Large block of solid fuel in my tank, blocking pickup

[Egon]

Hopefully the tank will be clean after your latest endevours.:thumbsup::thumbsup:

Your kitchen may have a strainer with quite small sized mesh.

 

[Don87]

I used a T-shirt to filter fuel a few weeks ago, quicker than paper. Worked well.

 

[Skyco]

I use coffee filters all the time to run stuff through...do a pretty good job. Hard part is finding something to put them in that works like the one on the coffee machine, ridges to hold the paper up etc...save your old one if you ever toss a coffee maker. What I use now is a reuseable coffee filter basket with fine brass mesh, put the paper filter in it to catch smaller stuff...

 

[Egon]

There are fine mesh filters which will hold hater but let gasoline through. They should work for diesel?

 

[DonnieP]

The best filter you can get is an old felt hat, fits right in a funnel and won't let water through. My father never put a drop of gas in the tractor without putting it through an old hat. The hat and funnel always hung on a nail in the garage. Don't know how fast diesel will go through, it might take a while.

Donnie

 

[jlrsn]

Regarding Felt Hats as Fuel Filters:
I always carried old felt hats when I flew my personal airplane (C210) out of the country. I had to refuel in Esmeralda, Equator at an old jungle airstrip back in 74 when fuel supplies en-route were scarce and I filtered the fuel from an old 55 gallon barrel which filled the hats with rust. Problems started an hour North of Lima, Peru when the engine quit without warning. I was at 9,500' MSL and finally got the engine going and continued to Lima, Peru (Callao) where I drained the remaining fuel and cleaned the filters. Next problem was downwind for landing at La Serena, Chile for fuel when the engine quit again and I dead-sticked to the runway. After arriving in Santiago, Chile where I stayed for a month, I drained and scrubbed the fuel tanks and cleaned the fuel filters. I never used felt hats again!!

 

[Zephrant]

The coffee filters are a great idea- Unfortunately I don't drink coffee, so didn't have any around. I like the idea of finding a metal coffee filter and fitting it to a funnel though.

After I got the 3 gallons of fuel from one can in the tractor at the rate of a quart every 15 minutes or so I was feeling good, so tried some fuel out of the 5g can I originally drained the tank in too back before I found the big block of junk. I got about a pint in then it clogged up the paper towel, such that it didn't finish even when left overnight.

So I think I've got about 3g of slash pile starter in one of my cans now.

I've not had any run time on the tractor since latest clog was removed. Might get some snow this weekend though, so we'll see.

 

[redharley]

I would not put that used fuel back in the tank.Use it for brush fire's or something.Get your self 5 gallons of new fuel,remove fuel line from tank and plug tank fitting.add fuel to tank,Remove plug and allow some fuel to run into a container,Does it run a full stream? if so move down stream to where line goes into filter do same thing,then on to other side of filter. I beleive you still have a blockage somewhere.That crap could have filter head blocked also.Maybe get a cheap inline filter at Napa and bypass your filter alltogether for a test drive. That stuff no matter what it is was not in that hard block when it was put in there for sure. I would bet some made it down stream for sure. Good luck

 

[spruce Deere]

Yes, sounds like you have a small supply of slash pile remover. I would not try to reuse the stuff....

Bypass filter as redharley says with common inline filter, test drive and see.

Process of elimination

 

[WilliamTO-35]

That hard chunk is odd indeed. If it is something like epoxy, it would take a lot of it . Perhaps it is that fuel tank sealer that never got distributed properly. I'd be wary of running your engine from fuel from that tank. Pieces from the chunk may slowly dissolve or react with your fuel, and harm your injectors, injection pump, or engine. On my gasoline Ferguson TO-35, I gave up on getting my original gas tank clean and in good shape. I bought a steel 3 gallon gas tank that was used with a small Mercury outboard motor. I soldered a hose barb fitting onto the tank, and mounted the tank on top of the original tractor tank, along with an inline gas filter. This outboard tank has a screw air vent built into the cap. I may or may not ever get around to trying to restore the original tank, but for the meanwhile the outboard tank works fine.

 

[beenthere]

Bill
How about a pic of that riggin? Sounds clever

 

[WilliamTO-35]

beenthere- Thanks for your interest in my fuel tank. Unfortunately, I'm one of those computer challenged people who has successfully posted photos on a forum only once in 12 years. I suppose I should break down and learn, maybe tomorrow. Or the next day.

