Cold weather question...thinking our news guy is whack

Fla02LS

Fla02LS

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Im sure all of you are experiencing some pretty cold weather. Well down here in florida we've had a couple straight nights of freezing weather (26 degrees and a hell of a wind chill), in Florida that calls for an official "State of Emergency". Anyway our local news was doing a story on how to prep for the cold weather. One suggestion i felt was ridiculous and thought i'd ask for some more educated responses was that they said to fill your gas tank up because if it were 1/2 full or less then you would get ice to form inside the gas tank which would eventually thaw and cause excess water in the gas tank. The extra water would cause havoc on the engine.

Now i have a few issues with this. If ice were to form INSIDE the tank then wouldnt that suggest that there was already water in your tank? Another thing, isnt the gas tank even slightly insulated and tucked under the car where it wouldnt be exposed as much to the cold(26 degrees)? I mean, we're not talk sub zero temps here!
 
Fla02LS said:
Im sure all of you are experiencing some pretty cold weather. Well down here in florida we've had a couple straight nights of freezing weather (26 degrees and a hell of a wind chill), in Florida that calls for an official "State of Emergency". Anyway our local news was doing a story on how to prep for the cold weather. One suggestion i felt was ridiculous and thought i'd ask for some more educated responses was that they said to fill your gas tank up because if it were 1/2 full or less then you would get ice to form inside the gas tank which would eventually thaw and cause excess water in the gas tank. The extra water would cause havoc on the engine.

Now i have a few issues with this. If ice were to form INSIDE the tank then wouldnt that suggest that there was already water in your tank? Another thing, isnt the gas tank even slightly insulated and tucked under the car where it wouldnt be exposed as much to the cold(26 degrees)? I mean, we're not talk sub zero temps here!
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You can still get condensation in the tank. When we lived in Utah it was good practice to keep as much gas in the tank as you could; unless you went through gas quickly. As long as the car doesn't sit for days one should be OK. Additionally, I don't smoke but kept a lighter in my pocket in case id snowed while I was at work. Frozen locks can be impossible to move and heating the key would melt the ice.
 
lol good ol florida freaking out over a day of temps above 20 degrees.

I lived in Wisconsin for 5 years and have been in temps as low a -5. never heard of anyones gas tank freezing up.
 
LS4me said:
You can still get condensation in the tank. When we lived in Utah it was good practice to keep as much gas in the tank as you could; unless you went through gas quickly. As long as the car doesn't sit for days one should be OK. Additionally, I don't smoke but kept a lighter in my pocket in case id snowed while I was at work. Frozen locks can be impossible to move and heating the key would melt the ice.
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I can kinda understand the possibility of condensation, but it was more the notion that this guy was acting like it was imperative to fill the tank otherwise you'd get water in the tank and ruin the engine. I think his urgency was way overboard.
 
BlackLS06 said:
lol good ol florida freaking out over a day of temps above 20 degrees.

I lived in Wisconsin for 5 years and have been in temps as low a -5. never heard of anyones gas tank freezing up.
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Its AMAZING how the news turns the cold temps into the biggest story of the year. We just had a Deputy gunned down, shot twice in the head during a traffic stop, yet the stupid cold weather is major news. Lame
 
Its four degrees in Fayette, Ohio right now. Yes, My vehicle is outside at all times. Yes, it will start every time. Will my engine be ruined because the gas tank is less than half full? No way. I run my gas tank down all the way all the time so I so not get old gas in my tank. I have owned many vehicles (All American made) and I have yet to have an engine problem due to water in the gas tank. I do not see anything in the owners manual and I do not see anything in the shop manuals for the LS infer anything to the fact of possible engine damage due to water being drawn into the gas tank from frozen water/ condensation problems. In older vehicles this use to happen. I havent heard of any newer vehicle having problems with water in the gas tank. It would almost be a recall if someone would have water in their gas tank and it shut down on a very cold night in the middle of the road. Thats just my opinion though. I'm sure other will weigh in on their thoughts.
 
Fla02LS said:
Its AMAZING how the news turns the cold temps into the biggest story of the year. We just had a Deputy gunned down, shot twice in the head during a traffic stop, yet the stupid cold weather is major news. Lame
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So true.
 
rwurst918 said:
Its four degrees in Fayette, Ohio right now. Yes, My vehicle is outside at all times. Yes, it will start every time. Will my engine be ruined because the gas tank is less than half full? No way. I run my gas tank down all the way all the time so I so not get old gas in my tank. I have owned many vehicles (All American made) and I have yet to have an engine problem due to water in the gas tank. I do not see anything in the owners manual and I do not see anything in the shop manuals for the LS infer anything to the fact of possible engine damage due to water being drawn into the gas tank from frozen water/ condensation problems. In older vehicles this use to happen. I havent heard of any newer vehicle having problems with water in the gas tank. It would almost be a recall if someone would have water in their gas tank and it shut down on a very cold night in the middle of the road. Thats just my opinion though. I'm sure other will weigh in on their thoughts.
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it was 2 here last night, and like you, i also keep my car outside every night as i am not privileged enough to keep my car in the garage and yes i've had problems with it starting but its from other things, not because water is freezing in my gas tank
 
i keep my 97lsc stored in a seperated garage non heated thoughout winter..Usually with about 1/8th of a tank in it..Never had a problem and i start it 1 every couple weeks. No worries..I dont even put staba-fuel or whatever its called in there..

But i bet everyone in Florida fills up there tank everyother day in fear that it'll freeze and not be drivable..lol
 
Gas tanks on mid 90's and up cars are well sealed. There is little air in them even when they are nearly empty. They are mostly filled with gasoline fumes.
 
I doubt you would have ice in your tank, but you might be running a "summer blend" of gas, which I have read could give you issues starting in cold weather, it has a lower evaporation rate.
 
lol, It sounds like it would make sense, except i've lived in cold @$$ northeast ohio my whole life and have never heard of that nor had issues.

To make you feel better i use a volkswagen jetta to slide my @$$ to work everyday in the snow, i haven't had a gas cap on it all of december. that pos starts right up everytime!
 
LOL...we did that before in a 85 toyota.

Friend bought it for like $300 and basically slid everywhere when it snowed. somehow it ran great....
 
My friend use to have a 88? Mazda B2200.. It was the supercab one.. It had a whole what 60hp at the back wheels.. It was ran full throttle from start to finish.. He also put a stack on it which was funny as hell.. It wouldn't even drift.. But somehow the thing would climb snow hills like no other.. Did I mention it had TSW super swampers on it too? :lol:
 
lol this thing had like 4 different types of tires and mismatched doors and shifted without a clutch..
 
lol FAST i definitally get it in with the VW! its actually a sharp car for whatever f@g would like to drive a jetta! long story as to how i ended up obtaining the car....but its real clean real cheap and it gets DOWN in the snow...haha. I'll probably sell it in the spring....Wouldnt mind doin it now tho and grabbin a truck
 
Canada cold

I worked in Western Canada for a while in the winter. Each car had an electrical connector on the front to plug in the wall socket when not in use to keep the engine warm so it would not freeze solid during the winter. Never did we speak of gas line freeze up. It was the entire engine that would freeze, never the gas.
The temps would get down to -15F with winds of 30 mph, blowing snow that moved sideways and you would get whiteouts and get lost in a few moments time.
 
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