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Sour gas

A

Animal

Well-known Member
I have an old 59 Ford one ton with a dump bed and a 6 banger in it. The fuel in it was sour as can be, I dumped fresh gas on top of it and got it running, my question is how good is that sea foam fuel additive or Lucas. I know this truck will straighten out and idle and run right when it burns this crap out of there.
 
I do not think any additive will fix sour gas.
Best thing to do is drain it all out.

I like startron additive the best to keep gas from going sour in a seldom used vehicle.
 
If it is running and starting, just run it through till empty or almost, then just use it. Sea Foam is OK, but Ethanol gasoline will clean it well. If it has a fuel filter, take an extra along to avoid walking. Jim
 
The mix in that tank would be good to start the brush pile but will end up causing you trouble. If you do try to run it through I would nearly assure you that it will stick a valve. I tried on a smaller engine one time and ended up splitting it to clean up the intake valve stems because all of them stuck.
 
(quoted from post at 04:33:19 03/17/14) The mix in that tank would be good to start the brush pile but will end up causing you trouble. If you do try to run it through I would nearly assure you that it will stick a valve. I tried on a smaller engine one time and ended up splitting it to clean up the intake valve stems because all of them stuck.
Click to expand...

BTDT and have got away with it for years till it bit me its not worth the gamble... Good clean fresh fuel is hard to beat...
 
I don't think I would run it anymore. The bad gas has a varnish in it that will stick to the valves. You at least need to drain all of it out of the tank and start over fresh. Really the tank should be flushed and the fuel lines replaced.
 
I must have the greatest fuel supplier in the country. I have an old digger truck that gets started maybe once every couple years, an early 70s, Chevy dump truck, and a 54 DC Case tractor. I never treat the gas in any of them, and always use whatever gas is in them. They always start and run as usual. I know my dump truck hadn't been started in 2 years, and it runs fine.
I think I would be looking for a different fuel supplier. Even varnished gas will burn, if you mix fresh gas with it.
 
I"ve got to go against the naysayers and suggest Seafoam. I used it years ago in an old forklift that had set for at least 4 or 5 years (probably more) with nearly half a tank of gas. The problem in that case was that there was no easy way to drain the tank. So, I added a can of Seafoam and some fresh gas and, after cleaning the carb, got the old girl fired up and running. The best I can remember that"s been nearly 10 years ago and I can still get on it and fire it right up with no problem. Not saying it will work for everyone, in every case, but it dang sure worked for me.
 
I woulda drained it, but Seafoam has helped me a few times sure seems to do something.

Paul
 
Seafoam is good stuff, at least in my experience when used for its intended purpose, but its not meant to "revive" old gas. I would drain it and start over. I like the idea of using E85 to clean the tank, but I wouldn't run it in that truck at all. The whole fuel system isn't made for E85, and will most likely cause more problems that it helps.
 
(quoted from post at 17:58:08 03/16/14)
(quoted from post at 04:33:19 03/17/14) The mix in that tank would be good to start the brush pile but will end up causing you trouble. If you do try to run it through I would nearly assure you that it will stick a valve. I tried on a smaller engine one time and ended up splitting it to clean up the intake valve stems because all of them stuck.
Click to expand...

BTDT and have got away with it for years till it bit me its not worth the gamble... Good clean fresh fuel is hard to beat...
Click to expand...

I'm with these guys.
sour gas, especially old 'good' gas =
varnish mixed with rust powder =
glue.
plugs everything, sticks everywhere.
I've tried bandaids..don't bother anymore.
drop the tank, flush it out, flush out or replace the line,
throw the filter away and rebuild the carb.
fresh gas and I don't have to worry anymore....

Learned my lesson with a couple of my street/strip cars.
One got me 3 miles down the road before everything plugged up.
Another after starting in my shop, the varnish glue held the Holley needles open and started pumping gas all over the intake,
the floor and the headers. Gas sizzling on the headers when I shut it down cured me of 'making do' forever.
 
(quoted from post at 17:31:18 03/16/14) If it is running and starting, just run it through till empty or almost, then just use it. Sea Foam is OK, but Ethanol gasoline will clean it well. If it has a fuel filter, take an extra along to avoid walking. Jim
Click to expand...

I agree, burn up what is in there. Around here, any place that caters to boaters has "no alcolhol" premium gas.

Put a tank full of that through it. Oh, and I would change the fuel filter once you get this old gas burned out of it.

Gene
 
As mentioned above, there's varnish in that old gas which can cause the valves to stick. Been here, done that! I'd get the old gas out of there. It's probably not necessary to drop the tank, but maybe add an extra in-line filter.
It's not that hard to siphon the old gas out. Just put a long hose into the filler neck and plug the rest of the opening with a rag. Then blow compressed air into the tank and pressurize it. The gas will start flowing immediately and drain the tank.
 
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