Bad Fuel - Next Steps?

[SimonTrick]

Car in question: 3b Diesel - 1985 BJ73 - Aftermarket Garrett Turbo professionally fitted (Turboglide Wollongong) and run for abut 3 years (no problems at all)

After some advice

Filled up my fuel tank at servo in far west NSW (Australia) and after about 150kms started to noticeably lose power under throttle. Hills i would have to drop to 2nd/3rd gear and crawl at about 40km/h on highways!!! It was sputtering under load but fine at idle.
Checked the air filter and cleaned out (not dirty or clogged and only 1 year old and mostly city driving) Managed to limp it into next ‘major’ town and changed out the fuel filter on my aftermarket Flashlube pre-filter water/fuel separator. This worked for about the next 80km but then the power throttle issue again. Swapped out the main fuel filter which worked for about 80km but then lost major power up hills. Used some injector cleaner in the remaining fuel to get back where i need to be.

Thinking s*** fuel has clogged up some things but baffled that the filters haven’t ‘cleared’ this up

QUESTION: What should i do now? I’ve managed to get back home. Do i drop the fuel out of the tank and clean? Do I need to pull injectors and clean? Thinking of cycling clean fuel through the system and swapping out pre and main fuel filters.

Any advice would be great - this car has been bullet proof, extremely reliable and lovingly maintained. Oil and coolant just swapped out before this trip.

 

[Rigster]

What is happening with the exhaust when it is sputtering? Does it start to billow out a bit of lighter colored like when you first start on a cooler morning?

Try some short runs around home and when it starts acting up again, hop out and prime the pump again like you do when you changed your filter. If it is fine for a little while again then I think you might be getting some air into the system.

Go through your fuel lines, both supply and return and inspect every clamp, hose and pipe, looking for any spot that may be compromised and allowing air into the system.

For further troubleshooting methods and testing for air in the system, have a look at my or @JDM Journeys build threads.

 

[ToyotaMatt]

Car in question: 3b Diesel - 1985 BJ73 - Aftermarket Garrett Turbo professionally fitted (Turboglide Wollongong) and run for abut 3 years (no problems at all)

After some advice

Filled up my fuel tank at servo in far west NSW (Australia) and after about 150kms started to noticeably lose power under throttle. Hills i would have to drop to 2nd/3rd gear and crawl at about 40km/h on highways!!! It was sputtering under load but fine at idle.
Checked the air filter and cleaned out (not dirty or clogged and only 1 year old and mostly city driving) Managed to limp it into next ‘major’ town and changed out the fuel filter on my aftermarket Flashlube pre-filter water/fuel separator. This worked for about the next 80km but then the power throttle issue again. Swapped out the main fuel filter which worked for about 80km but then lost major power up hills. Used some injector cleaner in the remaining fuel to get back where i need to be.

Thinking s*** fuel has clogged up some things but baffled that the filters haven’t ‘cleared’ this up

QUESTION: What should i do now? I’ve managed to get back home. Do i drop the fuel out of the tank and clean? Do I need to pull injectors and clean? Thinking of cycling clean fuel through the system and swapping out pre and main fuel filters.

Any advice would be great - this car has been bullet proof, extremely reliable and lovingly maintained. Oil and coolant just swapped out before this trip.

What is happening with the exhaust when it is sputtering? Does it start to billow out a bit of lighter colored like when you first start on a cooler morning?

Try some short runs around home and when it starts acting up again, hop out and prime the pump again like you do when you changed your filter. If it is fine for a little while again then I think you might be getting some air into the system.

Go through your fuel lines, both supply and return and inspect every clamp, hose and pipe, looking for any spot that may be compromised and allowing air into the system.

For further troubleshooting methods and testing for air in the system, have a look at my or @JDM Journeys build threads.

THIS IS THE WAY...



i swear by this shock treatment approach ..i works well
,.

.

 

[Felde]

Hi
I wouldn't relay on a chemical additive only (I hold masters in chemical engineering).

I understood you changed the filters one after another, but didn't drain the bad fuel at all.
So, your filters may just be clogged again. Hopefully not your injectors or IP.

Thorougly drain the bad fuel from the tank, fill good fuel.
Disconnect fuelline at inlet of first filter. Using a big syringe or other pump: Pull the good fuel from the tank (1-2L) to flush the fuel line and discard the stuff pulled trough. Change first filter. Repeat on the section between first and second filter and second filter and IP. Make sure you don't pull bad fuel through the fresh filters.
Prime fuel line to IP, bleed filters. (I always use a big, syringe style pump and pull about 2L all the way from tank and trough all filters to IP, but it may also work with the priming pump only).
You now have clean fuel all the way from tank to IP.
Flushing the IP and injector feed lines is more of a job as you may need new gaskets. Honestly, I'd just give it a try without flushing the last inches.
If you want to do it, still, I'd do it this way:
Disconnect feed lines from injectors (new gaskets needed here), put plastic tube on the feed lines and lead into a canister.
Crank over a few times (fixate plastic tubes in canister. Stand clear. Pressure is quite high). The IP will suc fresh fuel, flush itself and ejaculate the rest of bad fuel from the feed lines into the canister.
Reassemble, prime again and start.
It may struggle a bit, but if primed and bled correctly, it should recover soon, latest once the bit of bad fuel between IP and injectors is through.
If the issue persists, something in your injectors or IP is clogged and you are due for respective rebuilds.
But there is a good chance it's just the filters.
Good Luck Ralf

 

[ATL Cruiser]

Bad fuel isn't typically "bad" fuel but rather water in the fuel. The water separator isn't built for that large blast of water coming into it. It is meant to separate small amounts.

We see it a lot here at the shop after large rain storms. The gas stations get water contamination in their underground tanks.

Simple solution is to just drain the tank and fill with fresh fuel. These tanks are built with a drain plug, which makes it VERY simple to do.

 

[JDM Journeys]

Yep, 3/8 socket slots right in there. Fuel pours out pretty rapidly. A large bucket fits under there if you've got some lift. If the tank is full don't take the drain all the way out perhaps. It will still drain pretty quickly.

I like liqui moly diesel purge... I'd get out as much bad fuel as possible, using Ralf's excellent instructions, then fill a new filter with diesel purge before running it.