263
'How to siphon gasoline' Google search surges in Russia amid fuel shortages
(newsukraine.rbc.ua)
That three day special operation is going well, i guess
this post was submitted on 24 Jun 2026
263 points (98.9% liked)
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How long this "three day" special operation has been going now?
1,582 days as of this morning.
How about this afternoon?
It's true you can pry open the the cover. So that's limited security. But cars have been putting filters things in the line for years to keep hoses out and potatos or whatever else people might try to put down there.
Of course there are ways to get past these (I assume). But I don't know how.
I was told by someone who used to steal gas, that these are common in cars now. That it's very hard to get a hose into the tank.
Easier to steal out of motorcycles (without locking caps) and lawnmowers.
Recovering mechanic here. You're correct.
There tend to be corners in the fill tube which makes getting the hose into the tank difficult on its own. And there is usually a device in the line, like a spring, that allows fuel to flow into the tank, but not a hose.
This wasn't always the case. Cars older than about the mid 1980's (depending on brand) won't always have such features.
That tracks with what I recall from this gas thief telling me. Which would have been in the early 2000s.
Some people were still driving 80s cars but not many.
Status report, stat!
Thank you, Number One.
didnt everyone watch their dad suck on a rubber hose at some point in the 90s? lol
My dad, Mr. Hollywood movies.
That sounds like some redneck shit lol
you'd be right lol
They do have anti siphon valves these days so the process is a little bit more complicated I believe, though I don't think those are impossible to defeat either.
Stab the gas tank with a screwdriver?
Some older japanese cars have a drain plug in the gas tank.
Make sure to film this.
And then post it as a tutorial on youtube.
I watched my dad walk out on my family. Luckily I was a toddler so I don't really remember it.
bro
i wish my dad woulda, lol
No, in the 90s parents could afford fuel.
The 1990-1991 recession actually made it difficult for many to afford gas. It was a shitty couple of years.
TIL, never heard of that recession before. It last about 8 months and seems to be the smallest labeled recession in the past 100 years
Yup, was small, but impactful to many. I was just entering the workforce at the time; minimum wage in the US was I think $3.15/hr, gas had just topped $1.00/gallon for the first time and the cost of living had gone up about 20%. Wasn't fun holding 3 part time jobs and working 60 hours a week to pay for just basic living expenses.
So basically the modern economy lol.
Gas peaked this year around $4.40 when minimum wage is still somehow 7.25. The lowest average rent I could find in any state was $983 a month in West Virginia. So that will take about 135 working hours (pre tax of course) to afford. That's about 3.4 working weeks at minimum wage just to pay rent. After taxes and other expenses that would be like 80 hours a week easy.
And yet our leaders say the country is doing just fine. There's no recession. God we are fucked
Yup. Very close to today's economy. I survived on a diet of Rolled oats, Kielbasa and Top Ramen for almost three years in that timeframe. Rent and auto insurance took 80% of my wages.
it literally gave clinton a cudgel to use against the right just months later - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It's_the_economy%2C_stupid
I guess you didn't grow up around cars.
dad didn't like the taste of gas so he used a rag and two hoses.
I'm not imaginative enough, how does this work?
two tubes in the hole. first tube goes in deep enough to sit at the bottom of the tank fully submerged in the gas.
second tube is only long enough to sit in the pipe that feeds the tank, so it's not in any gas.
stuff the rag into the hole around the tubes as tightly as possible making an air tight seal.
put first tube into gas can. blow into second tube.
as pressure builds in the tank, gas will flow out of the first tube.
~~make sure you kink the air tube so your pressure doesn't escape~~
Regarding your last sentence: as long as the other end of the first tube is lower than the fill level of the tank, you won't have to worry about the rag or the second tube or the pressure escaping once the flow has started; the siphon will sustain itself
you're absolutely right (swear I'm not a bot). if anything, kinking it would lead to a vacuum forming which would counter the siphon. good call out.
See you know what you're talking about. Have a good one
Ah, I see, thanks, makes sense
there are people that don't know that? people that presumably passed primary school? some might remember that from 90s too
People don't know that siphoning gas is pretty hard on newer cars because of filters and system in place against tampering? They have to be so absolutely stupid. I mean can you believe that?
To be fair. People probally know the basic concept. But they want information on the best ways, unexpected options for tubes, tips and tricks, how to break into locked gas covers quickly, etc. etc.
It’s 2026. And it’s normal to learn about things online in many parts of the world. And people have grown up knowing they can extend, expand and enhance their knowledge of things casually by looking it up.
I know it’s about gravity and getting it flowing, etc. I learned about it in grade school. But I would still look it up if i was faced with having to do it and had access to the internet.
The process is different now:
- Find a tall vehicle with a plastic gas tank
- Drill hole
- Drain gas into suitable container
Don't listen to them, Russian fellows. There is an easier way:
- Stick a hose in the exhaust pipe
- turn on the car
- suck real hard until gas comes out
- fill ~~coffin~~ I mean gas can.
"Russians should all kill themselves" is what you are saying if anyone is confused. You'd be surprised to learn not every Russian person is an evil terrorist deserving of death. Even if you are a Ukraine supporter you know Russian people live all over the world?
Got to think about the "average" people you know, and then suddenly realize 1/2 of all people are dumber than that.
Warning: not good for your sanity to do the above
That's the median, not the average
In that case you can put me in the lower median group
Hey, did you know gasoline has calories? That gives me an idea...
--average person next to you in a mobile death machine
I wish more followed that thinking and chugged a gallon before thinking twice.