Gas Issues

[RussTii]

Has anybody had problems with the modern gas, most of which seem to be up to 10 % ethanol (thank you ADM) ? Recently pulled a goober out of the 12 mm feed line going to the electric pump on the Tii. The goober seemed to be a clump of fibrous material like the hose was coming apart and jammed up against the cone shaped pump filter. Thought I had it solved but when I drove the car last weekend got about 20 miles, lost power and ended up riding home on the rollback (thanks Hagerty). So now I've replaced all 7 hoses, the front mounted filter, cleaned the filter into and out of the electic pump, have verified the tank pickup is clear and am hoping I've found the problem. I recall reading somewhere recently that somebody affiliated with the old car world ran some tests and concluded the modern ethanol enhanced gas should have no effect on collector car performance or significantly degrade their fuel systems. Anybody have similar issues ??

[BillWilliams]

Russ, I am not sure about compatibility but I replaced all the hoses on the cars just to be sure. Plus, replacing fuel line hoses ever so often has to be a good idea too.

[Richard]

I had the same issue on my Tii. In this case the mystery fiborous material was in the tank and would get stuck to the in tank filter decreasing fuel pickup to near nothing. The mystery stuff was not visible with a light. The only question I would have is how did something get past the pickup filter???

[Dave3x72tii]

when gasohol was first introduced, my first tankfull dislodged all kinds of stuff, I made it 5 miles before having to clean the pickup screen. Lately I've had no issues.

[nesky45]

Ethenol, I was told, is a great solvent. I had gunk in bottom of my side drafts several years ago, which I attribute to the ethenol "cleaning out" my lines. I now run only Chevron primo, and have had no issues.

Craig

[Guest Anonymous]

Has anybody had problems with the modern gas, most of which seem to be up to 10 % ethanol

Recently pulled a goober out of the 12 mm feed line going to the electric pump on the Tii. The goober seemed to be a clump of fibrous material like the hose was coming apart and jammed up against the cone shaped pump filter.

It might be interesting if you could have posted a pic of the blob in both wet and dry form for further analysis. I am neutral on the newer fuels and depending upon your location - not all contain the mix you describe. That being said, I have had many cars over the years that ran on all kinds of questionable fuels which has led me to purge a number of fuel systems, including three 02's.

Before blaming the fuel, consider the 02's fuel opening, which is big enough for a small rodent to climb through and nest. This also means that over the years, it could probably pass leaves, bugs, Mr. Zogs, Coney island white fish, original Hirshmann antenna tips, or even copies of Toby's kindergarten pics. The fibrous material sounds a lot like the reinforcement cord for fuel hose, or gasket material, or even some organic material that decomposed in the presence of water. It also sounds a lot like the flotsam in the middle of the Pacific. (You haven't purchased and installed any parts from the West Coast have you?)

If you could siphon off fuel from the bottom of the tank, and look at it through a glass jar you might have a better idea of what you were dealing with. I am no chemist and only drive through Texas, but fuel is probably more rigorously scrutinized and maintained than ever. I honestly think your problem is not with the fuel as much as it might be with the age of your ride.

[KFunk]

The primary problem with ethanol is that it can eat older rubber fuel lines, I thought that was quite well known. That sounds exactly like you're experience. I was warned about it eating older fuel lines when we switched over to E10 in Hawaii. The solution is just to replace the older soft rubber fuel lines, which is a good idea anyways. I had already done that, so I had no problems from the E10. Don't worry about the hard plastic line thru the cabin. It did make the engine run a little different, but a little carb tuning and playing with the ignition advance fixed that.

[jp02ti]

Perhap its a problem with gas in GA? i pulled the tank and drained it, capturing piles of crap, goop and fiber stuff. i also got a similar (though smaller) haul out of the weber side draughts, mostly goop, no dirt or fiber. i think my fuel sender unit filter is toast. it is completly opaque.

i have yet to test it after this work, perhaps today.

Jon

[Richard]

It should be opaque. I believe their NLA.......C.D. could tell you if their micron filters.....

[im3crazy]

I've been posting on this for over a year now due to my multiple losses. I used OEM rubber on a restored 450sl when the line literally melted away spraying gas from the fuel rail onto the engine with a resulting explosion.

Prior to this I wondered why my R100rs cycle gas lines were leaking. I had to replace the lines, and totally rebuild all rubber in the carbs.

A buddy of mine who has over a dozen BMW cycles has the same rebuild woes- and he notices gas actually leaking through the pot metal carb bowls!!

Yes- I have experienced this first hand.

I've also mentioned this to a buddy with the NTSB, but I feel it's time to get this on the front burner! - damn- bad choice of words!