water dripping from muffler tips

[BruNo]

on average, i use my C class for around 10miles a day, though i dont drive it daily. i have observed, it drips water from the muffler, every start up. even if i use the car daily...that is drive it around 10miles, everyday, it still does the same thing. i heard its about condensation in the gas tank or sumthing, but how can i rid of this? will this in any way affect my engine's performance??? coz ived observed, that my engine doesnt really idle that smoothly, especially when the engine has not yet reach operating temp. its shakes a li'l bit..... the revs r constant, the star diagnosis computer see's nothing wrong, but im sure, the engine is not as smooth as it should be. i dunno...maybe im just spoiled with smooth japanese engines. i have no problems during hard acceleration though, my only gripe is the idling thing.

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[WannaBeAMG]

dont worry, its fairly normal, unless were talking gallons, which im sure were not.

[levelr123g]

normal, dont worry

[BrabusCClass]

All my car do it, especially the Ford E250.

[trench]

Originally posted by BruNo
i heard its about condensation in the gas tank or sumthing, but how can i rid of this? will this in any way affect my engine's performance???

It's condensation in the exhaust, not the fuel tank. Could be you see a fair amount considering your location, as I imagine the Philippines are pretty humid. The only problem this can cause is premature corrosion; it shouldn't affect the way the engine runs.

[BruNo]

i think ive got some little water mixed onto d gas ived pumped in a few months back. gonna drain the fuel tank this weekend.

well its pretty humid here....hot and humid.

[Matt230K]

Originally posted by BruNo
i think ive got some little water mixed onto d gas ived pumped in a few months back. gonna drain the fuel tank this weekend.

well its pretty humid here....hot and humid.

It's not from the fuel tank, like trench said. Don't bother draining your tank. Even if there is any water, you will burn it when it goes through the engine. The air in the exhaust pipe heats up when you run the car and it condenses into water. You will get water dripping out of the pipe until the exhaust is fully heated.

[MB///HRV]

Water is a normal byproduct of combustion. When a hydrocarbon such as gasoline is burned with air, the main byproducts are water vapor and carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide remains a gas, but the water vapor cools and condenses as it exits the tailpipe, especially on a cold morning when the air is cool.

When the engine is shut off, much of the water vapor thats moving through the exhaust system condenses within the pipes and muffler. The further aft from the engine the muffler is located, the greater the amount of condensation. This water lays in the muffler until the next time the engine is started. Sometimes water will be blown out the tailpipe by the force of the exhaust. Other times, it may remain trapped in the low spots of the exhaust system until the system gets hot enough to boil it away.

All this water is what causes your muffler and pipes to eventually rust through from the inside out. There's no way to get rid of it, so many new vehicles have exhaust systems made of stainless steel. Aluminized pipes and galvanized mufflers are increase the corrosion resistance of the exhaust system. Even so, most original equipment exhaust systems wont last more than five or six years, and most aftermarket replacement systems only two to three years.

In addition, I have found that lower octane fuels tend to produce more water (condensation) out of that tailpipe. I always run 93 in my 85 toy 22re. A friend always ran 87 (same truck). His car always had more water dripping.