1998 chevy 350 acting up.

Ian

Notorious member
All the fuel filter connections of GM fuel injected fuel systems have O-ring seals, starting in 1987 in the US and 86 for the first throttle- body injected pickups made in Canada. Somewhere along 1996-97 some of the G vans had a push-connect on one end and the line nut with O-ring seal on the other end, then later those found their way onto Suburbans and Tahoes etc. In 2001, when the LS engines came out and systems became returnless, the external filter was abandoned altogether. There are two sizes of line O-rings, the smaller one is only used for the return lines.

When the distributer bushings wear out on the plastic Vortec units, they run like caca all the time, not just on startup.
 

Bret4207

At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
Bret, I've never heard of a water detection paste, had to look it up. Looks like a good thing to have, but it says for non ethanol fuel. That makes sense since the ethanol would bind with water. I think I need to find non ethanol and fill up with that a couple times before testing with that. I guess a siphon hose all the way to the bottom of the tank would be the easiest way to deal with an appreciable amount of water if there is any in there.

Fiver, would heet bond with water and help get it out?

I don't know what they use with ethanol fuels. My point was tanks usually have water in them and the ethanol is going to bond with it and could give a saturated fuel.
 

Mitty38

Well-Known Member
Ok I stand corrected also, O rings it is. Guess my memory failed me a bit.
Ye dorman makes replacements.
 
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Petrol & Powder

Well-Known Member
I know the OP talked about wet weather and water could be a problem BUT, it's also possible that there is no water in the fuel.

1. It could just be the ethanol/gasoline blend (AKA the norm for pump gas these days) is bad and gumming up the fuel system. While sitting for a month may not seem like a super long time, we're talking about a 33 year old truck.
2. Some of the fuel system problems mentioned by Ian and others, could very well be the problem.

Getting ALL of the old fuel out (if the truck runs, just burn that up by driving it) is a good first step. Filling the tank with good fuel and replacing the fuel filter is a very good second step.
The OP may need to pull the throttle body and inspect the manifold for signs of excessive fuel, but I would wait until I got new fuel and new fuel filter before I went to that step.

As for the potential of water in the fuel, I'm not totally discounting that. Just condensation alone in a partially empty tank can cause problems. However, I've never seen Seafoam, Heat, or any of the other additives that can correct large amounts of water in the system. They can help with a "little" bit of water but they are not the real fix. If fresh gas and a new fuel filter doesn't correct the problem, you're probably dealing with something more than just a little water in the bottom of the tank.

Ethanol blends are far more insidious than some folks realize, particularly in older equipment. One month of storage is plenty of time for problems to appear.

And I'm just going to toss this out there for general consideration - If you have a vehicle that sits parked for long periods of time; it is far better to keep the gas tank COMPLETELY full. This leaves no room for damp air above the fuel and subsequent condensation in the tank. The use of non-ethanol fuel and fuel stabilizer in those long term storage conditions will also help.
 

Tom

Well-Known Member
Looking on google maps, it appears there is no non ethanol fuel in king county Washington. I asked a guy I know there that is a lifelong gearhead and he wasn't aware of any, either. Thirty five miles each way to get gas! It's frustrating that we have things like that forced on us. At any rate, you guys have given me things to consider if I ever get the time between pickups and deliveries.
 

popper

Well-Known Member
Biggest problem is the fuel station tanks during rainy weather. Friend's brand new Ford got hit, 900$ to clean the fuel system. Ethanol is a county thing county wide to prevent cheating.
 

RicinYakima

High Steppes of Eastern Washington
You can buy non-ethanol fuel in Eastern WA at places that service small engines and snowmobiles. Reg 10%+ fuel is $2.79 and non-ethanol is $4.29.
 

462

California's Central Coast Amid The Insanity
Certainly not cheating, not even in California. But, with only 21 non-ethanol stations in the entire state, finding one nearby is problematic. Closest is 87 miles North of me, and driving through the South Bay traffic to get there is most assuredly out of the question.
 

Petrol & Powder

Well-Known Member
Certainly not cheating, not even in California. But, with only 21 non-ethanol stations in the entire state, finding one nearby is problematic. Closest is 87 miles North of me, and driving through the South Bay traffic to get there is most assuredly out of the question.
Well, that's a whole different problem.
 

Joshua

Taco Aficionado/Salish Sea Pirate/Part-Time Dragon
Looking on google maps, it appears there is no non ethanol fuel in king county Washington. I asked a guy I know there that is a lifelong gearhead and he wasn't aware of any, either. Thirty five miles each way to get gas! It's frustrating that we have things like that forced on us. At any rate, you guys have given me things to consider if I ever get the time between pickups and deliveries.
I’m over here in Kitsap County, we only have it a the Brownsville Marina boat launch, or you need to have a Pacific Pride account.

This link shows a few stations that have it in Seattle.
 

Tom

Well-Known Member
Thanks for that link, Joshua. Looks like it's available in Auburn, the next town south of here.
 

RicinYakima

High Steppes of Eastern Washington
Buying non-ethanol gasoline is not "cheating". There's no violation of law that occurs from using non-ethanol fuel.
Sorry, not true in the state of Washington. "All licensed automobiles and light trucks, manufactured after 1972, are required to use unleaded and oxygenated fuel if driven on the public roads." Ethanol is now the only oxygenated fuel sold in WA.
 
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Petrol & Powder

Well-Known Member
Sorry, not true in the state of Washington. "All licensed automobiles and light trucks, manufactured after 1972, are required to use unleaded and oxygenated fuel if driven on the public roads." Ethanol is now the only oxygenated fuel sold in WA.
What's the penalty ?

The distribution network is controlled but there's no liability for the end user.
If someone driving down the road runs out of gas, puts a gallon of non-ethanol gas from the landscaping trailer into the truck pulling the trailer - The police aren't going to arrest the driver. Nor is there a punishment for using it.

There IS a tax advantage for the distribution of ethanol blends, which is how the industry is regulated.
 
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fiver

Well-Known Member
the ethanol is subsidized twice, and returned in taxes by the consumer.
I don't know if there's any profit for it on the governments end of things, but they sure could work it out that way.
 

Tomme boy

Well-Known Member
Another thing you need to be aware of is crooked gas station owners. We had a place that caught running a himself water into the underground tanks and filling with water. Everyone complained about bad gas there. Then one time there were every car that got gas there could not Make it out the parking lot. A friends shop got one of thme cars and they pulled 9 gals of water out of it in a 11 gal tank.

He had the water alarms for the underground tanks bypass. He ended up selling the station and they drained the tanks and never had another problem.