Oil & Fuel What is this?

sawtooth · Feb 19, 2017

And my 4600SU

Btown · Feb 20, 2017

Besides buying a new fuel tank, if it is rusty inside the tank you can drain it, clean it and put some fuel resistant epoxy in it.

sawtooth · Feb 20, 2017

I was just curious if I keep the tank full from here on out will it stop the rust process? I know the rust will still be in there but if it no longer causes any issues then I would be OK with it.

ray66v · Feb 20, 2017

sawtooth said:
I was just curious if I keep the tank full from here on out will it stop the rust process? I know the rust will still be in there but if it no longer causes any issues then I would be OK with it.

Once you have corrosion, it probably will continue to some extent, unless you treat it.

sawtooth · Feb 20, 2017

Yeah your probably right. I'm going to try it though and if it doesn't work I'm just getting a new tank. Found out there not that expensive so much less headache.

CADplans · Feb 20, 2017

sawtooth said:
I was just curious if I keep the tank full from here on out will it stop the rust process? I know the rust will still be in there but if it no longer causes any issues then I would be OK with it.

I have seen perfectly clean steel tanks,,, with a rusted cap.

You need to do some looking.

stuckmotor · Feb 20, 2017

I too have rust on my fuel cap, never thought it might be bacteria. I believe I'll scrape a little off and see if it sticks to a magnet.

CADplans · Feb 20, 2017

stuckmotor said:
I too have rust on my fuel cap, never thought it might be bacteria. I believe I'll scrape a little off and see if it sticks to a magnet.

Rust is converted iron,, many times it is non-magnetic. In some cases, it is partially magnetic.

ray66v · Feb 20, 2017

stuckmotor said:
I too have rust on my fuel cap, never thought it might be bacteria. I believe I'll scrape a little off and see if it sticks to a magnet.

Why wouldn't the scrapings be magnetic? It's steel.

It could be rusting from condensation too.

Bacteria is what they say is eating the titanic though.

stuckmotor · Feb 20, 2017

CAD and Ray,
If I get around to doing the magnet test I'll post the result. I'm guessing a magnet would attract partially magnetic rust and not bacteria. If it's totally non-magnetic rust I'm still in the dark.

olPete · Feb 20, 2017

Do y'all have a thing like what we call 'fuelset', a diesel treatment? We get a lot of fuel bug in NZ in farm diesel tanks that aren't ever full or empty, humid conditions etc.
Had a JD6420 that really didn't like it...
We put a fuelset in a 400gal tank, and that fixes the bug in everything that drinks from it.
Incredible that there's bacteria in the ocean living off crude oil... as said above, thriving on it!!!
Best of luck, hopefully a fuel treatment will cure the bug in your life
Pete

Wagtail · Feb 21, 2017

olPete said:
Do y'all have a thing like what we call 'fuelset', a diesel treatment? We get a lot of fuel bug in NZ in farm diesel tanks that aren't ever full or empty, humid conditions etc.
Had a JD6420 that really didn't like it...
We put a fuelset in a 400gal tank, and that fixes the bug in everything that drinks from it.
Incredible that there's bacteria in the ocean living off crude oil... as said above, thriving on it!!!
Best of luck, hopefully a fuel treatment will cure the bug in your life
Pete

Seconded on the 'Fuel Set' or, as I've been using, 'Fuel Doctor'.

stuckmotor · Feb 23, 2017

stuckmotor said:
CAD and Ray,
If I get around to doing the magnet test I'll post the result. I'm guessing a magnet would attract partially magnetic rust and not bacteria. If it's totally non-magnetic rust I'm still in the dark.

I gently scraped some of what looked just like rust to me off of the inside of my fuel cap. To my surprise some of it was mushy. When I applied the magnet the mushy part showed no reaction while a few tiny, hard, and dark colored lumps jumped off of the paper where I'd wiped my knife blade and onto the magnet. I suspect that the mushy part was either bacteria or moist rust and the magnetic lumps were either dislodged by the action of the bacteria or were rust that had hardened. I'm no scientist, what da ya think?

stuckmotor · Feb 23, 2017

olPete said:
Do y'all have a thing like what we call 'fuelset', a diesel treatment? We get a lot of fuel bug in NZ in farm diesel tanks that aren't ever full or empty, humid conditions etc.
Had a JD6420 that really didn't like it...
We put a fuelset in a 400gal tank, and that fixes the bug in everything that drinks from it.
Incredible that there's bacteria in the ocean living off crude oil... as said above, thriving on it!!!
Best of luck, hopefully a fuel treatment will cure the bug in your life
Pete

I did a search and biocides for diesel fuel are available on the www.
diesel fuel anti-bacterial - Google Search

Wagtail · Feb 23, 2017

stuckmotor said:
I did a search and biocides for diesel fuel are available on the www.
diesel fuel anti-bacterial - Google Search

True, there are many biocide fuel additives on the market... and they do just what they say, 'kill' the biological contaminate. They also say that they'll clean your fuel system/injectors/valves. But, what happens to the dead biological? It settles to the bottom of the tank.

I'd recommend finding a biocide that breaks down the biological elements (and water too) to microscopic components and suspends it in the diesel/fuel. That way it will pass through the fuel filter and burn up.

stuckmotor · Feb 23, 2017

Wagtail said:
True, there are many biocide fuel additives on the market... and they do just what they say, 'kill' the biological contaminate. They also say that they'll clean your fuel system/injectors/valves. But, what happens to the dead biological? It settles to the bottom of the tank.

I'd recommend finding a biocide that breaks down the biological elements (and water too) to microscopic components and suspends it in the diesel/fuel. That way it will pass through the fuel filter and burn up.

Makes sense to me.

sawtooth · Feb 23, 2017

stuckmotor said:
I gently scraped some of what looked just like rust to me off of the inside of my fuel cap. To my surprise some of it was mushy. When I applied the magnet the mushy part showed no reaction while a few tiny, hard, and dark colored lumps jumped off of the paper where I'd wiped my knife blade and onto the magnet. I suspect that the mushy part was either bacteria or moist rust and the magnetic lumps were either dislodged by the action of the bacteria or were rust that had hardened. I'm no scientist, what da ya think?

This is exactly what I just found yesterday. It looks like tiny pieces of rust in the form of grains of sand attached to tank all the way to the bottom. You can easily scrape some off with a stick etc. I drained the tank and it looked like muddy water coming out. Flushed tank with clean diesel fuel a couple times, replaced filters and fuel shut off valve and got her back running. The new fuel I put back in has opti-lube Ag formula with biocide. Will see what this does.

sawtooth · Feb 23, 2017

This is a small sample of what came out. There was ALOT more of it though. Mud looking diesel fuel.

stuckmotor · Feb 24, 2017

sawtooth said:
This is exactly what I just found yesterday. It looks like tiny pieces of rust in the form of grains of sand attached to tank all the way to the bottom. You can easily scrape some off with a stick etc. I drained the tank and it looked like muddy water coming out. Flushed tank with clean diesel fuel a couple times, replaced filters and fuel shut off valve and got her back running. The new fuel I put back in has opti-lube Ag formula with biocide. Will see what this does.

I'll try to drain mine soon. The stuff in your photo next looks like what mine probably looks like inside the tank.