urban myth or true?

[jay6891]

Seeing how gas prices are way up and our truck are not known for thier gas milage, I thought I would bring this up. Yesterday when I was fueling up super unleaded @2.19 a gal, a guy walks up and tells me that if I would put a handfull of moth balls in my tank when I fuel, I could run lower octane and save 20 cents/gal. He said that when they melt in your tank they raise the octane level. That is what he does in his truck and race car. Man, I haven't heard this since I was a kid. Is it a myth or is it true? Needless to say, I have not done it, and when he drove off, by the sound of it, he will be walking soon.

[toddtheodd]

I don't know about raising the octane, but I do know that your car will move with moth balls in the tank. But then again, the moth balls will cause the engine to run so hot that the pistons will start to melt. put too many in and you'll actually have holes in the pistons. I've done like 2 or 3 moth balls before in my 81 buick. She ran like a raped ape like that. My friend saw what it did and put a handfull in his tank. A few days later he was looking at crate motors at the dealership to replace his ruined one.

[SCOTI]

19gal tank x $.20 savings per gallon of gas @ fill up time is $3.80. Is that worth destroying your motor?

If you ran the tank completely empty & had a formula to precisely measure out moth balls to gal/gas ratio, you possibly wouldn't damage anything. If you don't get a good ratio . . .... all it takes is once.

[grayw0lf]

Mothballs have a very high nitrogen content. When they dissolve, the nitrogen dissipates into the gas. Its kinda like a backwoods nitrous.

Definately not good for the engine. Now, if you have a new engine on the way & want to send your old block out w/ a bang... put in a box of mothballs & you could have one Hell of a last ride!

[68 Suburban]

From what I have heard, mothballs will raise the octane level, but im not sure it is that good for your fuel system.

[68 Suburban]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-.../posts?page=11

You must, however, make sure you use the right kind of moth balls. Nitta says do no use moth balls made from something called paradichlorobenzene. Instead use what are commonly referred to as old moth balls. The active ingredient in them is naphthalene. By adding moth balls with naphthalene, Nitta says you'll not only get more miles per gallon, but added power too.

[Jeepster376]

Originally Posted by 68 Suburban

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-.../posts?page=11

This may be key as to why this used to work, and no longer is done. With modern standard 87 to 93 gasolines, there'd be no benefit.

In the 1920s, typical gasoline octane ratings were 40-60 [11], and during the 1930s and 40s, the ratings increased by approximately 20 units as alkyl leads and improved refining processes became widespread [12].

Naphthalene has a blending motor octane number of 90 [52], so the addition of a significant amount of mothballs could increase the octane, and they were soluble in gasoline. The amount usually required to appreciably increase the octane also had some adverse effects. The most obvious was due to the high melting point ( 80C ), when the fuel evaporated the naphthalene would precipitate out, blocking jets and filters. With modern gasolines, naphthalene is more likely to reduce the octane rating, and the amount required for low octane fuels will also create operational and emissions problems.

[Martin64]

I think some anti-Pick-Up/SUV activist is yanking your chain and trying to get you to blow your engine up. Yes, moth balls will cause your engine to "melt down". We use to do it as kids to old motorcycles that we were getting ready to junk. They'd run like a bat out of he77 for a while.....

[tom hand]

Oh man, I shoulda read the whole article before I stuffed all those urinal cakes into my gas tank. . .

....lol.....I going to buy some moth balls and blow something up

[Longhorn Man]

It is an old hot rodders trick, but everyone here is right, it'll blow your motor up.

[dion]

I heard that the old napathane moth ball weren't available anymore, I've looked around for them but have never seen them in any store. Do they still make them?

[jay6891]

No, I'm not gonna do it. I can tear my stuff up easily enough without dumping something in the tank. Like I said earlier, I believe that by listening to his truck when he left, he'll be walking soon. Just wanted to know if anybody else had heard of this before.

[68 Suburban]

Originally Posted by jay6891

No, I'm not gonna do it. I can tear my stuff up easily enough without dumping something in the tank. Like I said earlier, I believe that by listening to his truck when he left, he'll be walking soon. Just wanted to know if anybody else had heard of this before.

If anyone is consider trying this, I suggest they put these in a bucket of gas first and make sure the disolve, before they shove them in their gas tank

[Baradium]

There are two types of moth balls. One will raise the octane level. The other will blow the engine up. The one that raises the octane won't hurt anything, but you only need like one for a full tank of gas.

Raising octane would be easier on your engine if you are easy of the happy pedal... means that the fuel burns cooler etc. Lower octane burns faster and hotter.

[slam33]

$2.19 for Super, try $2.70 out here in So Cal.

[Longhorn Man]

Slam, how much tax are you paying a gallon? I'll bet your state is screwing you at the pump in addidtion to everywhere else you get/spend money.