We used to use a hot baked potato to thaw out a frozen gas line, Heet worked also, but took longer, so what causes a gas line to freeze? Water obviously. Where does the water come from the most common answer was condensation, water condensing on the inside of a gas tank similar to water condensing on the outside of a pop can, the second most common theory was water getting stirred up into the gas while you filled up as a tanker was filling the station. As to how much water in the gas would cause an engine to fail refer to the radio show 2 weeks ago where to remove carbon buildup Tom and Ray recommended using a spray bottle of water to squirt into the carberator to remove carbon buildup and their quote “you would be surprised how much water you can spray into the carburetor without any problem” so a bunch of water in the gas would be no worse.
Repost for further discussion
We used to use a hot baked potato to thaw out a frozen gas line, Heet worked also, but took longer, so what causes a gas line to freeze? Water obviously. Where does the water come from the most common answer was condensation, water condensing on the inside of a gas tank similar to water condensing on the outside of a pop can, the second most common theory was water getting stirred up into the gas while you filled up as a tanker was filling the station. As to how much water in the gas would cause an engine to fail refer to the radio show 2 weeks ago where to remove carbon buildup Tom and Ray recommended using a spray bottle of water to squirt into the carberator to remove carbon buildup and their quote “you would be surprised how much water you can spray into the carburetor without any problem” so a bunch of water in the gas would be no worse.
A 99 Camry With A Carburetor? Maybe In Mexico. F.I. Doesn’t Like Water.
This is NORMAL…Especially when temps drop. Water is a by-product of the catalytic. This will clear up as the exhaust system heats up and evaporates the water. But while the exhaust system is cold the water can POUR out. Also when you turn your car off and let it sit a while water condensation will collect in the pipes. It’s very very common for people who take short trips and never burn off any water condensation. It’s the LEADING cause of exhaust system failure.
As for water in the gas…NO WAY. That much water in the gas to actually pour out…there’s no way the car would ever start…let alone run for smoothly.
Yes, it’s normal, but it doesn’t come from the catalytic converter. Burn a gallon of gasoline (carbon + hydrogen), the carbon forms CO2 and the hydrogen forms H20, ignoring the very small volumes of pollutants. No catalyst required. About a gallon of water per gallon of gas.
Mixing water in with the intake air is much different than displacing the gas in the fuel line with water. You can breath in a heavy concentration of helium as long as it is mixed with at least 15% oxygen, but let it displace the oxygen, and you will suffocate.
Short version: A lot of water in the gas line = car won’t run.
On many Toyotas, the Camry included, the exhaust pipe is routed below the rear axle, effectively creating a several foot low spot in the exhaust system. I wonder if this could lead to more than usual amounts of condensation since there’s such a large place for water to accumulate.
So what happened Jeffster? Did your M-I-L take the car to a dealer or mechanic? What was the liquid running from the tailpipe? Just curious. Rocketman
Yes, it’s normal, but it doesn’t come from the catalytic converter.
Yes it does…It converts the hydrocarbons into carbon dioxide and water.
Yes, it converts the 1% of unburned hydrocarbons into co2 and water. 99% of the water is created in the combustion chamber, not the cat.
I’m going with head gasket failure.
HOW??..WHY??? Please explain this one.
Perhaps, but in reality when the car is cold has some six or eight feet of cold metal pipe along with one or more cold metal canisters through which the engine is pushing warm, moisture-laden air. If your goal was to create water from hydrocarbons you could not design a better system.
In truth, when it’s real cold up here in NH it’s very common to see water dripping from exhaust systems even on cars that have fully warmed up. When it’s really cold the metal dissipates the heat readily enough to leave the post-cat system cool enough to condense water vapor from moisture-laden air.
Note that many systems have weep holes in the bottom of the muffler right at a seam typically (usually the low point in the system) for condensation to drain out.
Well . . . I admit my being wrong about this one. Yesterday I was in NYC . . . Christmas shopping and seeing the sights . . . and had the opportunity to watch cars, mostly taxicabs . . . well-warmed-up, with water POURING out of their tailpipes as they pulled out from a stop. I admit that I’ve seen cars with a little bit coming out . . . but yesterday I saw it POURING out. Mostly big cabs like Crown-Vics, they poured the most. You learn something new every day. Rocketman
Rocket Man, Thanks For The Eye-Witness Report.
As I have stated, I have made the same observations of water POURING out.
I’ve seen water pouring out of tailpipes often. Usually in the morning when a car hasn’t been running for long. My guess is that once everything from the engine to the exhaust system reaches ‘normal’ running temperature, that moisture turns to steam and you don’t notice it.
But you will notice it when it’s very cold outside.
My guess is that it is normal and nothing to be concerned about.
That was my line of thinking too, Joe. But a NYC taxicab? I was really surprised to see clear liquid (water?) literally running out of the tailpipe. Rocketman
I have a 99 Toyota Avalon. I don’t smoke inside my house, so I’ll sit in this car, to keep out of the cold. Sitting with the car running and heat on, water pours out of my tailpipe like a damned water hose. It freaked me out, the first time I noticed it happening. But, that was a couple years ago, and the car still drives out great.