On a 500 mile drive to DC on Sunday, started developing a miss at all speeds and idle - no codes, no smoke, rig started fine, but the miss was getting worse. On a reference from TiminVA, took the truck in to Huff nPuff (DTR member) in Springfield VA. He started running fuel issues to ground, and was concerned about excess air in the fuel. When he dropped the tank to examine fuel pickup, he found what looked like thin plastic/rubber pieces in the tank and a layer of the same coating the baffle When wet, the stuff looks like plastic rubbed off a coated surface, when it dries, looks like very thin latex (white to clear). This trash had obviously partially plugged the pickup filters and tube, and was causing the problem. Question is, where did it come from?
The only thing we can deduce is that the fuel/additive combo (s) I have run either started breaking down/delaminating the plastic baffle, or there is some type of a chemical reaction between the fuel/additives that created the stuff. Below is a list of additives I have run over the last four months - anyone have any insight as to whether or not any of these can cause this type of reaction? Or any ideas as to how I can find out?

Additives used (not all together!)

16 oz PS/MMO per tank (3:1)
Seafoam Injector cleaner per manufacturers instructions
Mopar Diesel Injector Cleaner
BG Diesel additive (not the cleaner)
Howe's Meaner Cleaner
Howe's Diesel Additive

TIA!

 

did you ever run biodiesel?

 

Never a drop. If does sound like the same effect, though.

 

Regardless of what was found in the tank...none of it should by-pass the fuel flter. If the filter is relatively clean, the problem lies elswhere. Additives, unless dumped in massive quantities, will not cause those symptoms.

 

Have you been buying fuel from the same place all the time? Maybe bad fuel from an untried source?

 

It's also possible the "trash" was present in the additive container. When you dumped the additive in the tank you also dumped in the trash. The odds of a reaction between the fuel in your tank and the additives you are using are possible but very, very slim.

 

Sounds like the cleaning effect that bio-diesel has on the fuel system. Maybe the additives did the same thing. I observed a trial of bio-diesel on a fleet of municipal buses back in the late 90's. We had a similiar problem with the scum build up in the tanks coming loose and clogging the filters. It looked like what you are describing.

 

.... or some-one put somthin gin your tank. and it took a while for symptoms to show up. but also i have seen some weird stuff come out of a pump!

 

Jim wasn't implying the additives caused the symtoms directly.He was asking if the additives were creating a plastic like debris that adhered to the baffle only and not the tank,it can actually be pealed of the baffle in the tank.This debris is what clogged the suction line in the tank that caused the symptoms missing lack of power & smoking.