Bad fuel in tanks

Just got back from Warner Robins AFB. Of the 3 M35's I will be picking up, 2 of them have a nice turpentine small in the tanks and lots of rust and other white crud. Amazingly we were able to get all 3 running but my experience says to drain that fuel before we attempt the drive to Atlanta.

I see a nice drain under the tank but I am sure they won't let me do it on the base. Do these things run on turpintine? Any magic potions I can pour in to the tanks?

Should I get fuel filters for the trip to Atlanta?

Any suggestions would br greatly appreciated.

I'd say don't drive it on crud!

If at alll possible drain the crud out as soon as you can & put some fresh fuel in there.

You might get away with limping it off the base with what is in there, but I wouldn't attempt to drive it all the way to ATL on crud or you will likely end up on the side of the highway.

BTW: That magic potion is called "FRESH FUEL"!

Fuel does not go bad, it is the sediment which causes problems. As long as it is clear without sediment, it is fine to burn.

Keith_J said:

Fuel does not go bad, it is the sediment which causes problems. As long as it is clear without sediment, it is fine to burn.

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ACTUALLY fuel DOES go bad...

Source Of Diesel Fuel Problems

You are not the first to report this.

I got one coming out of WR, so lemme know what you have to end up doing so I kinda know in advance...

Good luck and drain the fuel first chance ya get!!

same in my truck. rust all over the cap, white filmy crap everywhere else. it's been burning it fine though and i've got filters on the way and plan to change all the filters and even change out some fuel lines.

at this point should i drain the rest and put in new diesel or just wait? it smells horrible and is about the color of new motor oil but it does burn.............

Well I was always told better safe than sorry. Your chicken, pluck it any way you want too.

bigelk50 said:

...Your chicken, pluck it any way you want too.

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BugEyeBear said:

ACTUALLY fuel DOES go bad...

Source Of Diesel Fuel Problems

Click to expand...

You're right it does go bad. A multifuel will digest fuel that would be considered bad for most diesels though (if it's clean). If it has a bunch of trash in the fuel I'd either change it or bring plenty of filters.

I was lucky. Purchased a truck at Fort Sam and then went through everything as far as gears are concerned and then drove it 571 miles home. I had noticed that there was crud floating in the fuel tank, but just decided to add diesel and alot of TCW-3 2 cycle oil from Wal Mart. It worked and I made it home. Ordered the spin on fuel filters from JaTonka and I'm first pulling the fuel tank, vatting and coating, and THEN I'll put on those fine spin on's from Jatonka.

I only drove mine ten miles home and diluted the 15yr old Gas with five gallons of diesel. When I got it home all of the fuel filters looked like it shouldn't have run at all. I wouldn't plan on driving one far without at least draining the canisters on all three filters, the sump in the tank and changingi the filters.

One of my trucks had varnished diesel in the tank. I cut it with 10 gals of regular 87 octane gasoline and it ran great. YMMV

littlebob....great pic...that's why I consider myself lucky. But then again, I know fuel, propane, propane accessories, King of the Hill type stuff.....I knew I could probably do it. but I'm still dropping the tank to make sure.

Yup, just bring lots of filters, thats what they are for.

Fuel will evaporate over a long period of time and leave that whitish residue in and on the metal part of the tanks.
If there is straight diesel in the tanks and the conditions are right algae can live and thrive in diesel fuel......it will crud up filters quickly. Look for black or green blobs floating in the fuel.
Pull the stainer out and see what is caught in the screen.
I agree that adding gasoline can make crappy fuel work but as stated you will go thru some filters.
Ref the drain plug on the bottom...if you unscrew that plug make darn sure you have something that will hold all the liquid in the tank......if you spill fuel in a public area and the powers that be see it you will be paying for an environmental clean up and you will not like it.
Soil contaminated with fuel has to be dug up, sealed in a container and sent to a facility where is it burned in a sealed chamber to remove the fuel......last I heard it cost arond 800 bucks to process a 55 gallon drum.
Make sure you have Oil Dry or some other absorbent material in case of a spill.
If I remove suspect fuel from a vehicle I pour it into my bulk container and let it settle out...then it gets filtered before I put it in the deuce's tank.