Got my Truck running finally

[Hurley250R]

Finally got my truck running again so I thought I would post a thread.
So I've had this Truck since nearly new and have had very little problems with it, besides 1 fuel pump and a few batterys and on her third set of tires. 160,000 miles. These days she's mostly designated to be my winter vehicle and of course haul my 250R or haul anything requiring a truck with a bed. A few months ago I hop in it and it was running real rough, I drove it down the street and it would die at stop signs and run like ass, in fact I barely got it limped home. I checked fuel pressure, and I changed the plugs and wires just because they were due. Fuel pressure and spark were good but truck wouldnt even run now. I bought a book and checked every sensor I could with my meter, I racked my brain trying to figure it out I refused to tow it somewhere and have it diagnosed, didnt have the money for that. Finally on Saturday I got my friend who is pretty mechanically inclined to help me out. He pulled off the fuel regulater and sure enough the screen had trash in it but even more disturbing was the fuel, it was cloudy like swamp water, didnt even smell like gas. So we drained the tank and flushed the lines. We were unable to get the fuel filter off or I would have changed that also, (It's currently soaking with PB Blaster) Anyways here's what the fuel looked like... It actually ran off this incredibly

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I'm not sure if someone put water in my tank or if I got some really bad gas and a combination of the truck sitting, but after some fresh gas and a couple bottles of heat she's back running like normal.

Anyone else have any similar stories of getting bad fuel with water in it?

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[Jd110]

I've got bad gas, but nothing like that. It just made the car ping a little bit. A While back there was someone here putting a bad substance in the tanks around the neiborhood that would seize the engine within minutes. Don't know if your parked outside, but that gas in your picture looks real bad. Glad you got it running again. Little water isnt so bad after all.
Edit. My brother has a real scientific way to check & see how much junk was in the gas. Something with a glass jar with a couple measured lines & a little water.

[Jmoozy27]

You didn't here the news? In our new world of rainbow dust and unicorn milk. Non electronic vehicles run off of shitt water. Time to blow up that Dino and get a bicycle.

That sucks, man. Gotta watch where you get your petroleum. Ethanol ruins fuel. I spend a little extra on the old stuff for my Dino.

[El Camexican]

Anyone else have any similar stories of getting bad fuel with water in it?

Many. Some due to bad tanks at the station, but usually it has more to due with weather conditions and leaving vehicles sit. Ethanol gasoline is hygroscopic, just like brake fluid it sucks water out of the air if given the chance. A full tank is fairly protected, but on our bikes that have open vents in the carbs and the water comes right into the float bowl as they sit.

Partially full tanks can sweat inside as temperatures fluctuate. Best bet for trucks & cars is to park them with full tanks if you plan to let them sit and run them as close to dry as you dare once in a while. Aside from that I like to toss a bottle of fuel system cleaner in every couple months just before a long trip. A bit of methyl hydrate works great do dissipate the water and get your fuel to burn, but make sure you run it all out, or the problem will be even worse later on as it starts to suck water out of the atmosphere and into your tank.

[barnett468]

If the PB Blaster doesn't work, you can try Kroil Oil . It works better than anything.


PREVIOUS KAWASAKI INTERNATIONAL R & D PROJECT ENGINEER AND ATV DEPARTMENT SUPERVISOR

[knappyfeet]

I'd invest in a locking gas cap.

I've had cars sit 2 years and start up with a little help. Gas really always smelled like gas (old bad gas in my case) but never looked like the gas in the picture.

You might have been the recipient of foul play.

[83ATC185]

I've had gas that made cars skip and bog, never bad enough to prevent it from running(at least not in a car) Even when it has sat for a long time and the gas started stinking.

That looks like water out of a mudhole. Glad there was no real harm done.

