On Sun, 13 Nov 2011 00:05:55 +0000 (UTC), Jules Richardson
wrote:

On Fri, 11 Nov 2011 20:24:08 -0500, Home Guy wrote:

Ted wrote:

Because this small layer of ethanol and water does not support
combustion, it gets sucked into the engine, clogging up and permanently
destroying the carburetor.

I say this is urban myth or just plain wrong.

Water is not going to "clog" up the carburetor, and certainly not
"permanently" destroy it.

But... water doesn't support combustion, and we all know that the
carburetor is the part of the engine where things go bang! If the water
just sits there because it can't burn, it'll eventually dry out and go
all sticky ;-)


Well, TECHNICALLY the "bang" does NOT happen in the carburetor. the
carburetor just mixes fuel with air to be drawn (or forced by
atmospheric pressure, if you want to get picky) into the cyl, where it
goes "bang". And water in a carb, if left long enough CAN
"permanently" damage a carb - or even a gas tank. Water covered by
gasoline cannot evaporate, so the only way out is to rust through the
tank or the steel bowl of a Tecumseh carburetor. In the meantime it
corrodes carburetor jets and often damages float mechanisms as well.
And yes, being covered with gasoline DOES help keep oxygen out of the
process - unless oxygenates in the fuel get involved. I've seen a LOT
of fuel tanks (and oil pans) rust away from inside where water has sat
for a few years. And I've seen a good number of carbs that were
"permanently destroyed " - aka, damaged beyond repair, due to water in
the gas.

Never seen one "permanently damaged" by sugar though.