In northern and mountainous regions, the winter cold can be a constant plague upon a vehicle's operation. Ice on the road impedes braking, the engine block can freeze, and water can freeze in the fuel line. You can prevent a fuel-line freezeup by keeping your tank full and storing your car in a heated garage, but there are also methods to thaw a frozen line.
Park a car that is running so that its rear end is close to the hood of the car whose fuel line you want to thaw.
Stretch the end of the vacuum cleaner hose over the end of the running car's exhaust pipe. The hose need not make a perfect seal over the pipe; you just need to direct warm exhaust over the frozen line.
Use the vacuum hose to direct the hot exhaust air over the frozen fuel line. Eventually, the fuel will thaw and flow through the line again.
Add a 12-oz. bottle of gas-line antifreeze to your car's fuel tank. Use no more than one bottle per 20 gallons of gas. This antifreeze works by absorbing any water that may have collected in your gas tank, preventing the formation of ice.
Wait 15 to 20 minutes for the antifreeze to work.
Try again to start your engine. Antifreeze is meant as a preventive measure, but it can thaw an already frozen line.