 

[k0ua]

beenthere- Thanks for your interest in my fuel tank. Unfortunately, I'm one of those computer challenged people who has successfully posted photos on a forum only once in 12 years. I suppose I should break down and learn, maybe tomorrow. Or the next day.

you could start here:
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/photos/188503-tutorial-using-photos-avatars-tractorbynet.html


it is easy and fun!
James K0UA

 

[EE_Bota]

Some more good suggestions-

Dave- The wire idea is great, but the material is so hard I don't think I could get enough torque on it without breaking the wire. I've have thought about attaching it to a battery and making it a hot wire, but insulating it to prevent a short would not be trivial. I'm also somewhat paranoid about an fire.

I know you have removed the debris, but for general information to all members, the method CurlyDave mentioned is viable using Gigli wire, which may be obtained from most vets, especially large animal vets.

Gigli Saw Wire

It is ordinarily used to saw bone, usually blind.

 

[Zephrant]

One last update- I've not put hours on the tractor yet, but each time I've had it out (15 minute runs or so) it has run flawless. So I'm hoping I'm done with this particular issue.

My next issue is that while my tractor was down, I dug out and mounted the 7' blade on the Wagoneer. Now I enjoy being inside (warm, dry) and plowing with a bigger blade more than I enjoy running the tractor.

Thanks again for all the help-

 

[Jerry/MT]

I have a 2210 that I bought used 2 years ago. I've been having fuel issues today- the fuel filter glass fills up with air, and the engine dies. Sometimes I can go 15 minutes, sometimes less than 5.

I cleaned the filter (I'll get a new one on Monday), with no change. So I started looking at the tank. I drained it (drained VERY slow), and found a solid block of crap in the bottom. About 1" thick, the size of the tank, and SOLID. It actually rattles around when I shake the tank. It is so hard I can't even chip it with a screwdriver.

The temp is around 32f, so I don't think it is solid diesel, although it is a diesel yellow color, with some nasty brown mixed in.

Any ideas on how to get that out of there? Can I dissolve it with something? Gasoline maybe? I can't get my hand in the fill hole, and it is a once piece plastic tank.

Thanks for any suggestions-

I'm not going to read through all these comments so maybe what I have to say ihas all ready been said My apologies if that is the case.

That block is ice! Take the tank inside where it's warm and let that stuff melt and get rid of it. Water gets into the fuel via condensation and that's why there are generally drains on the water separator/fuel filter(s). You can minimize the condensation of water in the tank by keeping ithe tank full. You can't stop it, you can only minimize it.
Before the cold weather gets here, change your filter(s) and drain your water separator before and after every use. Use something to disperse the water so it doesn't sit in the tank bottom and freeze(PS White, etc). This will alllow the filter to pickup the water and it will freeze there if it's cold enough but as you found out,it harder to deal with ice at the tank out outlet. If the filter freezes you can much more easily replace it and get going again. Always keep a spare fuel filter on the shelf.

 

[spruce Deere]

Some more good suggestions-

Dave- The wire idea is great, but the material is so hard I don't think I could get enough torque on it without breaking the wire. I've have thought about attaching it to a battery and making it a hot wire, but insulating it to prevent a short would not be trivial. I'm also somewhat paranoid about an fire.

Leaving it in there may be the best idea- if I flip the block upside down, it no longer blocks the outlet and might be fine. But I'm too OCD to do that- I could not stand the idea of that block in there, waiting for the best time to strand me on the tractor by plugging the outlet, or breaking off a piece to clog the line.

When it burns it leaves a black carbon residue, a little like charred plastic. It does light pretty easily (about like diesel would), and sustains a smoky flame.

I'm heading out to do battle with it soon- I don't have an air nibbler, but I'm going to try the hammer/screwdriver, pruning shears, and whatever else I can get though the 2.5" neck hole.

Well..... dont think its ice, Judging by the third paragraph anyhow. Ice does not sustain a smokey flame

 

[Don87]

I'm not going to read through all these comments so maybe what I have to say ihas all ready been said My apologies if that is the case.

That block is ice! Take the tank inside where it's warm and let that stuff melt and get rid of it. Water gets into the fuel via condensation and that's why there are generally drains on the water separator/fuel filter(s). You can minimize the condensation of water in the tank by keeping ithe tank full. You can't stop it, you can only minimize it.
Before the cold weather gets here, change your filter(s) and drain your water separator before and after every use. Use something to disperse the water so it doesn't sit in the tank bottom and freeze(PS White, etc). This will alllow the filter to pickup the water and it will freeze there if it's cold enough but as you found out,it harder to deal with ice at the tank out outlet. If the filter freezes you can much more easily replace it and get going again. Always keep a spare fuel filter on the shelf.

Shoulda read the thread before posting.:thumbsup:

Glad to hear you got it all sorted out, Zephrant.