I have a '91 S10 Blazer, 4.3 TBI, 4X4 that wouldn't start. The fuel pump ran; but, no gas was coming out of the filter. I dropped the tank, pull the fuel pump and the 2" hose connecting the pump to the fuel outlet had turned to putty...like thick black tar.

Evidently the new emission additives in gas, I live in California, are hard on old soft parts. The new hose was braided with a coating on both sides. An engineer friend said it is becoming an insidious problem for older vehicles...?

Bob
San Diego

 

I think its the Ethanol they mix in the gas nowadays.

 

Same, they claim it doesn't hurt your car but I think they are full of bs.

 

Yea, you could run pure alky through your fuel system, and have to replace all hoses and and filters ASAP..... We had a chem prof tell us that it would work.... assuming you changed all the hoses... and stuff... the engine would be happy, but the soft parts = super sad

 

Did CA bump up the standard 10% ethanol mix? I know around here most all the pumps state that there could be up to 10% except the E85 pump I found a couple weeks back.

 

All engines built from 1970 can use the 10% ethanol blended fuels with no problems or modifications. A carbureted engine may need an adjustment to take full advantage of the fuel.

At first you may need to change the fuel filter more often as the ethanol cleans out the fuel system, but once that is done fuel filter replacement will go back to normal. Ethanol can loosen contaminants and residues that have been deposited by previous gasoline fills.
These can collect in the fuel filter. This problem has happened occasionally in older cars, and can easily be corrected by changing fuel filters.
Since 1985 all ethanol blended fuels and most non-blended fuels have had detergents added to them to keep fuel injectors clean and prevent deposits that could clog them.

A mechanic who says not to use ethanol does not have correct information. There is very little information available for mechanics on fuel formulation, so when there appears to be a fuel-related problem with an engine, some mechanics will immediately ask if ethanol has been used. The only reason ethanol is suspected is that in many states it is the only gasoline component other than lead that has an identifying label. In North Dakota, New Mexico, and Idaho, ethanol proponents have offered a $100 reward to any customer who can document damage from ethanol to his or her car, and so far no one has ever collected.

-http://autorepair.about.com/cs/generalinfo/a/aa102100a_2.htm

 

Nontheless, there appears to be something in modern gas that may be harmful to the soft parts of the fuel system on older cars. The replacement hose for my new pump was constructed quite differently than the old disolved one. The old pump worked fine...a real PTA to replace a 2" hose inside the gas tank. I was told the new hose is constructed of a different type of material on each side of the braided core. The coating material was shiny and you could see the form of the braided core.

Bob
San Diego