Go out this a.m. to see sticky streams in the driveway where my 95 Firebird was parked (my son had already left for work in it, about 2 miles away) and the garden hose was left out. Closer inspection made it clear to me that someone had squirted syrup or honey on the car and my son hosed it off before leaving. When he gets home from work he tells me that during his break he goes to the car wash (between home and work) to use the high powered spray. He then notices it's really sticky around the gas filler door, opens it up and finds sugar in the filler neck! Once I see this I call the cops. I'm a fairly patient guy who knows kids will T.P. and the like but this is criminal damaging and over the line. After the cops leave my youngest son finds in the bushes an EMPTY sugar box and an empty corn syrup bottle. We pick them up with a stick without touching them and I call the cops back. They're glad to hear that we didn't touch them and will be back by to pick them up. I need to know from you guys what I should do next regarding the car. It's parked and has approx 4 miles on it since this happened. :af: :af: :af: :af: Thanks
Dude, that is really not cool. I would be foaming at the mouth. I really don't know what to tell you, all I know is that i would be royal p***** and ready to make someone pay the hard way. Sorry I can't be of help. I hope you find those !#@%$^& :rant: :af: :af: :af: :blast:
I think I would tow the car home, drop the tank and dispose of the fuel and then steam clean it. I would flush the fuel lines and rebuild the carb and fill it up with new fuel and then park it inside til you hear the morons are in jail. I would also keep track of receipts and your time and then press charges accordingly. JACKA$$ES!!! :blast: :blast: :af: :af: Why can't people leave other people's stuff the hell alone?!?!?! :rant: :rant:
State Farm did a study about sugar in the tank. They drove a car for 3 years and everytime it was filled up they added 5 lbs of sugar and it never blew up nothing ever happened other than fuel filters and fuel injection problems but the motor never gave up. It wont hurt it really but I would drain the tank and run some good gas thru all the lines and get a big stick to beat someone down!!!
i'd try one of those gas tank cleaner/sealant kits that they sell at eastwood. that cleaner will take off anything. should work well for some sugar. then back flush the lines. gasoline is a decent cleaner in some instances so it should be ok. nate
They did the whole "sugar/etc" in the gas tank thing on mythbusters, the engine still ran with everything from sugar to bleach. Time to head down to autozone and buy one of those locking gas caps, they work.
That's really good to know. A guy down the street from me had someone pour sugar in his tank about a year ago. He figured it was my kids and was trying to tell me he had receipts for $1700.00 in repairs he wanted me to eat. Only problem for him.....My boy's and I had just walked in the door from a weekend at the dunes. We weren't even in the state when it happened. :moonu: It's good to know that's a myth!
Can't speak for sugar....but, years ago, my uncle had someone put excessive amounts of mothballs in his 1969 L79 396" w/Muncie M-22 Chevelle!! :af: Needless to say.....after he was driving it a bit, he put it too the floor and it stuck at WOT!!! :eek2: Normally, a solid lifter BBC Chevelle would be a fun thing to wring out.....but, not like this!! The mothballs really did a number on the 850 DP Holley. He showed me the throttle blades after taking it all apart....really crystallized and froze the throttle open. Surprised I remember that much....I was only 10 yrs. old when it all happened. That was the first really fast car I ever rode in!! :TU:
Yep, sugar in the tank wont hurt anything. It could only clog something up. Worse on fuel injection cars from the hi volume they pump. sugar doesn't dissolve in gas. You son needs to keep an ear open. People brag. And they probably know him very well. And did it just for kicks to ruin his fun, not yours. Why? who knows. 10yr old kids down the street did that to my girlfriends car once. Jam n jelly all over it. 20-30 little jars on the ground. They would never do that to me but why they got her who knows.
