Rotten fuel and ????

mrvette

Phantom of the Opera
Joined
Mar 24, 2008
Messages
15,207
Location
NE Florida
well, the vette was flat bedded about 5 miles a couple daze ago, on account
of I ran it lo on gas with the new gauges in there....so that thing has been
running/idling like crap, shakes the whole car around, and as you may
remember it's been a highly intermittant PIA for several years now....and
so the use of Techron seemed to 'cure' it and as long as I ran Techron
specifically, it was fine....more or less....certainly one hell of a lot
better than without it.....

well this time around Linda showed up with 5 gallons.....poured it in the
tank, and so ran the fuel pump, thought so anyway....ran engine for about
30 seconds, got ready to drive home, and engine died, and refused to
restart......ran the fuel pump , at least thought so, to recirculate
gas...and still no go....this on the side of I 295 and 103rd st...so we get
the AAA flatbed to the house...and I run the pump for sure, and check with
pressure gauge and listen to it run here in the driveway.....

and it's rough as a cob.....not just one cylinder, but a raggedy assed idle
that's all fucked up....

so I got disgusted and left it alone yesterday....today I pulled the line on
the bottom and drained the tank, the 4 gallons came out nice and yellow
looking like piss, and smelled of gasoline....

in the bottom of the tank looking through the filler up top, with a
flashlight, that gas still in there about a inch deep....looked
milky...cloudy.....so I vacuumed it all out with the shop vac....do not do
that without many precautions....EVER....so it's in a clean glass now, and
looking like a cloudy mix of shit, that don't smell like GAS or Anything,
except funky......

so went to the station for 4 gallons of fresh fuel after drying out the tank
but good and proper....
and car ran fine....went up to top it off, and then again for a beer
run....runs better than it has for a long time....NO Techron at this point
in time...guess I will know in a week or so......

another bout of water in the tank with this car.....makes me wonder WTF is
going on....

tempted to get a locking gas cap.....

What is the difference between Ethanol and Methanol.....except the M on it....

I tried some quart of Denatured Alky in it like from a paint store...

and this glass full of shit does not have a strong odor of gas OR alky...

smell like funky crap though.....

:stirpot::chinese:
 
Milky/cloudy is water. Alcohol will readily mix with gasoline. Use water remover to capture and remove any water. It is basically alcohol which attaches/mixes with the water and makes it flow out of the tank.
 
Milky/cloudy is water. Alcohol will readily mix with gasoline. Use water remover to capture and remove any water. It is basically alcohol which attaches/mixes with the water and makes it flow out of the tank.

Long long time ago in a land far far away, that happened in a damn nearly new Dodge D50 pickup I had...simple drain outta the driver's side of the tank, and it froze.....put in some gas line anti freeze solution...surely it was alky based something....but I did add some 'denatured' alky and somehow it's never helped not this last time, not ever in the past....down HERE that is....

that is the ONE thing that really gets me....alky is alky....and so I would assume what you say is correct....but it seemed to work with that '80 D 50 pickup.....why not NOW?? what in the hell is so damn differant that this Techron stuff, what EVER it is, WORKS...well pretty well anyway....and yet I got this crap outta the tank here.....

I figger anything outta the shop vac would be sediment and not stay suspended in the liquid....but yet, it remains cloudy....

this is about 6-8 hours later.....

Sorry guys, I just have to find a logical answer to this crap....which is the comment about the locking gas cap....wonder if someone if playing around....

I can think of a couple names that would do this IF they ever saw the car out in public....it's a bit over the top to think that, but I really have to wonder,

what does water contaminated gas look like?? how long does it take to settle out??? what if it was somehow SALT water??? or saline water???

I can say it certainly does NOT smell strongly of gasoline, even this new shit....it's got a really raunchy crap smell to it....

how in hell to describe a smell.....:cussing::tomato:
 
Milky/cloudy is water. Alcohol will readily mix with gasoline. Use water remover to capture and remove any water. It is basically alcohol which attaches/mixes with the water and makes it flow out of the tank.

Long long time ago in a land far far away, that happened in a damn nearly new Dodge D50 pickup I had...simple drain outta the driver's side of the tank, and it froze.....put in some gas line anti freeze solution...surely it was alky based something....but I did add some 'denatured' alky and somehow it's never helped not this last time, not ever in the past....down HERE that is....

that is the ONE thing that really gets me....alky is alky....and so I would assume what you say is correct....but it seemed to work with that '80 D 50 pickup.....why not NOW?? what in the hell is so damn differant that this Techron stuff, what EVER it is, WORKS...well pretty well anyway....and yet I got this crap outta the tank here.....

I figger anything outta the shop vac would be sediment and not stay suspended in the liquid....but yet, it remains cloudy....

this is about 6-8 hours later.....

