• Hi Guest!
    If you appreciate British Car Forum and our 25 years of supporting British car enthusiasts with technical and anicdotal information, collected from our thousands of great members, please support us with a low-cost subscription. You can become a supporting member for less than the dues of most car clubs.
    There are some perks with a member upgrade!
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Subscribers don't see this gawd-aweful banner
Tips
Tips

Water in gasoline question.

Share this page

T

Tinster

Guest
Guest
Offline
Need some advice on gasoline.

My TR6 has sat since late June while I installed crankshaft
thrust bearings and renovated the rocker arm assembly. Most
of the time was waiting for parts to arrive.

So I have 4 gallons of gasoline in my tank with 1/2 a
bottle of octane booster. I'm almost positive I've got
condensation water in my tank since the engine reacts
like it it is getting water with the fuel. I live 2 miles
from the ocean with tropical humidity.

I am going to drain the 4 gallons, lines, etc. I have no
where to get rid of the 4 gallons. My boat fuel system has
twin water seperators. A Racor in the fuel line before the
engine and a built-in water seperator before the engine fuel
delivery system. My boat tank holds 40 gallons.

Would it be wise to dump the 4 gallons of gasoline from the TR6
into the boat's fuel tank? Edit: my boat engine is a high performance 4 stroke.

Or should I park the TR6 in the street, with a brick on the gas
pedal holding 2000 rpm, and let the 4 gallons with condensation
sputter until burned up?

thanks,

dale)Tinster)
 
Dale, I would first let it sit so that any water that will separate will sink to the bottom. Then I feel it would be safe to mix what is left, with 30 gallons or so of fresh gasoline.

IOW, make sure the boat tank is more than 1/2 full, and don't pour in the last little bit (where any liquid water will be).

Actually, if it were my car (which still has the stock water separator on the pump), I'd just fill it up with fresh gas and check the sediment bowl occasionally :laugh:
 
Let me get this straight. You are considering risking ruining a $10,000 boat motor or worse getting stranded in the Gulf of Mexico to save $15 of bad gas?

C'mon Dale, you know better than that. A good sailor never puts questionable fuel in his boat.
 
GBRandy said:
I would drain the tank into a five gallon gas can and try and use it in my lawn mower.

There was an additive I use to use years ago that helped blend the stuff so it burned better..... Can't remember what it was. Thinking......
Click to expand...

<span style="color: #990000">Thanks! Tried that had no effect. Changed fuel filter- no effect.
Gas tank now drained and I going out for 2 gallons of high test plus
octane booster.

If this does not correct the constant backfires and lack of power, I have
to assume a major mechanical problem with the engine, which means
The Crusher looms. What would be a good piece to keep as a remembrance
of The Crypt Car? It's been 4 years of constant restoration now, the
car ought to run perfectly.</span>
 
GBRandy said:
I would drain the tank into a five gallon gas can and try and use it in my lawn mower.

There was an additive I use to use years ago that helped blend the stuff so it burned better..... Can't remember what it was. Thinking......
Click to expand...

Dale doesn't cut the grass. Wendy does. :devilgrin:
 
Dale - chances are pretty good that you'll find one of the marinas will take bad gasoline.

But I agree, if you <span style="font-weight: bold">really</span> think it is skunked don't run the risk of it damaging the boat.
 
Tinster said:
If this does not correct the constant backfires and lack of power
Click to expand...

Sounds like timing Dale - and I hesitate to ask but did you fool with the carbs at all during the rocker shaft dis/re-assembly?
 
tdskip said:
Tinster said:
If this does not correct the constant backfires and lack of power
Click to expand...

Sounds like timing Dale - and I hesitate to ask but did you fool with the carbs at all during the rocker shaft dis/re-assembly?
Click to expand...


Nope, to both. The car was running great. Timing was 12* advance, I set cylinder NO1
in firing position with points open when I pulled the the rocker arm shaft.
I just checked timing at 12* and brand new points at .014", nice idle at 850 rpm.

The car was running great one day last week. The next day it ran krap and I replaced
the entire ignition system. Still ran like krap. New gasoline; still runs like krap.

