Phase separation

juniur · Feb 14, 2019

Not to stir the ethanol debate but I’d thought I’d share this gasoline sample taken from a customers pickup that came in on wrecker for a no start.

I verified the separation with gasoila paste. It turned immediately usually it takes a few seconds. The sample on the left is the phase separated fuel the sample on the right is fresh gasoline from gas station.

2510Paul · Feb 14, 2019

Can you tell us a little more about this phase separation? I am far from a gasoline expert. Paul

juniur · Feb 14, 2019

The short version is gasoline contains 10% alcohol. When the alcohol becomes saturated with water the gasoline and water/alcohol separates. It has a cloudy appearance and doesn’t burn very well, at least not in a fuel imjected gasoline engine.
The paste is normally brown and will turn greenish yellow when in the presence of phase separated gasoline. It’s similar to the old white paste that detects water in diesel by turning red.

TGP · Feb 14, 2019

The Corn (alcohol) separates from the petroleum (Oil}(gas).

Same as Bio separates from diesel.

God love the Greene's
For forcing this crap on us.
Tom

JMOR · Feb 14, 2019

(quoted from post at 17:59:30 02/14/19) The Corn (alcohol) separates from the petroleum (Oil}(gas).

Same as Bio separates from diesel.

God love the Greene's
For forcing this crap on us.
Tom

he corn growers are going to kick your a$$! :shock:

Dopp Creek · Feb 14, 2019

What causes it?

Steve@Advance · Feb 14, 2019

So, this is a result of water contamination?

Not something that happens because of bad refining or temperature extremes?

Had this happened to straight gasoline, the water would have gone to the bottom, gas on top. Same end result, no run because of contamination.

I guess the only advantage, the gas could have been salvaged by removing the water from the bottom of the tank.

Keith True · Feb 14, 2019

Phase separation begins at about 3 months.If there is a lot of water in the fuel,it came from somewhere else.When I hauled gas I could sometimes get three 5 gallon buckets of water from the belly drain of the tank trailer.I don't know how much water I delivered before I was told to drain the water first.That's just one way the water finds it's way in to vehicles.A small equipment dealer was telling people to shake their chainsaws if they sat for more than 20 minutes.He said the alcohol would separate in that time.Now he's kind of on the hook for a bunch of warranty work,he was telling people to use aviation gas in small equipment.Customers were frying pistons in their new chainsaws.The manufacturers reps found out he was recommending av gas,they said no way,we ain't paying for this.

juniur · Feb 14, 2019

Steve,
With 100% gas yes the water would separate to the bottom or people would buy rubbing alcohol to add so it would mix and burn.
The mystery is it?s a farmers truck. All his other vehicles are filled from the same tank , old grain trucks, other pick ups, his wife?s car etc. so I?m not sure why it only happened to this truck. Or how this much water got into the tank. This is the first one I?ve seen this bad.
For the last couple years I?ve been testing the gas on vehicles before replacing a fuel pump. If the paste turns the the tank gets emptied and new gas put in. I give the old gas to the customer in buckets and let them do what they want with it.

UncleTom · Feb 14, 2019

My brother and i were in a nearby town with an 86 ford pu. We bought gas at a station and at the same time a tanker was unloading fuel. Our truck quit running right on the way home and almost didnt make it. I run it into the shop thinking the fuel pump was out. It was bucking and jerking and not getting any speed out of it. I took the line off the carb and cranked it over into a bottle. It had a good supply of fuel. And then i examined the sample and it was half water. I ended up taking 2 gallons of water out of it. Never buy gas when a tanker is unloading.

mjbrown · Feb 14, 2019

Gasoline and ethanol is an unhappy forced marriage. Ethanol would much prefer to be married to water and given a chance will step out with water. In modern cars and trucks the fuel systems are fairly well sealed to prevent gas vapor from escaping to the atmosphere. This also bars the doors and windows so water vapor can't sneak in and hook up with ethanol. Frequent use also helps by burning the gasahol before it can absorb enough water to not burn. Older Outboard fuel tanks are vented and running gasohol will allow water/ethanol to saturate an separate. If you put gasohol in an open container on a humid day you can watch it start to cloud at the surface as water and ethanol find each other.

NEKS · Feb 15, 2019

And along with all our troubles you would never see corn below $5.00 again.

rustyfarmall · Feb 15, 2019

(quoted from post at 14:23:07 02/14/19) Not to stir the ethanol debate but I’d thought I’d share this gasoline sample taken from a customers pickup that came in on wrecker for a no start.

I verified the separation with gasoila paste. It turned immediately usually it takes a few seconds. The sample on the left is the phase separated fuel the sample on the right is fresh gasoline from gas station.

On the left? On the right? The picture I am seeing has one sample ABOVE the other.

I won't comment any further.

RN · Feb 15, 2019

smart phone pictures seem to come across sideways in classic view, sometimes upside down. couple people have figured out how to turn them right way. RN

rustyfarmall · Feb 15, 2019

(quoted from post at 12:34:36 02/15/19) smart phone pictures seem to come across sideways in classic view, sometimes upside down. couple people have figured out how to turn them right way. RN

I am using modern view.

Phase separation

juniur

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2510Paul

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juniur

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TGP

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JMOR

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Dopp Creek

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Steve@Advance

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Keith True

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juniur

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UncleTom

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mjbrown

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NEKS

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rustyfarmall

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RN

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rustyfarmall

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