Removing Water from Fuel System!

[RangerMan64]

How can I drive this around when it only goes about 15mph? None of the roads around here are that low...Could I just drop the tank and drain it that way? Then fill it up and add some HEET to the tank to get rid of the water in the lines?

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

syphon the tank, that should get the worst of it. everything else will get sucked through the fuel system soon enough.

 

[1996 fordranger 4x4 stx]

How can I drive this around when it only goes about 15mph? None of the roads around here are that low...Could I just drop the tank and drain it that way? Then fill it up and add some HEET to the tank to get rid of the water in the lines?

WHY do you think you have a bunch of water in your tank and lines??

Your first post and your second post( this one ) gives no clue of your assumptions of water problems.

Is it that because you added a tiny bottle of heet and you THINK your truck runs a LITTLE BETTER? yet in this post you say it only accelerates up to to 15 mph, I aint trying to be a dick but WHY do you THINK you have this terrible water issue? maybe if you tell us, people can help more.

You know that truck of yours is a big WOPPING 21 YEARS OLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Could it just be a kawinkie dink that when you filled up your tank that it just started having an issue after alllllllllllllll these years? I am just saying

 

[OilPatch197]

Probably, I have never needed heet to properly burn regular fuel in winter.

The fuel line freezes up if I run E10 ethonol in my Ranger in the winter though, gotta dump some heet in it to keep it running long enough to correct my error and get some straight gas in it.

The only gasoline around here that does NOT have any ethanol is premium 93. I prefer Shell V-power, it seems to run better, but I hate running it in the winter, since alot is wasted by the choke in cold weather.

BTW runing a watered down tank of gas, would that not clean out your engine really good? (like using seafoam) Maybe you got some fouled plugs?

 

[PaleBlue90]

Maybe you got some fouled plugs?

+1 check your plugs and plug wires, it sounds like your plugs are fouled.

 

[RangerMan64]

WHY do you think you have a bunch of water in your tank and lines??

Your first post and your second post( this one ) gives no clue of your assumptions of water problems.

Is it that because you added a tiny bottle of heet and you THINK your truck runs a LITTLE BETTER? yet in this post you say it only accelerates up to to 15 mph, I aint trying to be a dick but WHY do you THINK you have this terrible water issue? maybe if you tell us, people can help more.

You know that truck of yours is a big WOPPING 21 YEARS OLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Could it just be a kawinkie dink that when you filled up your tank that it just started having an issue after alllllllllllllll these years? I am just saying

Well I forgot to link the other post I did in the 2.9L forum before I figured out what was going on... Here are the symptoms I had..

At startup, the truck idles fine. Then, after a minute or two, it starts acting erratic. This happens once you start giving it some gas. It will let me rev it up to about 2000RPM, sometimes as high as 3500RPM, but then it stops going any higher no matter how much gas your giving it. Once you let go of the gas, it drops below 400RPM, stumbles, sometimes recovers itself and other times it will simply die. When it recovers, it will do the same thing when you apply some gas.

EDIT: I've run my tank near a quarter before, and had the problem with crap from the tank getting stirred up once I filled up. These are different symptoms from those experiences.

 

[RangerMan64]

+1 check your plugs and plug wires, it sounds like your plugs are fouled.

Will do, although I just gave it a tune up about 2 months ago, I guess it's worth a try.

 

[RangerMan64]

Anyone else please? I gave you guys more information...

 

[Mark_88]

MAP sensor...usually located on the firewall passenger side...if it's not a water/fuel issue then try swapping out that sensor with one from the junkyard (new cost about $200)...other than that...I did post information on how to remove water from the tank and test it...if that doesn't help and your plugs are clean then it could be a sensor issue...my Tempo did similar things...and between the inertia switch and the MAP sensor I managed to get it working properly and drive it till almost 400,000 km before the clutch went on it...

 

[RangerMan64]

MAP sensor...usually located on the firewall passenger side...if it's not a water/fuel issue then try swapping out that sensor with one from the junkyard (new cost about $200)...other than that...I did post information on how to remove water from the tank and test it...if that doesn't help and your plugs are clean then it could be a sensor issue...my Tempo did similar things...and between the inertia switch and the MAP sensor I managed to get it working properly and drive it till almost 400,000 km before the clutch went on it...

OK, where could I get the paste besides the boating supply store? Don't really have one that close around here. It sounds like a great idea to me.

 

[OilPatch197]

Mark, even if it is the Map sensor, shouldn't the onboard ECM go into a "limp mode"?

Even in limp mode the engine should run half decent(like a carbed motor)

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

the MAP sensor is one of the PCM's primary sensors. the engine will run very poorly with a failed one...even if the PCM tries limping.

 

[Mark_88]

OK, where could I get the paste besides the boating supply store? Don't really have one that close around here. It sounds like a great idea to me.

Kolor Kut, McCabe & Master Water Paste...not sure of other name brands, but I just searched the web on "water detecting paste" and came up with a few hundred hits...

Personally, I'd suggest the MAP sensor first...it could be a number of things that are causing this issue water in the tank is a primary suspect in your case...but the MAP sensor might do the trick if it is unrelated to water in the tank...

OILPATCH: I don't know, to be honest...the engine appears to be in limp mode but that could be water, MAP, O2 sensors or even an issue with fuel pressure/inertia switch...just trying to hit the highlights without causing major financial damage...MAP and O2 sensors can be bought for next to nothing from a junkyard...water detection paste might be expensive and time consuming...it would be best just to siphon the tank and refill it and change the fuel filter because that is probably the least expensive of the above suggestions...

 

[RangerMan64]

The engine runs great at idle right now, except after actually driving it around the complex. It stumbles then recovers itself. Could the MAP sensor be causing the speed/revving problem? Is there a way to test the MAP?

 

[Mark_88]

Not sure about testing the MAP but my Tempo did almost the exact same thing...it would idle fine...drive fine...but then erratic reving/dying and act as if there was no gas getting to the engine...when I swapped in a $5 MAP sensor from the junkyard it cleared up completely...so...

did you happen to try pulling codes from it? I took my Tempo to a mechanic and that was the first thing on the list...then the O2 sensor was second...when I drove to the dealer to get the parts I almost fainted with the price they quoted...fortunately, the parts guy said to just go to a junkyard and get one...the j/y had a barrel full of them sitting there...two for $5...

I was the happiest guy on the planet that day!