Re: Gas Tank Capacity

From: DAKSY (rsmith13@nycap.rr.com)
Date: Sat Mar 08 2003 - 11:28:46 EST


Hey, Don.

<snip> Side question here.. Will it cause any damage to the engine if the
fuel pump
dies or tank goes dry?<snip>

I'd hafta say that it depends on a coupla things...
If you routinely run your tank almost dry, you can get condensation on the
inside walls of the tank. If the tank has anything ferrous based, the
condensation can initiate oxidation - in the form of rust. If stuff gets
rusty & the oxidation continues to eat at the iron, little flakes of
material can get into the fuel mix and (eventually) sucked into the fuel
system. Enuff stuff in the fuel system will plug the filter. While this may
only cause a minor convenience for some of the more mechanically minded,
it's gonna cost time to drop the tank to access the filter which is located
in the fuel pump.

On a side note to your side question...When I served in Germany 30 years
ago, our unit from Darmstadt hadda make 225 mile runs to a training facility
in Graffenwoehr. Unfortunately, our jeeps would only go about 210 miles on a
topped off tank. We'd always run out of fuel, unless there was a tanker in
our convoy, or we carried a Jerry can. If we DID run out, we'd pour a
canteen of water into the fuel tank & the "lighter" gasoline would float on
the "heavier" water, making fuel high enuff to reach the fuel line & we
could make it the last 15 - 20 miles...'Course the Motor Pool guys would go
ballistic at having to drain the tanks, but hey, we figgered that we were
keepin the tanks REALLY clean!

Bob Smith (DAKSY2K on AIM)
(geez...30 years ago...*sigh*)
Averill Park, NY
2K DAK SY Sport + V6 4X4 5 Speed

WebPage URL: http://home.nycap.rr.com/daksy/



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