Rust in the fuel

[stickandrudderman]

This is probably the most blocked fuel filter I've ever come across.
The car came in for an MOT but after driving the few miles to my shop it began to cut out. I looked at the old MOT and noticed that the car has covered only 100 miles since the last MOT. I suspected straight away that there might be fuel contamination but given that the car was successfully driven t my shop I certainly wasn't expecting this!

[mdsalemi]

...and what is the cause? Tank corrosion?

[Jordan]

Wow.  Can you imagine without the filter that would have gone straight to the injectors.

[Shvegel]

And so begins a very expensive lesson in clean fuel.

[stickandrudderman]

...and what is the cause? Tank corrosion?

Yes, fuel tank corrosion.
Most regular readers of this site will probably be familiar with why this happens but for the uninitiated:
Any machine that has a (especially metal) fuel tank that is not expected to be used for some time should be left with a FULL fuel tank.
This is because any space in the fuel tank that is not occupied by fuel will be occupied by air; air that contains moisture.
With temperature changes that moisture will condense out onto the inside of the tank and then drip off and pool in the bottom of the tank which will then rust.
These pictures perfectly illustrate the result!

[Mike K]

  Slightly worse than what I found in my fuel filter & tank after I bought the car, which had apparently been "fully serviced and thoroughly checked", by the dealer's workshop prior to sale!  I replaced the fuel tank and fuel pump as a result...

 

[JonathanB]

The folks over on FerrariChat agree that cars should always be stored with FULL tanks.

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/technical-q-sponsored-algar-ferrari/179369-full-tank-gas-empty-when-storing.html

The only downside to doing so, and I don't think that it's enough to outweigh the advantages, is that over time you do end up with some very old gasoline in your tank.

That's why it is a good idea to burn off the tanks a few times a year by driVing the car 300 or so miles (a tankful) and then re-filling with fresh fuel.

Note : this is very much a case of "Do as I say, not as I do."

[49er]

My car sat for a number of years (20+) due to several reasons but primarily due to a brake problem that occurred on the way home from a filling station in which I had just pumped a tankful of premium gas (no ethanol back then). No appreciable rust was found in the tank when we got the car back on the road 6 years ago and have had the filter changed a couple of times since and it is clean as a whistle. I now always keep it full and use stabilizer during the winter months.

John