Carb Issue

[theDyls3]

Hello All,

I was having trouble with my truck (B4B 1/2 ton) idling, so I pulled the carb to take a look. I found a bunch of gray powder in mixed in with the gas and a bunch collected in the float chamber. Cleaning it out is no big deal, but I'm curious as to where this powder might be coming from. I just installed a new carter electric fuel pump, but I have a hard time thinking that would be the problem.

Any ideas?

Thanks.

Dylan.

[JBNeal]

maybe ya had some crud in the gas tank and/or fuel lines and the Carter flushed it all out

[aero3113]

Sounds like you should put in an in-line fuel filter to catch it all before it makes it to the carb.

[greg g]

I got some stuff from a load of Sunoco gas a summer or so ago. it looked like cat litter.

was all in my filters and on the screen in the fuel pump, and all over the bottom of the float bowl. Took it to the gas station and they said some one must have put stuff down my tank. When I showed them the key for the locking gas cap, their answer kinda lost credibility. I said it look more like somebody put some crap in your tanks.

Well it has been mentioned that ethanol will clean a system out, but I have been running 10% ethenol for several years so who knows?

[grey beard]

We're dealing with sixty-plus year old vehicles. ANYthing can be found in these fuel systems., My experience says always clean or renew everything from the tank front. That's what I did and now have no problems.

By the bye, if you do install a plastic in-line fuel filter, please do not locate it at the carb, above the manifold. That would be an excellent recipe for vapor lock. I have an electric fuel pump (Carter heavy duty six volt from NAPA) on the crossmember just in front of the tank, with a fuel filter between the pump and tank, and a new steel line into my carb. Bypassed the old pump completely. Works like a charm.

Good Luck

[greg g]

If mine had occured at the beginning of driving after years of inactivity, Or int he spring after winter storage, I would't have thought it was unusual. But it came about in the middle of the driving season last year or the year before. And a week or two after returning from a major trip of over 500 miles.

And while it may have been liberated from the tank, one would think there would have been a reappearence in the meantime. I still get rust and always will till I replace the tank, but this stuff was ot rust.

[JBNeal]

maybe this ethanol is cleaning out the USTs at the gas stations and we're getting their muck to filter out and deal with...I've seen plenty of leaking USTs dug up and hauled off, and groundwater seepage in the rainy seasons puts all kinds of gunk in them things