Jump to content

Bleach and gas don't mix


KhaoticRebel
 Share

Recommended Posts

For those wondering, bleach and gas apparently do not mix well in the gas tank.

Thursday night I caught two punk high school kids f'n with my car. I expected to see my car keyed or something similar. Upon initial inspection, I didn't see anything. I promptly moved my car into my garage and it was then I saw that something had streamed from my gas tank door area. I was like, "Great, the fuckers peed on my car. Super." I was hesitant to touch it, but I did anyway. I smelled it and it was bleach! WTF?! Bleach?! :wtf:

I called the cops and they looked around briefly who had taken off on foot when I yelled at them to get the fuck away from my car. This is why I don't own a gun, because I definitely would have used it on these worthless walks of life. The cops took prints, but informed me that juveniles don't have prints in the system. Why'd they bother with prints then? I firmly believe this was not a random incident, given the fact there were far more appealing targets in the parking lot than my car. My car sits immediately outside of an alcove with four apartment doors and near a light. There were several cars in the corners of the lot in complete darkness.

I rode my motorcycle to work on Friday since it was gorgeous. I called the Jeep dealer to figure out how bad the situation was and what I needed to do. He informed me that he didn't think it'd be a big deal. He was wrong.

Who knows how much was put into the gas tank. I had a full tank to start with, but apparently the bleach won out. I started the car today to head to Cincinnati and I couldn't even get the damn thing out of my apartment complex. The transmission light and the slippery road light (I have a JEEP that has a "no shit Sherlock" it's slippery light) went apeshit. It was running ridiculously rough and then crapped out. I had it towed and now it will sit until Tuesday before it gets a solid look. This could get interesting...and expensive.

The lessons I have learned is:

A. Gas and bleach do not make my Jeep very happy.

B. Do not cut a girl off of a high school softball team no matter how many school rules she has broken throughout the season, because it will be my fault and result in retaliation. (This is only speculation at this time.)

UPDATE:

I got the car back on Wednesday. Drove it back to Pataskala, filled up the gas tank, made two stops, and then it died in my apartment complex around 5PM. Again. It just flat out wouldn't start. To add to my frustration, the girl who was behind the sabotage (allegedly) was hanging out at the apartment that overlooks my parking lot. Instead of giving her the satisfaction of watching me get the car towed for a second time, I waited until 10PM. Once again, it's at the shop. They said they'll replace the fuel pump and anything with rubber. The estimate this time is $1100. This brings the grand total, so far, up to just under $1400. Coaching is so rewarding.

The saga continues...

Edited by KhaoticRebel
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Supposedly the bleach is supposed to cause "instant rust" in the gas tank. Which then fouls the fuel system. But it seems to me that the large amount of plain water would win out, and cause the engine to stall. The tank might become rusty inside.

Boston Globe Car Doctor:

http://www.boston.com/cars/researchandadvice/2008/07/10/the_car_doctor/

Q. Someone put bleach in my gas tank. What is going to happen to the engine?

A. The chlorine in bleach can react with the chemicals in gasoline and form an acid. What theoretically can happen is this acid can cause premature rusting of the gas tank and fuel lines and cause a stalling problem. Still, I don't believe there would be any long-term engine problems. At this point, I would flush out the gas tank and fuel lines and then replace the fuel filter.

Mythbusters episode: http://mythbustersresults.com/episode15
Q: A car's engine will be destroyed when bleach is put into the tank.

-Plausible-

A: The engine soon died out but was not ruined from the experience. The following morning, the inside of the gas tank was covered in rust.

edit: Oddly enough, I clean rusty tanks with acid. And then recoat the inside with a surface treatment to replace what was originally there on the inside of the tank. Not as effective as buying a new tank. On cars/trucks, a new tank is pretty cheap. The fear is that the corrosion will get to other parts of the fuel system. But if the fuel lines and fuel parts are stainless steel or brass, it won't happen. The concept of rusting the pistons or other parts of the engine is not very plausible. Edited by ReconRat
stuff
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Kids don't seem to realize the potentially severe consequences of their actions. I'm so sorry this happened to you...best of luck one it gets the once over....I'm curious to know what the dealer says about the damage, so keep us posted

Link to comment
Share on other sites

oh....shit......sorry to heard this.....what's wrong with this kids.....worst I heard before this is sugar syrup.......wtf......public spanking on the naked butt in front of the city hall.....corporal punishment is needed sometimes.....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

BTW, get a locking gas cap. Get the one from the dealer, if possible. It's probably a better made gas cap. And there is often a waiting list for them. Ever since the gas prices went up, the locking gas caps are a hot item.

And I'd let the kids at school know that the finger prints have been taken. With the modern computer systems, that will one day come back to them. Then they can pay back your repair bill. If they are smart, they will confess now, so that the parental units can pay for it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I need to purchase a locking gas cap.

Are they all the same? Do I have to go to the dealer?

Most auto stores sell them. Popular ones are out of stock. There are different types. Including sometimes there is both vented and non-vented to choose from. Depending on the type of fuel system, as to whether the tank is supposed to be EPA vented or not.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Said possible suspect surely has an 18th birthday coming up......

Yes, August 9th. Thanks for all your support guys! I'll keep you updated on the extent and cost of the damage. I'm really hoping that Lady Karma comes through on this one for me!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Let me get this right.....

You didn't drain the tank??????

You probably would have been alright had you actually drained the tank.

Bleach will eat the o rings in your fuel injection, fuel pump and your evaporation control system.

Others are correct, Bleach is a huge oxidizer and will rust the crap out of any steel that ain't stainless

Edited by Lost
premature posting
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, August 9th. Thanks for all your support guys! I'll keep you updated on the extent and cost of the damage. I'm really hoping that Lady Karma comes through on this one for me!

Hey..it wasn't me! haha My b-day is Aug. 9th too ...

No seriously..this "suspect" deals drugs and even her brother threatened to get LP back... while on the phone..... for kicking her off the team! She brought a weapon on the bus! WTF is wrong with kids these days! There is a banquet this week and she better not show up! (She said she was coming even though she wasn't permitted to! Her mommy made a scrapbook..awww isn't that sweet..)

I was there hunting them down...I was going to get scrappy on their ass if I found them! (Me, my flashlight and keys :) haha) The CSI fingerprint thing was cool though (sorry LP - that was interesting)

Anyone ever heard of turning fingerprints in to the insurance company and having them go after them?

Sorry LP... I do still think we should set up a sting operation from your bedroom window!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Let me get this right.....

You didn't drain the tank??????

You probably would have been alright had you actually drained the tank.

Bleach will eat the o rings in your fuel injection, fuel pump and your evaporation control system.

Others are correct, Bleach is a huge oxidizer and will rust the crap out of any steel that ain't stainless

A.) You must have me confused with a mechanic.

B.) Do you know of a mechanic that is open at 1am?

C.) It's a lease and it's up in August.

D.) I have a motorcycle and another car I can use until August.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

shit you got an exact date... you know who did it?

I have a key suspect. It wasn't them who physically put the bleach in my gas tank, but I have a feeling they were the mastermind of the operation. This way they could stick to the claim that they didn't do it, which would be true.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...