How to determine the quality of gasoline at home
All the drivers, without exception, know that a lot depends on the quality of fuel. So, this factor has an impact on how well the engine will run and how long it will not require repairs.
But it is almost impossible to tell by eye if the gasoline in the tank is of high quality. However, there are simple ways to understand the quality of fuel. And they can be used by every driver himself.
The need for quality gasoline . The engine of a modern car is designed so as to run unproblematically on good quality fuel. This is due to the peculiarities of the design of the fuel system. Therefore, experienced drivers advise to refuel their cars only at proven gas stations.
Bad and low-quality gasoline contains a large number of different additives, which have a detrimental effect on the fuel system, leading to various problems and breakdowns. Repair, failed system, including the power unit, costs the driver a lot of money.
Determine the quality of the fuel . If the gasoline contains a large number of different impurities, they will in any case settle in the fuel tank. It is possible to find out the quality of the fuel yourself, by using the simple methods and techniques, which can be done at home.
Paper . So, it is enough to drip a couple of drops of fuel on a white sheet of paper. As a rule, gasoline quickly evaporates, but various impurities remain on the sheet, indicating its poor quality. If the sheet stays white after checking, it indicates that the gasoline in the car is of good quality and contains a minimum of additives.
Oily or black stains left on the sheet indicate that the gasoline contains very dangerous additives that can quickly put the engine out of operation, requiring the driver to replace it completely. This process is expensive, which is why you should only fill up at proven gas stations.
Glass . You can check the quality of gasoline by dropping it on the glass. After this action, you need to carefully light the glass. If a white trace remains, the fuel is of good quality and meets basic standards. The presence of a dark residue or black stain indicates poor fuel quality.
Such a test will determine the presence of tar in the gasoline, which burns out during operation and settles in the cylinders and valves, passing through the combustion chambers.
Water . If desired, drivers can determine the amount of water in gasoline. To do this, simply pour 200-300 milliliters of fuel into any container, and then add manganese crystals to it. If the liquid remains yellowish, the gasoline is of good quality and contains a minimum amount of water.
If, on the other hand, the fuel is colored pink, it means there is a lot of water in it, which can get into the fuel system, causing malfunctions and causing the engine to fail.
Result . All of the above gasoline quality tests are extremely simple, so you can do them at home. But each of them allows you to determine how high quality gasoline is offered at gas stations and whether it can harm the parts of the car or not.
How to check the quality of gasoline yourself?
Today with tell and show, how you can determine the quality of gasoline yourself.
Many drivers are interested in the question, how can you determine the quality of gasoline? How dangerous is this gasoline for the car?
Of course, you are dear subscribers object to me, they say that drivers with experience identify bad gasoline on the change in traction of the car, the occurrence of detonation of the engine and other sophisticated signs. I, on the other hand, take a more trivial approach.
No advertising, just a combination of shades of blue I liked. Not without my Alkz, on which I conduct my experiments with gasoline.
Introduction: in my time, out of curiosity I was studying the question of self-determination of gasoline quality, indirectly in the line of work. As they say “all new is well forgotten old”. Needed to check the solution for water, and today I remembered a wonderful example with manganese. I decided to publish it.
Unfortunately, before vacation I have no time to drip the real gasoline, but the photos from last time were illustrative (sources were: www.gp-cr.ru, Blog Weron, aif.ru). You may have seen this material, I just compiled it and tried to provide illustrations. So:
Method one: identify chemical impurities
We drop a drop of gasoline on a piece of white paper. We blow on this drop and gasoline evaporates quickly. If the paper is white after this experience, then the gasoline evaporated is good. Is there a trace left? It’s the impurities. For example, if there is kerosene in the gasoline, it will leave a grease stain on the paper.
If you drop gasoline on a fingernail or on a wooden surface and it does not evaporate or rolls into a ball, this is a sure sign of water
Warning: Please be careful when experimenting. Gasoline and fire are a dangerous combination!
Or another option. Drip gasoline on your hand . If the place where you put the fuel dries up quickly, it means that the gasoline is clean, without any impurities. If you have a greasy spot on your hand, do not go to “harmful” petrol station anymore.
The second method: detecting tar
We drop petrol on the glass of spherical shape (for example on the watch, well, if you don’t feel sorry, of course, or a cup), and then… set this drop on fire.
Are there whitish concentric circles on the glass? So there is no or very little resin in the gasoline. Brownish or yellowish rings on the glass show that there are enough tar in fuel to spoil a car engine.
Important: as a rule, 100 ml of any brand of gasoline contains 7-15 types of tar. If this content increases twice, it really reduces the engine life by about 20%. That is why it is so important to determine the highest quality gas station
The second gasoline quality test: brown or yellow streaks, a sign that the amount of tar in the gasoline exceeds the norm.With an increased content of tar in the fuel, the engine will wear out faster.
Traces on the glass can also help determine if there are other impurities in the gasoline. Thus, if the gasoline contains any oils or diesel fuel, then during combustion of a small amount of such gasoline on the surface of the glass traces in the form of small drops will be left.
Method three: find out if there is an admixture of water
Pour some gasoline into a transparent container, look at the light and see a pale yellow liquid. Now add a little potassium permanganate or a piece of lead (“chemical” pencil). If the gasoline has turned pink or purple, it means it has been diluted with water. *
Method three: find out if there is water in it – if the gasoline turns pink when you look through it, you are very likely to find water in it
You have arrived at the gas station: remove the fuel gun and run your finger over the inside diameter of the tank before inserting it into the filler neck. If the gasoline is diluted with diesel (as it is often done) or contains other octane-increasing impurities, the surface will be greasy. If you do not have a “greasy” feeling on your finger, the gasoline is of good quality.
Method three: find out if there is a water impurity. Experimenting with gasoline. You can see that the manganese did not dissolve, but just remained in the sediment – there is no water
