# Water vs gasoline **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Created:** [June 23, 2008, 10:43pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/water-vs-gasoline/15750 "2008-06-23T22:43:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![fiddle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@fiddle](https://community.cartalk.com/u/fiddle)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2008, 10:43pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/water-vs-gasoline/15750/1 "2008-06-23T22:43:36Z")
Can a car be modify to use water instead of gasoline without loss of power and without damaging the machine? ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/30_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2008, 10:53pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/water-vs-gasoline/15750/2 "2008-06-23T22:53:59Z")
No it cannot be “modify” or even modified for this purpose. Water does not ignite. Gasoline does ignite, thereby providing power in an internal combustion engine. If you don’t believe me, try igniting a bucket of water, as opposed to a bucket of gasoline. See the difference? (Note: Don’t try this at home, kids!) Why do you ask? Is it because of reading some spam e-mail with the title “water4gas” or some other nonsense of a similar nature? ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2008, 10:54pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/water-vs-gasoline/15750/3 "2008-06-23T22:54:10Z")
No. You need a fuel that will burn. Water will not burn. ---
**Author:** ![mcparadise](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mcparadise/32/32_2.png) [@mcparadise](https://community.cartalk.com/u/mcparadise)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2008, 11:18pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/water-vs-gasoline/15750/4 "2008-06-23T23:18:58Z")
No. Anyone who claims to be able to do this is a scam artist. Don’t believe a word of it. ---
**Author:** ![SteveF](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/stevef/32/2_2.png) [@SteveF](https://community.cartalk.com/u/SteveF)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2008, 11:51pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/water-vs-gasoline/15750/5 "2008-06-23T23:51:27Z")
It is possible, but in a roundabout indirect way. You use the engine’s power to break down water to hydrogen and oxygen. Then use these gases as fuel for the engine. In practice this cycle can only run with a net loss of energy, making the process useless for doing any useful work. ---
**Author:** ![justaguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d9b06d/32.png) [@justaguy](https://community.cartalk.com/u/justaguy)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2008, 12:51am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/water-vs-gasoline/15750/6 "2008-06-24T00:51:14Z")
This really just basic science. I was wondering has anybody tried to do this water fuel cell, and what were their results? I agree, the reaction pulls energy, which would basically come from the alternator, but if there was say an increase of 50% in milage, wouldn’t that outweigh the extra work load of the battery/alternator? ---
**Author:** ![Jad2007](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/dec6dc/32.png) [@Jad2007](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Jad2007)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2008, 12:55am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/water-vs-gasoline/15750/7 "2008-06-24T00:55:07Z")
50%??! If a 50% increase in mileage was possible using these devices, don’t you think auto manufacturers would be using them?? “This really just basic science” …Apparently not. ---
**Author:** ![cappy208](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/cappy208/32/31_2.png) [@cappy208](https://community.cartalk.com/u/cappy208)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2008, 1:03am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/water-vs-gasoline/15750/8 "2008-06-24T01:03:28Z")
ya, rocket science. ---
**Author:** ![B.L.E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/848f3c/32.png) [@B.L.E](https://community.cartalk.com/u/B.L.E)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2008, 1:19am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/water-vs-gasoline/15750/9 "2008-06-24T01:19:53Z")
Water is hydrogen that already has been burned up. It would be just as easy to build a highway to your work and back home that is downhill in both directions as it would be to reverse this or any other exothermic chemical reaction without giving back every bit of the energy that was released when the reaction originally happened.