Stealing Gas.

[LynnMassGuy]

I can't believe it's starting already.

I woke up on my my couch at 4:00 AM. As I was shutting off the TV and the lights as noticed the motion sensor flood light in my yard go off. I grabbed my 12 gauge and ran downstairs to see what was going on. I stood on my back porch Remington in hand and yelled,"Who the f*** is out here?"

I started to come off the steps to do a walk around of my house to make sure there were no signs of someone breaking in.(My sister lives on the first floor.) There was a truck that I had never seen before in the drive way with the driver's door wide open and the interior light on. I went back in to make sure it belonged to a friend of my sister"s and was not abandoned. It did indeed belong to friend of hers who had crashed on the couch.(His ass better be on the couch!) I told him his truck was open and to go make sure nothing was stolen.

After I went back upstairs it went off again, which leads me to believe someone may have been hiding in my neighbors yard waiting for the guy with the shotgun to go away. I went downstairs and did another walk around. This time with a pistol. I stayed up for a while and watched the yard from my second floor porch with my SW99 compact at the ready.(It's not good to stand in front of your house with a 12 gauge and a flashlight, especially on a busy street.) While I was waiting I saw a neighbor's motion sensor light go off. Who knows if it was related. Eventually my adrenaline lowered to a level where I could go back to sleep.

I figured someone tried to steal stuff out friend of my sister's truck.

I didn't put 2 and 2 together until today when I went out and noticed the gas door on my pickup was open. That's what set the motion sensor off. The must have had plenty of time to mess with the other pickup truck but when they got to mine it set off the light.

Goldangit! If they got mine the next step probably would have been to force the gas door open on my wife's Lexus, causing body damage. Holy ???? I would have been pissed.

Get a motion light and a shotgun, these are crazy times.

(Would I have shot someone for trying to steal gas? Nah, probably not. Unless they were stupid enough to attack the guy with the shotgun. Would I point it at them and let them put a load in their Levi's? Absolutely.)

Regards
John

 

[Koobuh]

yup

I bought a locking fuel cap the other day, plan to put it on before I go into town next time. Really, it's problem that's always existed, just never at the level that it will be soon.
Just be sure you know where the key for it is at all times... wouldn't want to be locked out of your own fuel tank.

 

[Double Maduro]

Koobah,

wouldn't want to be locked out of your own fuel tank.

I used to work as a mechanic, give anyone a decent sized screw driver and they can open one in no time. Ruins the cap though.

DM

 

[Koobuh]

True

However the average soccer mom isn't going to try prying it up, and only a desperate thief will take the time to do it, particularly if easier pickings are available.
Same thing with safes- no matter how big and well-made, it only takes more time and effort to crack the better ones.

 

[Double Maduro]

It's like I tell my computer clients. You want to make it tough enough that the casual or curious crook can't get in easily, but you don't want to make it so tough that the really good ones will want to see what's so important.

All most security is good for is buying time, and letting you see when someone broke in.

If you can get into it so can someone else.

DM

PS. I have locking gas caps on all my vehicles.

 

[hillbilly]

Gas theives are nothing new to me.

I grew up in rural Arkansas.

We always had gas theives to deal with, even when gas prices were cheap.

Because we lived 15 miles outside of a town of only about 2500, there were no nearby gas pumps....at least not with affordable gas.

It was merely easier to steal gas from somebody after dark than drive all the way into town for it.

All the time, especially in the warm months, lowlifes would attempt to siphon gas out of our family vehicles.

But the biggest target for the gas theives was the big yellow school bus that my dad drove for the local public school system.

Big gas tank, and no locking cap made the bus a big fat, soft target.

It got so bad sometimes that my father would actually sleep out on the bus with a flashlight and a pistol.

hillbilly

 

[Double Maduro]

When the Portland Trailblazers, basketball, were in the championships back in, I think it was '79, a friend of mine who lives in a semi remote area came out one morning and found an envelope on the windshield of his car that said, "I am really sorry but I stole some of your gas last night. I was driving my wife to the hospital, she was in labor, and ran out of gas down the road. I didn't want to wake you so I stole a couple of gallons of gas, I am sorry. I hope I can make it up to you by giving you these two tickets to the Blazer game tonight. They are pretty good seats and we won't be able to use them. Enjoy the game."

Well my friend was pleased as all get out, you couldn't buy tickets, all the games were sold out. He and his wife made a night of it, they went into town and had a nice dinner, then they went to the game and had a great time.

When they got home they discovered that someone had backed a moving van up to their house and stolen everything they owned.

When the police talked to the one neighbor that had driven by and seen the moving truck and crew hard at work, the neighbors were mad at my friend because he hadn't told them they were going to move. Never got any of his stuff back, art, jewelry, guns, furniture, clothes, nothing.

So be careful.

DM

DM

 

[Sharpdogs]

Good luck getting a locking gas cap now. Every store I went to they were sold out. I have only heard one story from the cashier at an auto parts store about stolen gas. I hope it does not get worst.

 

[jobu07]

I used to work as a mechanic, give anyone a decent sized screw driver and they can open one in no time. Ruins the cap though.

Yeah, that happened to a buddy of mine a few years ago. Doesn't even look like it takes a big screw driver. Just be sure to stay locked and loaded.

