Gas tank remediation....

[Bruce Palmer]

Recently a Z (friend of a friend kinda deal ) showed up at the shop with fuel delivery issues. Long story short, cut the top out of the tank to find out what was causing the blokage and there was about a half inch of this tannish red granular substance covering the bottom of the tank, the baffles and up the sides of the tank a ways.

We have seen like "stuff" one other time in the float bowl of a down draft Weber on a 510 wagon. It almost looked like what you'd think a filter element would look like if it dissolved. Fibrous, Granular in structure.

This Z had about 5 gallons of fresh gas in it which did nothing to take this "stuff" back into solution. You could wring the gas out of it and have a hand full of dry "stuff" left behind.....

Have any of you seen such as what has been described here?

[soundmasterg]

I had this same problem in my Volvo 1800S when I got it. It had been sittng for 10 years and ran fine for a week then got all gummed up. After I pulled the tank it had something similar to what you found in it. I got the tank all cleaned up and tanked at a radiator shop and it was fine after that. I'm still not sure exactly what it was though.

Greg

[JimmyZ]

Nothing a good soak in laquer thinner wouldn't fix.

I've had crystals before in certain pieces of equipment but nothing like an undissolvable solid. That's weird. Wonder if someone dumped some mothballs in the tank??

Jim

[EScanlon]

Sugar?

Or some IPO genius put some dessicant crystals in to get rid of the moisture! (prior owner, etc...)

Heck, maybe the IPO was trying that idea from the James Bond movie where they dissolved the cocaine into the gasoline and the special effects people didn't inform him that that idea was bogus.....

2¢

E

[DC871F]

Sounds like someone put the kybosh on you, that blows.

[five&dime]

Bruce,

I think you may have spoken with my dad about this too. I know he had a similar if not the same problem. His valves were covered in a thick sludge. Reddish/brown in color with the consitancy of varnish or tar. When we pulled the gas tank and looked in with a flashlight there appeared to be reddish crystals in there as well. I know he is still trying to figure out the cause as well.

Someone had mentioned the fact that fuel tankers use the same trailers to haul diesel and gasoline. I suppose there is a chance that the fuel could have been partially mixed with the two.

Hopefully someone else can chime in to shine some more light on the subject. it's the wierdest thing.