Jelly in carb(REBUILT IT), drain and clean gas tank time YEP

[mattyq17]

I was having some issues with my engine, it would run fine until warmed up and once the choke opened it would die. Looked for vacuum leaks, didn’t find any, took the top off the edelbrock and it was pretty dirty and had some gelled up fuel I am assuming. Cleaned it up and all was well. This was two weeks ago, I haven’t driven the bronco since then and decided to pull the carb and give it a good cleaning/rebuild this time. Fuel has been sitting in the carb for those two weeks and has jelled up again. Should I add some fuel stabilizer to to the tank, 11 gallons in it roughly, or drain it, pull it, and clean out the tank? I think I know the answer but am hoping that the fuel stabilizer would do the trick. Thanks

 

[B RON CO]

Hi, I would clean it all out.
The tank may have a corrosion problem. If the tank is corroding it has to be fixed or changed to a new tank.
Clean the tank, carb and fuel line.
I would use new filters, maybe two filters before the fuel pump.
If you don't clean it out all that goop will always end up in the carb.
Good luck

 

[bmc69]

Nothing will clean that ethanol jelly out short of removing it manually and flushing the system. Hateful stuff....I deal with it a lot in boat fuel systems.

 

[blubuckaroo]

The alcohol in ethanol is very hygroscopic.
Gelling usually happens when you keep fuel for a long time in moist environments like yours. Since moving to the northwest, I've learned to avoid filling the tanks unless I plan to use it up soon. Frequent partial fill-ups works best.
Also, if you have dual tanks, use the aux tank too. Don't just keep extra gas in it. That where I messed up.
If I were you, I'd just use up the fuel, run new gas through it, then clean the carb.
Also, a new filter is a good idea, but I've never liked the idea of two filters. One before the carb is enough.

 

[Timmy390]

The jelly is why I run pure gas in ANYTHING that's not driven at lease weekly. I haven't see the jelly issue with EFI but everything I own with a carb has had a problem with it. My dad would bring me his golf cart at the start of each year for me to fix. I got rude with him and forced him to use pure gas and the issue went away. He now runs pure gas in all things carbed and has no issues.

I'm lucky, I have a station 2 miles away that sells pure and Wal mart sells pure gas now in my area.

As to cleaning, pull it apart, and get it all out and you should be good to go. If you let it sit and dry out it will turn to powder.

Tim

 

[mattyq17]

Thanks for the replies I won’t be able to work on this till mid March, I like blu’s idea just because it means I don’t have to drain a full tank of gas but either way I will still need to drop it and clean it out. I got some time to think about which way to go.

 

[tirewater]

Your fuel system needs cleaning.

Ethanol may be breaking down old varnish and gum that's accumulated in your tank, fuel lines, or fuel pump over the decades. I imagine once varnish has started to break down, simply switching to non ethanol fuel is not going to accomplish much.

If you can't clean the system out now, put a clear fuel filter before the carburetor and replace it as necessary.

 

[bmc69]

I'm lucky, I have a station 2 miles away that sells pure and Wal mart sells pure gas now in my area.

We have one gas station in the entire county that sells non-ethanol and they are about 30 minute drive away. :-X

Fortunately for my boats, the local marinas sell only non-ethanol. They don't look too kindly on someone stopping by with a couple 5-gallon cans though.

 

[Timmy390]

Your fuel system needs cleaning.

Ethanol may be breaking down old varnish and gum that's accumulated in your tank, fuel lines, or fuel pump over the decades. I imagine once varnish has started to break down, simply switching to non ethanol fuel is not going to accomplish much.

If you can't clean the system out now, put a clear fuel filter before the carburetor and replace it as necessary.

It's not about the varnish.....yes the ethanol can break it down but that's no different than putting in a fuel system cleaner. The Jelly is a product of the ethanol and moisture from the air. It's always been a problem in my carbs not in the gas tank. EFI doesn't seem t have a problem with it. My EFI setup has been fine for the past 2 plus yeas. No issues.

We have one gas station in the entire county that sells non-ethanol and they are about 30 minute drive away. :-X

Fortunately for my boats, the local marinas sell only non-ethanol. They don't look too kindly on someone stopping by with a couple 5-gallon cans though.

All the marinas around here sell pure gas. As blubuckaroo said the alcohol in ethanol is very hygroscopic and marinas don't want to get a reputation for selling "bad gas".

Tim

 

[mattyq17]

So I cleaned the carb, new rebuild kit, went pretty easy. Bronco ran good for a few days and then I took it to the lake and it started running shitty again. Decided to drain and drop the tank(should have done this from the beginning). Get the tank on the table and hear something rattling around inside. Pull the sending unit and there is no float, that's what must be rattling in the tank...... Nope some one put rocks in the tank(guess that's why the PO put a locking gas cap on it), no float to be found but the sock is still on the sending unit, figured that would be long gone. Ordered a new sending unit, still need to clean the tank and seal it before it all goes back together. Also need to check the fuel line from the tank to the fuel pump and see what kind of condition that is in..

 

[bmc69]

Get the tank on the table and hear something rattling around inside. Pull the sending unit and there is no float, that's what must be rattling in the tank...... Nope some one put rocks in the tank(guess that's why the PO put a locking gas cap on it),

LOL!...those rocks are there because someone just like me cleaned the tank at some point. Old-timers trick...throw a handful or two of river gravel in the tank and shake the hell out of it for a while to break all the crap inside loose.

 

[rmk57]

My 66 170 Autolite 1 bbl had the same problem. Sitting over the winter, outside in the elements I had over 1/4" of jelly in the bottom of the carb.
I dont think the problem originated in the tank, just the carb. Took the carb off, blew it out with air and it's fine for the last month.
My other two collector car run 94 Chevron and have never had this problem and the 94 octane fuel has 0% ethanol and the 87 I run in the Bronco is 10%.
Could be time for a switch.

 

[WheelHorse]

I run shell 87 with up to 10% ethanol... Bronco sits for MONTHS in a humid garage during a Chicagoland winter.

5 years since a carb rebuild...still clean and clear.

Question the stations where you purchase your fuel. My old shop ran into a problem with our fleet a while back and it turned out the station's tanks had water in them.