In my seven-days-a-week driving, I see a number of drivers who have run out of gasoline.
Is there a gasoline container in which I can safely carry 1 gallon of gasoline without fumes escaping?
Or would a siphon hose to draw gasoline from our Camry or Expedition gas tanks, work? (I’d prefer that.)
Thank you.
There is no real good way to safely carry gas cans in the passenger area of a vehicle.
Or in the trunk, day in and day out.
It’s much safer to just carry more in the tank than normal… fill the vehicle when it gets to the halfway mark instead of letting it get down to where the “fill” light illuminates. That’s like carrying five or ten extra gallons with you (depending on the size of the tank).
IMHO nobody in the continental United States ever ran out of gas because they should have had a can of spare gas. Not with almost 119,000 gas stations available (2007 numbers). They run out of gas because they let the tank run out. Nothing can fix that problem.
A steel Coleman Fuel can is well made and seals tight…You will need a long-nosed funnel to pour it into a car… Coleman Fuel is, after all, gasoline…
Modern cars are either impossible or very difficult to siphon gas out of. There is an anti-spill roll-over valve in there that blocks any attempt to slip a hose into the tank…
The word “safely” would not apply even if you did this only now and then.
The force from any kind of substantial impact could split a gas container wide open and turn the interior into a fireball.
This is why the Feds mandate regulations about fuel pump shut-offs and so on.
@TSMB: “Carry extra fuel” wouldn’t work here (if I understand the OP correctly) because he doesn’t want it for himself, but as a “knight in shining armor” for others. @Caddyman: I’d check the octane rating of Coleman gas: I’ve heard it’s too low to work properly./////Is there a way to “tee” into the fuel line to fill up with? The pump runs if the key is on, so it ought to be divertable to wherever. (You could use the pressure test valve, I suppose…)/////EDIT: Google says Coleman gas has octane of 55 or so…nothing I’d want anywhere near my engine!
You may be right, meanjoe. I completely overlooked that possibility. While I might not feel safe stopping, I tip my hat to Robert for being a good Samaritan.
Here’s the thing, its one thing to be a good samaritan at an accident scene, in the freezing cold, etc. where it is clear someone is in distress, but times have changed. For one, some of these are decoys to lure you in and when you stop, you are robbed. For another, it is dangerous to stop on the side of the road. We have had patrolman killed with their lights blazing, and more than one knight in shining armor helping to change a tire. It really is best to not do this even though it makes you feel good and useful and a hero. Just make the call instead and let the police or tow drivers handle it. As a salesman, it used to be part of my job to stop and offer assistance but I remember one lady alone scarred to death when I stopped.
I don’t think it’s a good idea to carry spare fuel in a vehicle. I might carry fuel on the rear bumper like a Jeep but that’s about it. The fuel can would have to be heavy duty and seal really well. Coleman fuel is a “white gas” with an octane rating of 55. I would not put it in any vehicle or even a lawn mower for that matter.
^ Wish I could install a tee and valve on the fuel line in the engine compartment and attach a flexible fuel hose. Then gasoline could be quickly pumped into the emptyehicle’s tank.
Yes, you want as little exposure as possible to traffic rushing by.
I’ve carried cans in the truck before and no matter how ‘‘sealed’’ the can claims to be, you’ll always be smelling gas.
Then as they sit in the heat of the day, pressure builds inside and you need to uncap it to release the pressure.
Having learned that … I always remove the cans to the garage after filling.
I didn’t suggest using the low-octane Coleman fuel as engine fuel. I thought refilling that decent container with motor-fuel gasoline would be a solution to the question Mr. Gift posed…
Also, small, heavy-duty, safety approved gasoline containers are available but they are very expensive…Here is one I found. There are many more…
@Caddyman
That e-bay can says
vents automatically, helping to reduce air blockages that can interrupt the flow of liquids as well as pressure build-up inside the can.
Not only do I agree with @PvtPublic, but I’d like to add the problem the OP is trying to solve really isn’t worth the risk or the expense in my opinion.
When someone runs out of fuel, it’s either due to a malfunction or carelessness. Often, someone thinks they’ve run out of fuel when they really have an equipment malfunction. I would not want to entangle myself by trying to help such a person diagnose such a problem on what is likely an old heap of a vehicle, especially with Robert’s or my amateur level of mechanical skill.
Two words. Spare Fuel.
I do not have any affiliation with this product, I don’t care if anyone buys it, It just sounds like a product that can enable Robert to help people and stay safe. I seem to remember seeing this or a similar product product in stores over 10 years ago but have never purchased it or used it. It is basically a non-flammable gasoline derivative, I believe that an engine could not run on spare fuel alone, but the residual gasoline left in your lines will allow the engine to start and then the spare fuel keeps it running.
I agree with what others say, around here when someone runs out of fuel they could be driving in a mobile meth lab, are drunk, high, or just crazy. That being said I suppose it could be a person who made an honest mistake and could really use a knight in shining armor.
No good deed goes unpunished though, Sometimes when someone tries to help a stranded motorist a drunk driver plows into the cars and kills or hurts both the stranded motorist and the good Samaritan.
Be careful Robert, the world needs more people like you!
Wow. And only $41.90 a gallon. And I thought GAS was expensive!
Color me skeptical.
It appears to be repackaged Jet-A or Diesel No.1 (flash point 100F).
The other posters above are right, it’s not safe to carry gasoline in a container in the trunk on a routine basis. But if you must on occasion, be sure to at least use a container approved for gasoline, otherwise it may be not just unsafe, but illegal. I buy my fuel containers at Sears. Red plastic, and contain a fine sieve in the spout to prevent debris problems. There should be some text on the container saying it is approved for use with gasoline.
Having to carry extra gas kind of disappeared in America when oil companies started to put stations in every town. Guess what you need a gps unit to tell you where they are. They are actually safer to carry then a can of gasoline. Tell people you meet where they are and tell them to take a hike.