I'm out of ideas.

dale
 
Could one or two valves be adjusted a bit too tight and causing a backfire through the intake or exhaust under a load? Did you actually drive it after getting it set up or did you just pull it out and start cleaning the garage up from all of your work?
 
Yes Paul,

First I let the car run in the garage for 15 -20 minutes.
Cool down over night and adjusted the rocker arm gap again.(.010")
Set new plugs at .025" gap , carbs balanced, timing re-set(12* advance).
Nice idle at 850 rpm. Posted video. Nice running engine.

Then I took the car out for about 20 minute spin - ran real nice.

The next day it ran like krap with backfires and no power. I checked the timing- dead on at 12* advance. I then installed a second brand new ignition system.
Car still ran ran like KRAP. Installed another Advanced Distributors red rotor
and another set of Advanced Distributor points set at .014". Car ran like Krap

Yesterday I drained the gas tank and lines, installed new
fuel filter and 2 gallons of 93 octane fuel plus octane booster.
Checked timing- still set at 12* advance. Yes, timing advances as rpm advances.

Car still runs like krap with backfires under load.
Starts easily with a nice 850 warm idle. Fire to every plug (.025").
Increase the rpms and the backfires increase proportionally.

I'll pull the valve cover today and check the rocker arm settings.

Scary with all these recent nightmare posts of blown of heads,
busted pistons, burned up valves. All items I cannot afford to replace.

Thanks for the input.

dale(Tinster)
 
martx-5 said:
Check for a vacuum leak.
Click to expand...

Art- I checked all the usual places for vacuum leaks.
List some places I might have missed? Whould it not have
to be a fairly massive vacuum leak to account for the terrible
condition of the engine over idle rpms?

Hondo- I ran the carb bowls dry until the engine quit.
Then I added the good gas. I let the car idle in the garage
maybe 15-20 minutes to make sure the new gas was getting
to the plugs. No difference. Engine backfires at rpms over
idle.

I'm really puzzled because it ran so well one day and the next
day could barely make it around the block and up my gentle 30 foot long driveway.

dale(tinster)
 
Brosky said:
Could one or two valves be adjusted a bit too tight and causing a backfire through the intake or exhaust under a load? Did you actually drive it after getting it set up or did you just pull it out and start cleaning the garage up from all of your work?
Click to expand...

Paul- when I adjusted the rocker arm gap the third time,
I set the gap at a "snug" .010" . Could that be a bit too tight?
I had them set at .012" just to get the car to fire up.

Then I set them twice: loose .010" snug .010"

VC is now off and I'm gonna try the loose .010 again

regards,

Edit: It has been suggested I set the rocker gaps with the engine
hot. Does that mean with the engine running?

dale (tinster)
 
Hot does not mean running, but rather with all metal expanded.

Now that I know that it ran good for one day on the road, it can't be valves. They are either adjusted properly or not adjusted properly.

I'd look for something simple like cracked ignition lead, or crack in cap or as suggested, vacuum leak. It appears that it could be electrical, but the carbs should be left alone as they were OK before you started.
 
Thanks Paul-

I regapped the rocker arms this morning from a snug .010"
to a loose .010". Engine still backfires.

Brand new dizzy cap, brand new plug wires. I checked each
wire for spark this morning. All plugs are getting spark.

Vacuum leaks? Where should I look?

Carbs to dizzy are good
manifold to brake booster is good.

Remember: Someone gutted all the pollution control
devices and heating system. I have a vacuum retard from
my carb to my dizzy. That's about it. No PCV, no carbon canister,
no fume recovery, no gizzmo sitting on top of my fuel tank. My fuel
tank's vent hose ends at my Armstrong shock.

thanks,

dale(Tinster)
 
How about the lead from the negative side of the coil to the dizzy? Is it soft a pliable, or hardened and cracked? Is the terminal(s) on either end fitting properly?

I'll check back in a little while. Errands to run for an hour or so.
 
Brand new coil with brand new soldered terminations.
I spun the low tension wire around a pencil so is has some
"spring" to it. But I'll check.

dale(Tinster)
 
Back
Top