Gunk in fuel tank

robertotoole

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I recently cleaned my tank and replaced the filters after getting occasional misfiring. There was thick congealed gel in the bottom, and paint flakes in the filters. A thorough wash with a hosepipe, and new filters solved the problem. This seems worse since the UK switched to 10% ethanol fuel.
 
How frequently do you refill the tank, does it have fuel in it for weeks or months at an end?
 
Currently keeping it at about 1/3 full, topped up every week. The PD tank always has a small reservoir of unused fuel below the taps, which one would hope gets mixed up with fresh fuel when refilled.
 
Probably worth giving your float bowls a quick check as ethanol and water form an aggressive combination. On my classics I used to empty all the fuel out of their tanks after finding what looked like frogspawn in one! That was E5 , E10 will be worse. If you cant drain the tanks One suggestion is Briggs & Stratton Fuel Fit. Its what all the council groundsmen use on petrol machinery thats idle over the winter months.
 
I recently cleaned my tank and replaced the filters after getting occasional misfiring. There was thick congealed gel in the bottom, and paint flakes in the filters. A thorough wash with a hosepipe, and new filters solved the problem. This seems worse since the UK switched to 10% ethanol fuel.
Use Super unleaded every time
 
Frogspawn! Exactly what it was like.

Float bowls were fine.

I'll clean the tank out more often in the future.
 
On my bikes with good old fashioned carbs I always switch the fuel off half mile* or so from home to run the carbs dry at the end of s ride.

*Obviously need to check this beforehand to work out how far the bike will run once the fuel taps are switched off.
 
Do that fuel check in reverse (order not gear).

Start the bike at home.
Turn off the fuel.
Drive until it splutters to a halt.

Job done.
 


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