NEVER GET GAS if a tanker is dropping fuel at a station

[Bbbutch]

I've dropped many fuel tanks and with the exception of the few internally rusted tanks I have only found small amounts of sediment and a little water. I have never found any sludge but I have found leaves, paper and a few other strange artifacts.

Most of the fuel tanks I have dropped needed new fuel pumps. Most of the pumps went bad because the driver consistently ran the vehicle very low on fuel. As stated before an "in the tank" fuel pump is cooled and lubricated by being submerse in fuel. It varies greatly but for the most part most fuel pumps start to become exposed at about 1/8 tank.

Most newer gas station fuel tanks are made of double wall fiberglass preventing rust. I don't know if they have internal baffles that would prevent or slow down the stirring motion of a fuel drop but my guess is that they don't.

Just like your gas tank the fuel tank at the gas station also pulls fuel from the bottom of the tank. However when a gas station goes dry they still have approximately 100 gallons of fuel left in the bottom of a 12,000 gallon tank.

Unless you have a carburetor on your truck with the fuel filter held in place with a spring then all of the fuel going to your motor is forced to go through the filter. There is no bypass. So you do filter all of your own fuel.

I too will not fill up at a station that is receiving a fuel drop. Myth or not I have no desire to jam my fuel filter with unnecessary crap.

[glenhaven]

Originally Posted by Bbbutch

I've dropped many fuel tanks and with the exception of the few internally rusted tanks I have only found small amounts of sediment and a little water. I have never found any sludge but I have found leaves, paper and a few other strange artifacts.

Most of the fuel tanks I have dropped needed new fuel pumps. Most of the pumps went bad because the driver consistently ran the vehicle very low on fuel. As stated before an "in the tank" fuel pump is cooled and lubricated by being submerse in fuel. It varies greatly but for the most part most fuel pumps start to become exposed at about 1/8 tank.

Most newer gas station fuel tanks are made of double wall fiberglass preventing rust. I don't know if they have internal baffles that would prevent or slow down the stirring motion of a fuel drop but my guess is that they don't.

Just like your gas tank the fuel tank at the gas station also pulls fuel from the bottom of the tank. However when a gas station goes dry they still have approximately 100 gallons of fuel left in the bottom of a 12,000 gallon tank.

Unless you have a carburetor on your truck with the fuel filter held in place with a spring then all of the fuel going to your motor is forced to go through the filter. There is no bypass. So you do filter all of your own fuel.

I too will not fill up at a station that is receiving a fuel drop. Myth or not I have no desire to jam my fuel filter with unnecessary crap.

Thanks for making sense out of this issue -- I am with you -- I won't run it low on fuel regularly (on purpose) and I will not fill up at a station that is receiving a fuel drop. Thanks for the info -- Glen

[DevinSixtySeven]

there is a coarse filter in the bottom of the tank, and a fine filter in the left side frame rail. i think there's another under the hood as well.

-sean

[ThomasE]

I once had an old Chevy Cavalier that I had a garage replace a bad fuel pump, I think it had 120k+ miles on it at the time. The fuel pump was in the tank, and there was no sediment in the tank. And I only fill up at am/pm, USA, rotten robbie, etc... the cheapest gas stations.

[Lalo]

its not that I doubt the validity of the issue, its just extremely difficult to montior the fuel delivery to each and every gas station I get gas from(depending on location)
But for what its worth, I might as well make a conscious effort to NOT fill up during the "re-filling" process. For that extra piece of mind. Hey my truck is worth it!
Thanks for the heads up.

[illinois524]

Originally Posted by auslandt

. 2) pumps are really slow. I was once told (could be myth) that a very slow pump (1/10th gallon every 3-5 sec or so) indicates the stations tank is almost empty, thus likely to be MASSIVE sediment.

- Matt

I worked at a gas station for 12 years and when the pumps started running slow we would change both filters on that pump and what a difference it made, it was like night and day. But it did show that in time there was enough garbage being sucked up out of the tanks to clog the filters. Who knows how much got by the filters though.