Glad to hear it hasn't left you stranded completely...A little Fogarty brothers and you were good to go !! Has anybody confirmed the presence or lack of a gas tank drain yet. Since it's made out of plastic I get the feeling there might not be a drain fitting if I had to guess. Also no expert (me) on whether an O2 sensor likes carb/brake cleaner soaking. I have taken off the perf'd metal cover on an old sensor out of curiousity and the cylindrical part underneath only had a light coating of carbon which wiped off easily. Didn't look like it was prone to gunking up like an EGR.
If after your other checks (removing sensors, et. al) you could remove the rear bottom seat (easy 2 tabs) and remove the fuel pump sheet metal access cover so as to suck out the tanks contents once you get it as empty as you can after driving it. Harbor Freight has those cheap pumps that might tolerate gas for a while (made for oil/antifreeze and "gas" on label but I have my doubts re: the latter fluid not destroying it after a while--I have one that I used for tranny fluid and engine oil). When as empty as you can get it, you might what to pour in small amounts of fresh gas and resuction a few times.
Since the tank IS plastic would expect the rust/crud seen in metal, old tanks but I have been involved with gas fill ups that have sucked sand/water/crappola from near empty station reservoir tanks.
You didn't have a pissed off girl friend that decided to empty a few Mountain Dews in your tank !! Not likely unless she was so determined that she popped your gas flap. Had a friend who had a drunk "buddy" actually take a leak in his Mitsu Evo...ignore this last paragraph if you like..just an attempt to lighten your situation.
Good Luck
Quote:
Originally Posted by WhatIsThisIDont
I made it home. I sat for around 15 minutes with the engine off, but it wasn't solving the problem, so I started it and let it idle for a few minutes. It ran rather rough and then got worse with a lot of shaking and bucking while in park, but it soon smoothed off and the idle went from around 400 rpm back to around 750 rpm. It took about 30 seconds to smooth out, but it was golden for the ten miles or so home.
It started to cough again when I got home, but it went away as I pulled into the lot.
Another theory: if the fuel is contaminated with anything, it takes a while for the pump to agitate it and spread it around. Once it settles again and I let it idle through whatever is in the lines, the world is good again. That would explain why it died immediately after filling up last weekend. This would also explain why it wants to die under sudden load if the pump varies pressure depending upon throttle condition. With a higher input, the pump kicks more fuel around in the tank along with any water or such.
Now, the specific gravity of gasoline should be around 70% of water's, making water heavier and sinking to the bottom of the tank. If our tanks have drain plugs like the Legacy tanks do, then if I crack them open and inspect whatever comes out, it should tell me a tale.
If I pursue this theory, I'd probably temporarily replace the fuel filter with a transparent universal one just to see what is going through those lines.
Thoughts?
-Randy
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