Sorry guys, I just have to find a logical answer to this crap....which is the comment about the locking gas cap....wonder if someone if playing around....

I can think of a couple names that would do this IF they ever saw the car out in public....it's a bit over the top to think that, but I really have to wonder,

what does water contaminated gas look like?? how long does it take to settle out??? what if it was somehow SALT water??? or saline water???

I can say it certainly does NOT smell strongly of gasoline, even this new shit....it's got a really raunchy crap smell to it....

how in hell to describe a smell.....:cussing::tomato:

Maybe somebody is dumping their used antifreeze in your fuel tank.
 
You live in a former SWAMP. Of course all those old leaky tanks have BS in them. Add rubbing alcohol every other tank to absorb the water.
Also, for anyone reading, using a shop vac to remove gas is INSANE.
 
A couple thoughts come to mind.
Do you have a good gakest inside the gas cap?
Is the drain hose clear on the filler neck boot?
Mike
 
A couple thoughts come to mind.
Do you have a good gakest inside the gas cap?
Is the drain hose clear on the filler neck boot?
Mike

Gaskets are good, and I tossed the rubber boot thing aside but still have it....didn't see the need, and the boot WAS in place for years, same thing....

it's just tooooo much water in there for much of anything....

now my boating buddies say there is thing 'thing' with boats here in Florida, that you have to keep the tank full or condensate gets in there and messes it up.....I never had a issue over some 6 years in Maryland....boat tank was mostly empty all winter long....ice, snow, rain.....never a issue, even had fuel injection on that boat....

:crap:
 
I must say that a pure idiot would use a shop vac, I have heard so many stories of those who blew up themselves and their neighbors, A moron would have more common than to pull such a stupid stunt, Be glad your still around!
 
I must say that a pure idiot would use a shop vac, I have heard so many stories of those who blew up themselves and their neighbors, A moron would have more common than to pull such a stupid stunt, Be glad your still around!

:D Seems I recall TT himself making a comment somewhere about it being ok....beleive it or not....but in fact, I put that vac outside the garage a fair distance, with nothing around it, and of course a long hose....the tank was empty and almost no fumes in it....strange for the liquid in the bottom was murky, as was in the glass afterwards....

the point IS.....how in hell is this car gathering all the fucking WATER in the tank??? I should now check that glass, bet it's still murky....

I would imagine water and gas would separate with water being clear on the bottom....would adding denatured alky make the mix murky, and if there was water in there, would the alky absorb the water into the mix without anything apparent but the murky look???


I need to know WTF is going on guys.....


:flash:
 
:D Seems I recall TT himself making a comment somewhere about it being ok....beleive it or not....but in fact, I put that vac outside the garage a fair distance, with nothing around it, and of course a long hose....the tank was empty and almost no fumes in it....strange for the liquid in the bottom was murky, as was in the glass afterwards....

INSANE.............
 
the point IS.....how in hell is this car gathering all the fucking WATER in the tank??? I should now check that glass, bet it's still murky....

I would imagine water and gas would separate with water being clear on the bottom....would adding denatured alky make the mix murky, and if there was water in there, would the alky absorb the water into the mix without anything apparent but the murky look???


I need to know WTF is going on guys.....


:flash:

A) Your "el cheapo" fuel station is SELLING it to you.

B) Condensation from not keeping your tank full.

C)Rain is leaking in. (I doubt it)
 
I'll stand by the comment I made back then, a shop vac will by itself not explode when vacuuming gasoline. The way the head is designed with an expansion chamber (so that pressure drops and droplets fall out of suspension) you can not get a combustible AF mixture where the motors are. Now, if you are vacuuming inside a closed garage, then yes, you will be able to get an explosive mixture. if you do it outside you won't. Now, I'm not saying you should vacuum out gallons of fuel but if you have to get rid of that last bit of fuel with contaminants and crud, it sure as hell can be done. Same with kerosene. I have vacuumed kerosene so many times. I use it to clean crap like under body spray off parts.

If you have a bucket of gasoline and you throw a burning match or a burning cigarette in it, it will not ignite. Hollywood has been lying all these years.

I even think Mythbusters had en epi where they tried to blow up a shop vac with gasoline, they even had the motors exposed so the arcing could directly ignite the gasoline. Nothing happened. The key is in the A/F ratio.
 
I'll stand by the comment I made back then, a shop vac will by itself not explode when vacuuming gasoline. The way the head is designed with an expansion chamber (so that pressure drops and droplets fall out of suspension) you can not get a combustible AF mixture where the motors are. Now, if you are vacuuming inside a closed garage, then yes, you will be able to get an explosive mixture. if you do it outside you won't. Now, I'm not saying you should vacuum out gallons of fuel but if you have to get rid of that last bit of fuel with contaminants and crud, it sure as hell can be done. Same with kerosene. I have vacuumed kerosene so many times. I use it to clean crap like under body spray off parts.

