Crud in the gas tank

[IdealSociety]

about 6 months ago i filled up at a gas station (which i found out later had been flooded the week prior) with a full tank of premium from empty. about a mile from the station in the middle of nowhere my car (which had previously ran like a champ at 200k miles) dies and seems to be strangled.

turns out the gas has some sort of silt/clay in it after i got around to cracking the tank open. stuffs all over the place and im trying to think of ways to get it out.

ideas?

[sasquatch]

i think you can access the tank from under the rear seat. maby take out the sending unit/ fuel pump and pump out all the gas and start wiping the bottom of the tank with a rag?

[IdealSociety]

yeah ive got her all opened up (with about 8 gallons of gas still in it!). you think just cleaning it up with a rag would be sufficient?

i may have to rig up a pump to get all the gas out.

[25Horseplay]

I would think it is best to remove the tank and clean it to be sure you get it all out.

[IdealSociety]

im not entirely sure thats gonna be an option here with high milage MN cars

unless the tanks come out fairly easy?

seems to be one of the few things ive never removed from a festiva O.o

[25Horseplay]

OK then this might sound crazy. Remove the drain plug from underneth, drain tank completely. Wash out the tank with water and laundry detergent, rinse well with water, then rinse with some gas. Make sure its good and dry then refill with gas.

[IdealSociety]

we have a drain plug on our tanks?

well, i guess ya learn something new everyday!

[25Horseplay]

Yep, its in one of the corners. I think its drivers side rear corner.

[sasquatch]

to get all the gas out just get the car higher than a bucket and run a hose from the tank to the bucket, then suck the gas up the hose and put the hose in the bucket. that will drain the tank till you start sucking air up the hose.

[CHills]

Man that sucks, are you able to sue the gas station?

[IdealSociety]

well i didnt figure out it was the gas till 6 months down the road when i got around to tearing into it, so im going to assume its too late to try to prove it was their gas 6 months later.

kinda sucks though, thats for sure.