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Black coating inside the fuel tank.

Discussion in 'Trucks [ Eighteen Wheelers ]' started by paul 1052, Mar 21, 2011.

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  1. Mar 21, 2011 #1
    paul 1052

    paul 1052 Heavy Load Member

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    Oct 9, 2010
    Sand Springs, Ok.
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    Any chance that deteriorating fuel lines could lose enough old rubber or whatever is on the inside to coat the inside of my fuel tanks?

    I just replaced the feed lines and sticking a Q tip inside the old lines showed a black coating and specks of fuel line innards.

    The inside of the tanks are about 30% covered and the black areas looik like something has scratched clean lines in them... weird looking.

    Or am I just likely looking at algae?
     
    paul 1052, Mar 21, 2011
    paul 1052, Mar 21, 2011
    #1
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  3. Mar 21, 2011 #2
    REDD

    REDD The Legend

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    Dueling Banjoville
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    I would say algae.
     
    REDD, Mar 21, 2011
    REDD, Mar 21, 2011
    #2
    x#1 Thanks this.
  4. Mar 21, 2011 #3
    oneshot

    oneshot Medium Load Member

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    mississippi
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    Could be soot.
     
    oneshot, Mar 21, 2011
    oneshot, Mar 21, 2011
    #3
  5. Mar 21, 2011 #4
    canuck in da truck

    canuck in da truck Road Train Member

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    western pa
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    its just the creepy crawlers growing in your tank--you can buy stuff to treat it if you really want to
     
    canuck in da truck, Mar 21, 2011
    canuck in da truck, Mar 21, 2011
    #4
  7. Mar 21, 2011 #5
    heavyhaulerss

    heavyhaulerss Road Train Member

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    I would be afraid to buy anything that may clean, or loosen up the gunk in the tanks, then where will the gunk go? stop up your whole system. just use the Q tips for your ears & NEVER look in your tanks again, & you'll be fine. :biggrin_25525:
     
    heavyhaulerss, Mar 21, 2011
    heavyhaulerss, Mar 21, 2011
    #5
  8. Mar 21, 2011 #6
    canuck in da truck

    canuck in da truck Road Train Member

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    western pa
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    we used to treat it on the aircraft--but that is a bit different--on a truck i wouldnt be to worried about it--generally it isnt anything to worry about--but if you fuel at the same spot and they have really bad fuel the stuff can grow like crazy--but i have only ever saw that happen to heating fuel
     
    canuck in da truck, Mar 21, 2011
    canuck in da truck, Mar 21, 2011
    #6
  9. Mar 21, 2011 #7
    paul 1052

    paul 1052 Heavy Load Member

    899
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    Oct 9, 2010
    Sand Springs, Ok.
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    The last 2 summers I've used 20% bio, the first year I plugged 1 pair of filters and that was about it on a 800K mile plus truck, it cleaned out the tanks very well.

    With as thick as it is in spots I had to have picked up the bad fuel in either Fargo, Minot, Edmonton or Saskatoon.

    I hate this winter.
     
    paul 1052, Mar 21, 2011
    paul 1052, Mar 21, 2011
    #7
  10. Mar 21, 2011 #8
    25(2)+2

    25(2)+2 Trucker Forum STAFF Staff Member

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    the road less travelled
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    I picked up a bad fill at a TA once, and didn't make it 30 miles before the truck quit, road service came out and changed the filter, but there were other issues. The truck was retired because of electrical issues in the summer. Shutdown codes mimic fuel filter plugging or running out of fuel because they reduce the fuel or shut it off completely.

    That filter looked like it had been dipped in tar, but the stuff was slimy, not tar-like,

    I fought it all winter, the company bosses didn't believe biologicals could live in diesel fuel, so they wouldn't spring for treating it.

    We had 4 ISX engines in the fleet, and 2 of those had the contamination that winter.

    When the weather warmed up, the fuel in the tank gradually cleared out and that problem went away, but it ate the inside out of the electric fuel charge pump, and it would leak fuel when used to prime it, I think it degraded some hoses as well.

    The bacteria or algae or whatever you want to call it, will degrade rubber parts, if left alone.

    There are many articles on the Internet about it. It probably comes from a storage tank with water under the fuel, because those organisms grow at the fuel/water line in the tank, get rid of the water and the bugs should go away, too.
     
    25(2)+2, Mar 21, 2011
    25(2)+2, Mar 21, 2011
    #8
  11. Mar 23, 2011 #9
    Displaced Yooper

    Displaced Yooper Light Load Member

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    Detroit, MI
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    Last edited: Mar 23, 2011
    Displaced Yooper, Mar 23, 2011
    Displaced Yooper, Mar 23, 2011
    #9
    x#1 Thanks this.
  12. Mar 23, 2011 #10
    AUSSIE DAVE

    AUSSIE DAVE Road Train Member

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    OZ - Brisbane
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    BIO diesel will kill the alage and clean it out of the tanks, but yes it will likely clog your filter if the alage is really bad, so carry some spare filters until all the algae is gone.

    Alage is a common problem in the tropics, it is easily fix by using a algaecide suitable for desiel fuel. I have used only one brand of treatment called Chemtech Diesel Power it works exactly as they say, I have used it for over 20 years, it works great in the tropics. here is a link http://www.chemtech.net.au/cr_fueladditives.html
     
    AUSSIE DAVE, Mar 23, 2011
    AUSSIE DAVE, Mar 23, 2011
    #10
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