 

[oneshooter]

Lets see now. Locked gate, car alarm, 6 large dogs (2 Wiemers and 4 Rhodies) locking cap, motion sensor. I guess that I really need one of those automatic game cameras to help ID the body!

Oneshooter
Livin in Texas

 

[1 old 0311]

If your car is 5-6 years old or newer YOU CANT SYPHON GAS FROM IT. I work in a dealership and when we Need to drain a tank we have to drop the tank and remove the sending unit to gain access. Old cars it will probably work BUT NOT ON NEWER ONES.

Kevin

 

[Lennyjoe]

I bought a locking fuel cap the other day

I did too for both of our vehicles. Filled up the Bronco and Caravan and it cost me $130. Ouch.

 

[pax]

More than one use for a locking gas cap...

Back during the last gas crunch, when the lines at the pump were so long, some doofus cut in front of a lady in line at the gas station near our house. When the doofus got up to the pump and walked inside to pay first, the lady hopped out of her car, grabbed her own locking gas cap, and went & locked it onto the other guy's car while everyone else in line cheered.

pax

 

[1911user]

If your car is 5-6 years old or newer YOU CANT SYPHON GAS FROM IT. I work in a dealership and when we Need to drain a tank we have to drop the tank and remove the sending unit to gain access. Old cars it will probably work BUT NOT ON NEWER ONES.

I've heard this before, but don't understand how it works.

 

[cardboardkiller]

Here's a tip for those of you buying a locking gas cap when you lose the key or when the cap breaks and does nothing but spin when you unlock it.

Grasp the edges on both sides of the cap, twist the edges away and give a good sharp pull. The cap comes off and you don't need a screwdriver.

13 years in the full-service service station business and I had several boxes of caps and cap parts that I removed because they were broken or the owner lost the key.

 

[jefnvk]

I've heard this before, but don't understand how it works.

From what I understand, there is a screen in the line that goes to the tank, so a hose can't be shoved into the tank.

 

[GAMALOT]

I bought a little Pizzio tweeter/buzzer and hooked it to the motion light.
When the light goes on at night, the buzzer sounds in my BR and I know something is happening in the drive way. You don't want a siren, just something loud enough to wake you.
Unfortunately I didn't do this until after I found my car on cinder blocks and all the radio gear gone. I will remember it till the day I dies, middle of the knight and that stupid dog of mine would not lay down and go to sleep and instead kept wandering around restless as could be with me yelling to shut up and lay down.
Gary

 

[Aikibiker]

There is a jog or dogleg in the pipe from the fuel port to the tank. Most hoses you would use to siphon from a tank are either not flexible enough to make it around or are to flexible and bind up.

Me and my friends are shadetree mechanics. The solution I came up with for draining newer gas tanks before dropping them is to take a length of the hose that comes on one those hand held shower heads. You know the kind that attach to the facet and then come off so you can use hold them in your hand? Just cut out the hose and attach it to the end of your siphon, the shower hose is just the right combination of stiffness and flexibility to work around the obstruction.

Hope that was a clear explanation I got woken up a few hours earlier then I thought I would be and am still feeling the after effects.

 

[Slimjim]

YEa, with locking gas caps, its just easier to puncture the gas tank and let it drain into a catch pan and than pour it into a can. It's gonna happen sometime.

 

[jdseven1]

Heard on the radio where a couple of guys were drilling a hole in a gas tank to steal gas. Not to smart.

 

[Cyanide_357]

As for drilling holes into the gas tank, it is my understanding that it takes alot to get the liquid gas to flash... and it is the vapors that you have to worry about.

I've never experimented with this... and don't plan to, but I remember hearing something about being able drop a match on a full 50 gal drum of gas, and have nothing happen - as there isn't enough fumes or at least fume to air ratio.

So, I would think this would be somewhat safe, however, a stupid idea none the less - as you never know how much gas is actually in the tank.

Cyanide

 

[Sleeping Dog]

being able drop a match on a full 50 gal drum of gas, and have nothing happen

Please leave this one to the guys on "Mythbusters"

They are professionals.

 

[Double Maduro]

The fumes will burn off the top, if there are enough fumes and the space is enclosed it will be impressive. The liquid will not burn.

Put some gas, or charcoal starter or kerosene in a pan and toss a match in. Just the fumes burn, same with the brandy they put on cherries jubilee.

Darn, now I'm hungry.

DM

 

[Moondoggie]

I just put a locking cap on the 50 gal fuel tank on my refer trailer, the one's for my 2 120 gal tanks on the tractor haven't shown up yet. The tractor get's parked about 25 ft from my open bedroom window for the time being. The alert dog is on duty. My usual (rented) parking space for my rig is only 200 ft from the house, but out of sight around the corner so precautions are in order. Plenty of vehicles run on diesel nowadays and stealing fuel hereabouts is a time honored tradition among folks who'd much rather spend their $ on beer & cigs.

At least with the locking caps, I'll have a clue when I get ripped-off. Otherwise some lowlife could fill up his 4 wheeler & I'd have no way to tell. There's no anti-siphon protection on an 18 wheeler...the hole is 4 inches across, and you fill 'em right up to the exposed neck.

I see the tractor being parked in front of the house for a long time to come, even after the locking caps are installed.

 

[Jim Diver]

If you buy a locking gas cap at the dealer, you can get it keyed to your ignition key.... Then you should have a better chance of keeping track of the key.