If you have a bucket of gasoline and you throw a burning match or a burning cigarette in it, it will not ignite. Hollywood has been lying all these years.

I even think Mythbusters had en epi where they tried to blow up a shop vac with gasoline, they even had the motors exposed so the arcing could directly ignite the gasoline. Nothing happened. The key is in the A/F ratio.

INSANE.....I'm sorry TT, but I strongly disagree with this advice. SHIT HAPPENS.
 
Couple of weeks ago I repaired this gas tank, guess how I got the last bit of fuel out before washing it out and attacking it with the grinder

I'm not saying you should do what I do, if it scares you don't do it. I'll probably vacuum some more kerosine tomorrow :D

Guess I am insane then LOL

24939e8c0baaaa.jpg
 
QUOTE=turtlevette;27705]
Maybe somebody is dumping their used antifreeze in your fuel tank.

That's funnier than shit.


Gene, Put a QJ on it. CASE CLOSED![/QUOTE]

:lol::lol:For those that are seeing this quote and don't know the story, trust me, this one is priceless!

ha ha ha
Danny
 
I'll stand by the comment I made back then, a shop vac will by itself not explode when vacuuming gasoline. The way the head is designed with an expansion chamber (so that pressure drops and droplets fall out of suspension) you can not get a combustible AF mixture where the motors are. Now, if you are vacuuming inside a closed garage, then yes, you will be able to get an explosive mixture. if you do it outside you won't. Now, I'm not saying you should vacuum out gallons of fuel but if you have to get rid of that last bit of fuel with contaminants and crud, it sure as hell can be done. Same with kerosene. I have vacuumed kerosene so many times. I use it to clean crap like under body spray off parts.

If you have a bucket of gasoline and you throw a burning match or a burning cigarette in it, it will not ignite. Hollywood has been lying all these years.

I even think Mythbusters had en epi where they tried to blow up a shop vac with gasoline, they even had the motors exposed so the arcing could directly ignite the gasoline. Nothing happened. The key is in the A/F ratio.

INSANE.....I'm sorry TT, but I strongly disagree with this advice. SHIT HAPPENS.



Bird, the werd is that TT is right....especially in MY case....so my question is....WTF is going on wit the freeking GAS.....

well there are 4-5+ gass stations I have tried to stay more or religiously too over the years of fighting this 'problem' on and off....the BP and the SHell on the corners a mile away...are known problems years ago...but since then...only 11 years now....the BP has had their tanks dug up TWICE go figger...gotta be ground water incursion....it pops fucking swimming pools up outta the ground all OVER this swamp/sandbar, and for the vast most part my gas purchases are on top of the ~60' hill that I happen to live about 1/2 was down the backside of....which is my flood safety from 'cains'.....about 30' to my slab from the river/creek at bottom of my hill....during Agnes last year, that tropical that parked over this state for a week....well, it did take out the homes at bottom of the hill...but that just makes groundwater more of a problem for anything lower in elevation.....if it pops pools outta the ground....WTF is done to hold TANKS in place???

40 some odd years of driving in Maryland what don't have any problems, except that ONCE.....never a problem....here in Florida....Jeebus....but somehow that VAN the old Dodge, don't seem to care...neither does the '99 Escort I did the engine on a year ago....for the most part it's totally fine....get a tad rough with the a/c comp on ...but t's only a 4 cyl....

I going to watch this car like a cat for a week or two....and see what happens....tape the cap shut just to guard the pattern....

Can't see it as condensation....why not other vehicles???

do other cars have a floating gas pickup??? this one has the sock in the standard '72 vette position, on bottom of the tank, fixed....not floating....so if water is in there, the amount would eventually work it's way through, causing the idle problem....fine, I can accept that.....

WHERE IN HELL IS THE WATER COMING FROM??? AND WHY DOES TECHRON SEEM TO SOLVE THE 'PROBLEM'.....WHILE ADDING ALKY DOES NOT....


:crap::crutches::flash:
 
QUOTE=turtlevette;27705]
Maybe somebody is dumping their used antifreeze in your fuel tank.

That's funnier than shit.


Gene, Put a QJ on it. CASE CLOSED!

:lol::lol:For those that are seeing this quote and don't know the story, trust me, this one is priceless!

ha ha ha
Danny[/QUOTE]

I maybe one hard headed mother fucker, and as such I will NOT give up on this DPFI.....I WILL FIX IT......hell or high ground water.....

:crutches::(:crylol::flash:
 
Nope. Cars have an immersed fuel pump with a stationary sock at the bottom. No floating pickups. As for why that car and not another, dunno.
1) Gas station
2)Condensation
3)Intrusion.

That is the three choices. I know of no others.
 
Do you have a gas bib in there? Is the drain hose open? If not, maybe the water is building up under the lid somehow and seeping through the gas cap?
 
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