Fuel services, any experiences?

[canis]

Originally Posted by Delta66

The most likely contaminant is water. So maybe there could be little bits of rust, but even then, can a tank rust from the inside due to any water in the fuel?

No, because it's plastic.

[green van man]

Originally Posted by Delta66

Indeed, but try explaining that fuel has to be taken from the bottom of the tank, not the top, to some people.....

Any gunk is being mixed about as the vehicle moves. Unless you added that gunk by pouring it in whilst fuelling, it is not there. Some people think somehow there must be chunks of metal, or rocks lying at the bottom of the tank.

The most likely contaminant is water. So maybe there could be little bits of rust, but even then, can a tank rust from the inside due to any water in the fuel?

The defender range, especially the 90s have a propensity to rust their tanks out, this however is normally due to slurry sticking to the outside of the tank rather than internal corrosion.

Condensation can form in a fuel tank, one reason I keep mine full and refill at 1/2 a tank on the gauge, but even the landrover which regularly gets waded through rivers has never given a problem due to water contamination. It has a separator in the fuel line which will collect the majority of the water and a water trap on the filter. I drain the separator once a year and only on one occasion found any significant amount of water, about 1/4 inch at the bottom of the separator bowl, I change the fuel filter twice a year and have never found water in it when emptied.

Obviously water being incompressible is not a good idea in a pressurised fuel system, which is why the systems are designed to prevent it getting anywhere it could cause damage. Provided the system is maintained apropiatly any water in the tank should cause no damage.

Paul.

[cheshired5]

Originally Posted by canis

Biggest automotive myth in the history of motoring:
The fuel pick-up draws from the bottom no matter how much fuel you have in there. It makes no difference.

If there's no crap in the tank, why is there a fuel filter?

[canis]

Originally Posted by cheshired5

If there's no crap in the tank, why is there a fuel filter?

Well, fuel filters weren't on most cars until recently. In my car history, our V40 is only the second car to have one, the other being a cavalier SRi.

But you're right to question it. Firstly, my statement is that low fuel (even no fuel) in the tank is not more likely to draw the sludge any more than a full tank. Secondly, our fuel filter managed 188,000 miles, and was only changed because I had a newer one to hand. If I open the old one up, I'll bet money it's s clean. It probably could've gone far longer, the engine didn't have any fuelling issues forcing the swap.

[Delta66]

Maybe filters are for countries where the quality of fuel is not as good as Europe and North America?

[steadvex]

Not really the same, but i had my last very well maintained s60 d5 terra cleaned out of curiosity, seemed to make bugger all difference and a week later egr failed... Never had an egr fail before or since on my own cars, might be co-incidence but everyone in the garage felt it was the terra clean that did i