Excessively dirty gas tank?

[jboymechanic]

I've been having nagging reliability issues with my 1987 GL-10 wagon. I know it is the often hated EA82T, but I've been figuring things out (with the help of you here on the USMB) and getting it to run better and better.

 

Well last week I finally got around to replacing the fuel filter and boy did it need it. When I dumped it out, the fuel leaving it was first black and then brown as it finally poured empty:-\. When I shook it, there was something flopping around in there. Any way, I replaced it and the car finally ran like a top. I took it down the road, plenty of power and no more hesitation and random missing one of the cylinders. Then 15 minutes later in my drive, it went right back to running like it had before.

 

I haven't pulled the new filter yet and this car did sit a while (how long I don't know), but has any one here ever had fuel this dirty? Is my only solution to pull the tank and/or fuel pickup and clean them?

Edited September 21, 2010 by jboymechanic
spelling error

[NoahDL88]

I know on the legacy, first gen, there is a plug in the bottom of the tank, maybe there is one in the EA series that you can pull and strain the gunk out and put it back into the tank after all the crud is out.

[GeneralDisorder]

Any car with a steel tank like the Subaru's can become VERY nasty if allowed to just sit around. My '69 GMC was a camper truck and sat for most of it's life (has 29k original miles). The gas tank was a rusted mess when I got it and I had to replace the entire pickup/sending unit and install multiple fuel filters to keep the crap out of the fuel system. I still have to replace them every few months and I only drive the thing maybe once a week to haul/tow something.

 

Unfortunately there is no drain plug on the EA82 tanks like there is on the EA81's and first gen Legacy's. If you suspect the tank is nasty it would probably be easiest to just source another tank being they aren't that rare.

 

GD

[2manetoys]

is there a relatively easy way to clean the tanks?

[renob123]

I had the same problem when I got my '85 Brat. I went through a few fuel filters, and after the Weber swap, I never had the problem again.

 

I hear you can pull the tank and pour this special goo inside and swirl it around. It doesn't really clean the tank, but the goo grabs all the loose stuff in there so it can't make it out of the tank and into the pump/filter/engine.

 

Jacob

[GeneralDisorder]

Yes there are sealing kits - but the cost is a lot more than a good used tank, and there are a couple outfits that are selling brand new EA82 tanks for almost nothing - less than the cost of those kits. Someone posted a link to a place selling EA82 tanks for like $75.

 

GD

[jboymechanic]

Thanks for the input everybody, once the rain clears up here I think I'll pump the gas tank out with a large tube so I can draw out all the large chunks of crap (if there are any), pass it through an extremely fine filter (available at work), and then put the cleaned gas back in the tank and repeat until the gas is relatively clear. At that point I will re-check the fuel filter and replace as needed.

 

Now that I do think of it, it could have just been a bad tank of gas. The night all of my problems began was when I had filled the tank up for the first time I owned it about 50 miles before I broke down the first time.

[renob123]

Thanks for the input everybody, once the rain clears up here I think I'll pump the gas tank out with a large tube so I can draw out all the large chunks of crap (if there are any), pass it through an extremely fine filter (available at work), and then put the cleaned gas back in the tank and repeat until the gas is relatively clear. At that point I will re-check the fuel filter and replace as needed.

 

Now that I do think of it, it could have just been a bad tank of gas. The night all of my problems began was when I had filled the tank up for the first time I owned it about 50 miles before I broke down the first time.

 

You should definitely take up smoking when you do this:lol:

 

I'd lean more toward chunks of crud causing your problems than bad gas, but it would be really easy to test the bad gas theory by running all of this stuff through (or pumping it out) and replacing it with different gas.

 

Jacob

[maozebong]

You should definitely take up smoking when you do this:lol:

 

Jacob

 

ive smoked cigarettes while rebuilding carburators, replacing fuel pumps, etc.

 

ive yet to see a cigarette ever start a fire with gasoline. i work in a highly ventilated shop, which im sure helps. i also smoke with it just hanging from my mouth. i dont touch it with my hands, but that's mainly so the chemicals in question on my hands dont get on the cig.

[rpholz]

rocks and acid, cleaned my tank.

 

there's a write up somewhere i swear it. I WILL FIND IT!!

[jboymechanic]

I checked the new fuel pump now that I've driven it a few more times, gas is clean in both ends. The gas coming out of the tank was clean too, so I'm gonna keep running the sea foam through it and hopefully that will be enough. It runs well enough for me to drive it here and there, hoping to have the EJ ready for the spring any way.