Water in the tank

[boe4jeep]

I just picked up this CJ7 1985 and took out about 3 gallons of water from the tank. It had been sitting awhile. I put Seafoam in the tank after it was half full and then filled it with the best gas on the market. Drove it 60 miles and it still does not want to idle. Suggestions?

 

[Torxhead]

A 30 year old carb could be due for an overhaul, There might also be water in the Transmission , Transfer Case , diffs, engine, brake system, power steering, to name a few.

 

[Hedgehog]

The idle jet probably needs to be cleaned ..... the whole carb. probably needs to be cleaned.

...... how did 3 gallons of water end up in the gas tank? That's a lot of water. And yes you need to drain all the fluids you can and replace. If the oil that came out was ugly with water, I'd put some miles on it then drain it once again when the oil is hot.

 

[ThisGuyUKnow]

Poly or metal tank? If it has been sitting with water chances are there is a lot of rust and your gonna be sucking that nasty red stuff until you either replace the tank or pull it , clean it, and paint it.

 

[hdgapeach]

Sitting for extended periods of time without the proper kind of "preppin" creates all kinds of maintenance handy work you're gonna need to perform. That much water in the tank would indicate everything in the fuel system from that point forward would probably need tending to: All fuel lines are probably rusted (metal) and cracked/brittle (rubber), fuel filters, fuel pump and a carb rebuild. Once that was done, I'd try it and go from their based on the results.

Check the crankcase and see how much "condensation" is in there. Oil and filter change might not be a bad idea either.

 

[numbersix]

...... how did 3 gallons of water end up in the gas tank?

Ethanol blend gasoline is to blame. Ethanol attracts water through moisture in the air. Modern fuel injected cars are sealed better, but the gas still starts breaking down after 90 days. Take an old Jeep, especially with rotted or old lines and that gas is going to expire quick. Ethanol is also very tough on rubber hoses, it breaks down the rubber and clogs the carb. If you don't want to be replacing rubber hoses, I'd recommend finding hose that is alcohol resistant.

SAE 30R6 | Goodyear® Engineered Products

 

[Posi]

Three gallons water?
Ethanol absorbs water
When ethanol reaches it's absorbsion limit it separates
Water is heavier and will settle at the bottom of the tank
I'm thinking one would need about 15 gallons of fuel to absorb and separate 3 gallons of water. If that was the case there would be 18 gallons total
Say the combined total was only 15 gallons it would be difficult removing 3 gallons of water from the bottom of the tank with 12 gallons of fuel sitting on top
Then again, maybe the tank was near empty and the fuel cap was missing and what was removed was 3 gallons of rain water

 

[Hedgehog]

True Ethanol will bring some water with it, but NOT 3 GALLONS. If that were the case almost all gas powered vehicles in America would have 3 gallons of water in their tanks. There is some sort of SERIOUS contamination in that vehicles history. Open tank, water crossing, flood, something deliberate. No matter what, find out if the tank has a hole in it, specially near the top where water could seep down into the tank. then start dumping in the dry gas ...... yes dry gas is, I believe, Ethanol.

 

[Lumpy Grits]

Drain flush tank. FIRST!
Rebuild carb.
Replace fuel filter
Replace dizzy cap, plugs, wires and rotor.
LG