Thanks for all the input. I spoke to my mechanic and he said he thought that the filter would do it's job (not sure about clogging the filter yet) since the stuff would probably clump in the tank. I guess in the old days it probably was a reality that the sugar woukd make it to the engine via the old style fuel filters. He's still going to go over it. Going to drop it off this week to him. I needed to do it anyway. Before I bought the car I had it checked over by a garage and everything checked out (I watched myself on and off the lift) After a few weeks my son noticed a clunking noise in the rear. We found that the cannister located up in the left rear qtr behind the wheel came loose and dropped pulling the hose to the gas tank away from the cannister itself. Seems that the remedy to get this puppy back on is to drop the tank which means on this car that the rear end would have to be dropped first. My mechanic has a way around this by simply cutting a hole in the rear floorboard and customizing an access plate. BTW, my son has an idea who did it. There's this kid who has hassled my son ever since his dad had to pay for the damage caused to my old Toyota after the kid ran into my son in the school parking lot a couple of years ago. The kid is over 18 now so daddy can't help this time. I'll let everyone know how it all comes out, especially after the squirrel who did this is caught. :rant: :rant:
Update My son explained to his college automotive instructor what happened with the car. He said that in all probability the tank would have to be drained, removed and cleaned and that odds are the injectors and fuel rails would be in question and that worse case it would crystalize and get down in and score the cylinder walls. Just to be on the safe side I had it towed on a flatbed to the local Pontiac dealer. Well guess what, they call me back to tell me it's been checked over and that it's clogged the injectors (which will need replaced) along with the fuel rails. They weren't sure if it had gotten down in to harm the "cylinder walls". So, I end up hearing from the dealer what the instructor guessed would occur. Bottom line? Minimum of $1900 to cover the injectors, rails, flush the entire system, remove the tank (rear end must be dropped first) and clean it. I called my insurance company to start the claims process. Sugar box and syrup bottle were turned over to the cops and they are going to try to lift prints if possible. Good news: Seems that the kid in question evidently shot his mouth off to another kid. Detective now involved. Bad news: If they find prints they can only attempt to match them up to what is already in the system. Once you are fingerprinted, your prints are put into the national database. The law protects folks from being forced to be printed. I hear the kid was scheduled to enter the Army so I don't know if they fingerprint you during the entry process. I'm supposed to call the detective back to give him an estimate of the repairs. If this kid did it he is in for a big surprise. Not only will the cops be after him but once I have it repaired the insurance co. will want reimbursed and I will want to recover my deductible. It's sad that this kid (innocent until proven guilty) has screwed things up for himself for a stupid, stupid act.
Sugar doesn't dissolve in gasoline. I think the Pontiac dealer is getting over on you. Just my opinion. www.snopes.com/autos/grace/sugar.asp
if the yahoo really wants to get into the Army - use it as a crutch against him. They do fingerprint at the MEPS station (Military Entrance Processing Station) before leaving for Basic. The power of the rumor mill could win him over into trying to clear his name (or come clean). It would be terrible for a young recruit, and his command, to find out that he has been linked to a crime in his home town and is the focus of an investigation - which could lead to a warrant. That's a bad op if he wants a security clearance. That is of course if the police could lift prints at all. But then again, the yahoo doesn't need to know that :Brow: ... Best of luck!
Yup, they'll fingerprint him at the MEPS station, if they haven't already. I can guarantee that all hell will break loose if the detective contacts his recruiter requesting copies of the fingerprints!!! You can't join the Army if you're under a criminal investigation, or if convicted. (Of course, the recruiter will want to get him into the Army, 'cause he's got a quota that his life depends on, so I'm not sure how I'd handle that end of it.) If he's your boy, and they can prove it, he's REALLY screwed himself in a multitude of ways! Knucklehead... :spank:
I Would ........... I would DRAIN the tank and also put an in line filter on the gas line! But even tho people have said and I have heard the same thing that it should not hurt the car I still would get it all done by a Pro! When you find out who did it I would :blast: their butts :moonu: to the Moon! I would also make sure that their Parents knew what was coming in the way of bills! Just reading this made me :af: over the whole sicking idea! I would also see if maybe someone in your house has ben doing a little DRAG RACING! ou:! It sounds like a payback for something! Also Keep on the Cops :rant: or they will let this fall by the wayside! Don
injectors and rails can be cleaned with no problem. I seriously doubt sugar can scratch cylinder wall up??? Is sugar stronger than steel or aluminum??? Your dealer is playing you for a sucker, IMO
I worked at a garage in the 70's doing general repairs, and I had a pick up truck towed in with sugar in the tank. It did work its way through the carb. I dropped the tank, flushed it out. flushed the fuel lines, changed the fuel filter, and had to rebuild the carb. There were some gooey deposits in the intake, but it ran ok afterwards.
The best way to return the favor is make sure he, not his parents pays for the damages. If he is in military when all of this shakes out (pardon the pun) they will make sure it comes out of his check. That would be sweeet.(That one was intentional)
Got a call from the police officer today. They got a "really nice set of prints" off the box! I know there are various opinions on the possible damage but at this point I'm going with what the dealer says. They won't be starting any repairs until my insurance company's adjustor stops by to look it over anyway. I'll be glad to spend the $100 deductible at this point (which I WILL get back). From there let the cops and the insurance company go after the little dirtball (whoever it may be) :rant: :rant:
