1979-1993 & 94 Conv [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup
OK, I'll admit it: I'm an idiot. I had a 5 gal tank of gasoline (93 octane, no ethanol) siphoned from the tank of a boat that had been experiencing starting/running problems. The "boat guy" suggested it was likely due to water in the fuel system/tank. I figured I could deal with the old fuel at less cost than him so went about the job. I siphoned the existing fuel from the tank to a 5 gal receptacle, added some Heet and fresh fuel... No help. The fix ultimately turned out to be the fuel pump.
Meanwhile, the liquid gold I had siphoned sat for a year in or beside my garage (Wisconsin). Getting rid of old or suspect gas can be a somewhat costly proposition, even beyond the initial purchase price of fuel; furthermore, I was not entirely convinced that the fuel was actually fouled with water, so I did the experiment.
I added about 1/2 gallon of the suspect fuel to the tank of my '93 2.1l NA when it had about 3/8 of a tank as shown by the fuel gauge. Assuming a 13 gal tank, that equates to about 5 gallons of known good gas, so the suspect gas would be diluted ~10-fold. What could possibly go wrong?
I did that Sunday night, was heading to work Monday morning, made it out of the garage and to the end of my suburban driveway when it coughed and then up and died. I recruited the wife to help me maneuver it back into the garage stall. Assuming that the experiment was an epic fail, I went about draining ~5 + gallons from the tank. There did seem to be a considerable amount of non-gas liquid coming out so either the boat fuel truly was heavily contaminated with water or the tank took it on during storage.
In any case, I've added fresh fuel (~2 gallons) to the tank but still no start. A little starting fluid into the intake manifold will allow a brief spasm of firing but no sustained tendency to run. I found an old (3-5 years?) but previously opened bottle of Heet in the garage and added it, no help. Today It occurred to me that the old Heet had likely absorbed as much moisture from the environment as it could take so maybe that was another badly reasoned experiment.
So here's where I'm at: I've pulled the plugs and used compressed air to blow out cylinder heads. The plugs themselves smell gassy, which is the sole bit of evidence on which I conclude that fuel is actually moving from the tank to the rail (it's a thin reed, I'll admit). I added two fresh bottles of Heet to the tank in hopes of sopping up any residual moisture in the tank.
Bottom line: What additional steps can I take to purge the fuel delivery system between tank and injectors? Searching the board I've seen suggestions to pull the injectors, place each in its own mason jar and either crank or jumper the fuel pump to verify fuel delivery and to purge the rail of suspect gas. Alternatively, I've seen suggestions to crack one of the banjo bolt at either end of the rail and, likewise, crank or jumper to drain old fuel-- but that sounds messy and potentially dangerous.
Sorry this post is so long, especially since it is devoted to cleaning up a mess that is solely of my own making. I will post progress as warranted in hopes of generating an archival resource that might be of some help to others who find themselves in a similar situation.
This is why I can't have nice things...
Thanks in advance, Scott
posted by 68.187.92...
, Sat, 15 Jun 2013 08:38:26, Tue, 11 Jun 2013 15:53:09, Wed, 12 Jun 2013 06:47:57
No Site Registration is Required to Post - Site Membership is optional (Member Features List), but helps to keep the site online
for all Saabers. If the site helps you, please consider helping the site by becoming a member.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
