G'day - I had cause to remove my fuel tank from my Grove Manlift but the machine is not so relevant as so much what I found in the fuel tank. Now besides some ugly growth and some silt and sludge there was obviously a wooden dipstick lost and sunk to the bottom and also a lost anchor chain from a previous fuel cap and finally once I got that all clear I saw half a dozen small ten cent sized metal pieces. Magnet wont pick them up - thought maybe alloy or maufacturing error if steel plugs but no when removed with long piece of bent wire and old venetian blind clip turned into miniature shovel they weigh and look like lead???? What can anyone contribute - lead was taken out of fuel overhere in OZ many years ago but I cant see how lead can replace lead compounds in fuel??? Could it be a bug killer??? They are just the right size to plug p the fuel take up pipe and when I blew it out with compressed air I had a good sized pressure relief bang when I did that. The pick up pipe is not serviceable and is manufactured in place. The tank was removed as I got stuck up a large Mango tree picking mangoes when the motor refused to start and battery went pretty flat trying. No fun climbing down and did not have my safety harness and almost getting close to 60!!! Anyway when I released the bottom of water collector on main fuel filter it was clearly under vaccum as it took in air rather than fuel coming out - so lift pump working well but no fuel in line. So even though fuel flow returned when blown out with compressed air I decided that looking in the tank would be a good idea. Seeing what I found a great idea. But lead shot in fuel tank - is it meant to be an anode for the steel to prevent rust or was it some malicious act???????????? Willie if you are there have you ever heard of this??????? Lead is removed at the moment and will go back without - I can always drop it in again but in a stainless cage if I do to prevent getting in the pick up pipe. Thanks anyone and everyone whoever has heard or seen this and knows a reason or not??? MX45.
G'day MX45 i would also really like to know this as we dont put lead shot in any of our fuel tanks that we fit to our loaders, but then again we are not using stainless steel , but i would have thought if they used a high grade stainless it should not even need a anode as i dont think it would get electrolysis in the tank.
Whoops if I did not say it right - just putting in prospective way of putting lead in without getting stuck in pick up pipe by wrapping in larger stainless steel cage - actual fuel tank is steel. MX45
MX45 If the tank had vacuum when the problem happened your vent must be plugged. If there's is to much vacuum the lift pump cannot pump fuel. Maybe you have two issues here.
Thanks Oarwhat but actually tank has two vents - one that goes through tank cap and also other vent - both clear - however compressed air was faster feed than vents could handle and so fuel flushed back out of pipe when compressed air released form purging fuel supply line. As I say fuel supply line gave the big bang when purged with compressed air - so something gave whether it be the wooden dip stick, the anchor chain for the fuel cap or the lead shot blocking the fuel pipe I dont know. Fuel supply line was dry as a bone when detached prior to purge with compressed air. On the lead shot/coins - I have researched the net and see that some theories exist that this type of metal additive supposedly effects the fuel octane level and fuel combustability, etc. MX45