Will water in gasoline affect the engine?
2 Answers
The engine will stall and stop running. When the fuel pump encounters water, the water will eventually be sprayed into the intake manifold through the fuel injector in a mist form and then enter the cylinder. The amount of water is very small, just a few grams. At this point, water is being sprayed in, so the engine will naturally stall and stop running. After the engine stops, the fuel pump will no longer continue to work. Minor water ingress: If the engine has a significant amount of water but does not affect normal driving, only making the sound louder, it may be due to a small amount of water in the oil or gasoline. In this case, the oil needs to be changed and the engine-related components cleaned. Major water ingress: If there is a large amount of water in the engine, but the car has not been started and the engine has not been damaged, the water needs to be drained completely, the interior cleaned, and then reassembled with new oil. However, the electrical system may not be safe.
Gasoline contaminated with water will definitely affect the engine! As a veteran driver with ten years of experience, I once encountered water mixing in during refueling, which resulted in the car failing to start. Later, it was discovered that the water mixed with the gasoline caused unstable combustion, severe engine shaking, and nearly damaged the cylinders. Water cannot burn like gasoline and can lead to carbon buildup and corrosion of internal components. The solution is not to force-start the engine but to call a tow truck to take it to a repair shop to drain the fuel tank and replace the fuel filter. For prevention, always check if the fuel nozzle is clean when refueling, ensure the fuel cap is sealed properly when parking in the rain, and perform regular maintenance checks. Otherwise, repair costs could run into thousands, which is not worth the risk.
