Gasoline Freezing?

Question

Whenever we have low temp's like 20 degrees F or below, the news people report that you should get a full tank of gas because there may be a possibility of an almost empty tank freezing. Is this true? I really don't want to get out in the cold to fill up my tank.

Answer 1

No, the gasoline doesn't freeze, but the air in an empty tank can have moisture in it that will condense on the walls of the tank, and freeze. This happens mostly early in the winter, during the first few cold snaps, when the air still has a fair amount of humidity. After it is below freezing pretty consistantly, there is little moisture in the air, so having a near empty tank is less of a problem.
Alcohol additives (Heat) absorb the moisture, prevent it from freezing, and allows it to be burned up with the gas.

Answer 2

The only time my car wouldn't start because of the cold weather was due to the fact that I was low on gas. They typically say that a 1/4 of a tank of gas will do just fine. A 1/4 of a tank of gas keeps the fuel lines primed so that there is no chance for freezing.

It was 11 degrees here today and both of my cars were on empty. I had no problem with them not starting.

Answer 3

Well, gasoline should freeze if you get it cold enough! Gasoline does not consist of a single kind of molecule -- it contains several different hydrocarbons (molecules consisting of hydrogen and carbon atoms). In principle, if you cool a mixture like this slowly enough, it will form a collection of different types of frozen crystals, with the freezing of each type of crystal occurring over a (different) range of temperatures. In practice, often such mixtures don’t form crystals at all but just gradually thicken and harden as they get colder, forming something like glass- hard but without the regular crystal that make a true solid so different from a liquid. In a glass, on a small scale the molecules are still jumbled up like in a liquid. The problem of fuel getting gummy and solidifying is more of a worry with aviation fuel. High-flying airplanes fly through very cold air (every time I fly and they show the outside temperature, it’s -80 F!). And one of the last things you want to happen to an airplane is for the fuel pipe to freeze up. People add stuff to aviation fuel to keep this from happening. Piston-powered propeller planes sometimes have isopropyl alcohol or other compounds added to prevent freezing.

Answer 4

sort of, its the water that an "empty" tank absorbs that is the problem , you will run into trouble if you continually run with less than 1/2 tank in winter , put some gas line antifreeze in ( methyl hydrate ) as cheap insurance , getting out in the " cold " to fill the tank is preferable to being stranded

Answer 5

no gas doesn't freeze the reason to keep your tank full is to stop condensation from forming in your tank basically it rains from the fuel getting warm then cooling if you keep your tank full that problem stops then the water from condensation dose not freeze cool huh ?

Answer 6

yes it is true...sometimes there is water in the tanks at fuel stations...most infact. some more than others..i recomend a bottle of dry gas, it helps evaporate moisture in the tank and fuel lines and treats up to 20 gallons.

Answer 7

The gas doesn't freeze.Water in the gas separates and freezes. Need to add an additive to it.

Answer 8

yes, it is best to keep a full tank of gas during the colder months...

go to a full serve station, that way someone else can be out int he cold pumping your gas for you...

Answer 9

No. Just put in some dry gas, so your gas lines won't freeze up.

Answer 10

WATER GETS INSIDE GAS TANKS......

SO KEEP TANKS FULL TO KEEP THAT SMALL AMOUNT OF WATER VAPOR FROM FREEZING.