[Hurley250R]

Thanks for all the replies. I always try to avoid ethanol when I get gas but it’s not always possible around Iowa/Nebraska. I thought about a locking gas cap, I can't be sure if it was bad gas and the combination of sitting or someone being devious... It sits parked next to my garage in the alley, one day I came home and there were big rocks all over the driveway, didn’t take long to realize the neighbor kids across the alley had been throwing rocks over the fence at my truck, so I am suspicious they could have poured water into it but I can’t prove anything. It’s still throwing a random misfire code (P0300) and I can feel it slightly. Once I change the fuel filter and drive it more maybe it will get better. When we drained the tank it looked pretty much like gas, but I had probably 8 or ten bottles half full like in the picture from cycling the pump and pushing it out through the fuel rail. Makes me sick if someone did mess with it, a dealership tow and fix would have cost hundreds of dollars.

[Jmoozy27]

I'd hire a contract fat kid to go whip those other kids ass. $20 should do the trick.

[Hurley250R]

I'd hire a contract fat kid to go whip those other kids ass. $20 should do the trick.
I thought about beating up their dad but I don't think they're even his kids lol. There's about four of them and they must be split custody because I wont see them for weeks at a time and then next thing you know they are climbing the neighbor's trees and pissing off everyone.... I think both the parents need their ass whooped along with the kids.

[Jmoozy27]

[QUOTE=Hurley250R; I think both the parents need their ass whooped along with the kids.[/QUOTE]

That's a very good option, nip it at the bud.

[Mosh]

Thanks for all the replies. I always try to avoid ethanol when I get gas but it’s not always possible around Iowa/Nebraska. I thought about a locking gas cap, I can't be sure if it was bad gas and the combination of sitting or someone being devious... It sits parked next to my garage in the alley, one day I came home and there were big rocks all over the driveway, didn’t take long to realize the neighbor kids across the alley had been throwing rocks over the fence at my truck, so I am suspicious they could have poured water into it but I can’t prove anything. It’s still throwing a random misfire code (P0300) and I can feel it slightly. Once I change the fuel filter and drive it more maybe it will get better. When we drained the tank it looked pretty much like gas, but I had probably 8 or ten bottles half full like in the picture from cycling the pump and pushing it out through the fuel rail. Makes me sick if someone did mess with it, a dealership tow and fix would have cost hundreds of dollars.

If it misses when cold, and is also setting po171 and lean codes until it warms up, and it has a 4.8, 5.3, you probably have intake gaskets sucking air..Very common issue on these engines. You need to find someone with a good scanner and working knowledge of fuel trim adapts to diagnose the issue.

I worked for GM for a long time. The only "pour in the tank" injector cleaner I have seen work, and GM actually endorses and uses is CHEVRON with tec-cron.

Your water in the tank is more likely a result of atmospheric moisture absorbance like the mexican said, due to the evap vent being open allowing humidity into the tank and or a combination of water pooling in the bed, then draining on top the tank during rains, and finding its way into the tank via shrinking or dry rotted sending unit seals. After pumping that snot out, the fuel pump probably is not going to last long, but who knows.

[Hurley250R]

If it misses when cold, and is also setting po171 and lean codes until it warms up, and it has a 4.8, 5.3, you probably have intake gaskets sucking air..Very common issue on these engines. You need to find someone with a good scanner and working knowledge of fuel trim adapts to diagnose the issue.

I worked for GM for a long time. The only "pour in the tank" injector cleaner I have seen work, and GM actually endorses and uses is CHEVRON with tec-cron.

Your water in the tank is more likely a result of atmospheric moisture absorbance like the mexican said, due to the evap vent being open allowing humidity into the tank and or a combination of water pooling in the bed, then draining on top the tank during rains, and finding its way into the tank via shrinking or dry rotted sending unit seals. After pumping that snot out, the fuel pump probably is not going to last long, but who knows.

I come into work happy about this election and you just ruined that! lol... It's not throwing any other codes at the moment. I sprayed carb cleaner around the intake and couldn't find any leaks, I was surprised as I have heard they are pretty common with this 5.3L. It showed 18in of vaccum at idle witch also seems about normal. Your theory on water in the bed dripping down and soaking through around the pump sounds logical to me, and I also thought about the pump probably not lasting long also, I hope not. As for the scanner, you are rite I need someone with a good scan tool that can show just what each cyl. is doing.
I will give the Chevron with tec-cron a try