1 00:00:01,920 --> 00:00:06,480 Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of iHeart Radio. Hey 2 00:00:06,519 --> 00:00:10,079 Speaker 1: brain Stuff, Lauren Bogle bomb here. If you drive a 3 00:00:10,160 --> 00:00:13,400 Speaker 1: late model car, chances are your gas cap is connected 4 00:00:13,400 --> 00:00:16,280 Speaker 1: to your car by a little rubber tether. That's so 5 00:00:16,320 --> 00:00:18,279 Speaker 1: that if you happen to forget to replace it after 6 00:00:18,320 --> 00:00:20,840 Speaker 1: you fill up, an indicator on your dashboard will let 7 00:00:20,880 --> 00:00:23,560 Speaker 1: you know. Or even if your car doesn't have that 8 00:00:23,600 --> 00:00:26,480 Speaker 1: indicator light, at least you won't lose the gas cap. 9 00:00:27,800 --> 00:00:29,960 Speaker 1: But what if your car doesn't have any of this 10 00:00:30,040 --> 00:00:32,160 Speaker 1: technology and you drive down the road with a gas 11 00:00:32,159 --> 00:00:36,040 Speaker 1: cap off without ever realizing your error. Losing your gas 12 00:00:36,080 --> 00:00:38,960 Speaker 1: cap is a minor annoyance, sure, but you paid for 13 00:00:38,960 --> 00:00:40,559 Speaker 1: that gas and you want it to stay where it 14 00:00:40,600 --> 00:00:44,400 Speaker 1: belongs in the gas tank. Furthermore, ceiling off the fuel 15 00:00:44,440 --> 00:00:47,000 Speaker 1: tank with the gas cap helps your fuel system maintain 16 00:00:47,120 --> 00:00:50,880 Speaker 1: proper pressure, which in turn helps your car operates smoothly. 17 00:00:52,680 --> 00:00:56,760 Speaker 1: So can driving without one cause damage to your car? Well? 18 00:00:56,920 --> 00:01:00,920 Speaker 1: Probably not, but it can cause some minor issues. You 19 00:01:01,000 --> 00:01:03,320 Speaker 1: might lose a little gas, but more likely due to 20 00:01:03,360 --> 00:01:07,280 Speaker 1: evaporation than to actual spillage. Because the filler neck helps 21 00:01:07,319 --> 00:01:11,080 Speaker 1: prevent slashing. Any kind of gas loss harms the environment. 22 00:01:11,120 --> 00:01:14,080 Speaker 1: And costs you extra money, which is not ideal, but 23 00:01:14,160 --> 00:01:17,559 Speaker 1: it's not an immediate catastrophe. You might see a drop 24 00:01:17,560 --> 00:01:22,000 Speaker 1: in your fuel economy numbers, though. Also it's possible that 25 00:01:22,080 --> 00:01:25,000 Speaker 1: debris or moisture could get into the gas tank, which 26 00:01:25,120 --> 00:01:28,280 Speaker 1: also is not ideal, but probably will not be catastrophic 27 00:01:28,319 --> 00:01:31,160 Speaker 1: either since it should be caught by the fuel filter. 28 00:01:32,720 --> 00:01:35,520 Speaker 1: And finally, if you live in a state with emissions inspections, 29 00:01:35,720 --> 00:01:38,400 Speaker 1: your car would not pass the inspection until you replaced 30 00:01:38,440 --> 00:01:41,119 Speaker 1: the gas cap, but there's absolutely no reason you should 31 00:01:41,200 --> 00:01:43,000 Speaker 1: drive without a gas cap long enough for that to 32 00:01:43,000 --> 00:01:46,600 Speaker 1: become an issue. The bottom line is that the consequences 33 00:01:46,600 --> 00:01:49,240 Speaker 1: of driving without a gas cap are insignificant, and the 34 00:01:49,280 --> 00:01:53,200 Speaker 1: solution is simple. Gas caps are easy and inexpensive to replace. 35 00:01:53,560 --> 00:01:55,760 Speaker 1: You can purchase a replacement at a local auto parts 36 00:01:55,800 --> 00:01:58,720 Speaker 1: store or an online retailer, and you can determine which 37 00:01:58,760 --> 00:02:01,680 Speaker 1: cap you need in your cars owners manual the parts 38 00:02:01,680 --> 00:02:05,320 Speaker 1: department for your car dealership could help too, And there's 39 00:02:05,360 --> 00:02:08,600 Speaker 1: another technological failsafe to help prevent too much damage from 40 00:02:08,639 --> 00:02:12,239 Speaker 1: being done. Assuming that your car has a check engine light, 41 00:02:12,520 --> 00:02:15,480 Speaker 1: because most cars on the road today do, you'll likely 42 00:02:15,520 --> 00:02:17,959 Speaker 1: see it illuminate just a few minutes after you leave 43 00:02:17,960 --> 00:02:20,720 Speaker 1: the gas station should you drive off without your fuel cap. 44 00:02:21,639 --> 00:02:24,639 Speaker 1: Some modern cars even have a specific fuel cap light. 45 00:02:26,080 --> 00:02:29,640 Speaker 1: If this happens, performance may temporarily be an issue. Some 46 00:02:29,800 --> 00:02:32,560 Speaker 1: cars are programmed to operate in a limp mode when 47 00:02:32,560 --> 00:02:34,880 Speaker 1: the check engine light is on, which allows you to 48 00:02:34,919 --> 00:02:38,080 Speaker 1: continue driving at limited speed until you can stop safely 49 00:02:38,200 --> 00:02:42,240 Speaker 1: to assess and correct the problem, but it should switch 50 00:02:42,280 --> 00:02:44,840 Speaker 1: back into normal mode as soon as you replace your cap. 51 00:02:46,200 --> 00:02:49,040 Speaker 1: In some rare cases, the light may stay on even 52 00:02:49,080 --> 00:02:52,200 Speaker 1: after you replace your gas cap, but don't worry. You 53 00:02:52,240 --> 00:02:54,320 Speaker 1: may need to drive for a while before your car's 54 00:02:54,360 --> 00:02:57,480 Speaker 1: computer senses that everything is okay and the light resets, 55 00:02:58,160 --> 00:03:00,880 Speaker 1: But if need be, your friendly neighbor head mechanic will 56 00:03:00,880 --> 00:03:08,120 Speaker 1: be happy to check it out for you. Today's episode 57 00:03:08,120 --> 00:03:10,480 Speaker 1: was written by Cheri's three Witt and produced by Tyler Clang. 58 00:03:10,840 --> 00:03:13,000 Speaker 1: For one listen lots of other curious topics, visit how 59 00:03:13,040 --> 00:03:15,480 Speaker 1: stuff works dot com. Brain Stuff is production of I 60 00:03:15,560 --> 00:03:18,079 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Or more podcasts in my heart Radio visit 61 00:03:18,080 --> 00:03:20,520 Speaker 1: the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you 62 00:03:20,520 --> 00:03:21,760 Speaker 1: listen to your favorite shows.