fuel tank because it will invariably turn into small salt crystals that get into the fuel pump and cause obstruction.
Once your fuel filter is obstructed the engine of your car won’t get enough fuel to power up when you try to switch on your engine, and eventually, your engine won’t start anymore.
Even if it starts, because of the presence of salt in your fuel and gas tank, which is most likely sipping into your engine, the engine will begin to overheat while you drive, irrespective of whether you have enough water in your radiator.
9. Urine
Urine might not completely damage your engine as much as bleach or coke, but it also has its damning effects, depending on the quantity of urine that has entered your gas tank, hence one of the worst things to put in a gas tank.
The higher the quantity of urine in your fuel tank, the more damning it is to your car. If you have just a drop of urine or a tiny portion, you might not even feel the effect at all as it will not cause your tank to leak, or impede your filters.
However, if you have too much urine, such that the urine is almost equal to your fuel, it is terrible for your fuel tank and engine.
The bad thing about this is that you won’t even feel the effects immediately, as it will be like a gradual worm that damages the engine of your car.
There is a bright side to this, though, in that it is redeemable. Once you realize there is urine in your tank and it is affecting your engine, drain your gas tank and clean it properly. Also, clean the fuel filter, and then your engine too, for any residues that might remain.
10. Water
Water is only meant for your car’s radiator, not your gas tank. If you get water in your fuel tank, it might not have terrible effects on the tank itself, but it will damage the engine of your car.
When you have water in your fuel tank, your car will not even function properly, and it can even go on to disable your car completely.
The presence of water in your fuel tank separates the engine of your car from the engine mount and causes it to frequently get stuck and go off.
Be very careful when you are washing and cleaning your car with water, so water doesn’t trickle continuously into your fuel tank.
11. Antifreeze
Antifreeze is another worst thing to put in a fuel tank. However, antifreeze is supposed to be used for your car’s radiator and not your gas tank.
I don’t know why people think it’s a very good idea to put antifreeze in their fuel tanks. If you are one of them, please stop doing it from today.
Nonetheless, if any of the aforementioned worst things to put in a gas tank has in one way or the other found its way into your fuel tank, it is best to have it fixed immediately.
By fixed, I mean, use up all the gas in your tank, open up the fuel tank and clean it up including the fuel filter. If you cannot do the cleaning yourself, you can take it to a technician who can clean it for you.
Final Thoughts
Whatever you do, you have to understand that the only thing that should naturally fit into your gas tank is gasoline and nothing else. Anything else that you let get into your tank is a potential threat to your gas tank, to your engine, and ultimately, to your vehicle.
