Whiteish cloudy fuel in the fuel filters?

[TRP]

Hey Gang,

I went to run my cart today and it ran great for about 3 minutes, then it just slowed to a stop. I opened the lid and found I had fuel, but the fuel filters both had murky cloudy whitish fluid in them. I dumped them both out, and tried again - same result. I looked in the tank, and didn't see any obvious signs of water in the tank.

Just last weekend, before I took the cart to the club, I changed both fuel filters and it ran great for over a half an hour, two days in a row. Now, after sitting out there for a week, I go to run it, and it totally dies.

Any idea what it could be?

Thanks guys,
Ted

[shoelessjoe]

First thing I would check is the vaccum pulse line coming off the engine. Make sure it isn't full of oil. If it is you could have sucked some oil up into your fuel.

[nobuckbuild]

WELCOME to the ethanol nightmare , you probably have ethanol phase sep. , just this past week i had to drain everything the mowers the golf carts everything with an engine here had to be drained due to the ethanol breaking and absorbing water , we had three inches of rain last week and even though everything was covered up the ethanol just soaked it up out of two gallons of gas i had a full quart of water. get a glass jar and pull the fuel line off the carb and put it in the jar and crank the engine till it fills up the jar , you'll be able to tell within a few minutes when you see all the water at the bottom of the jar with the gas on top , like a lava lamp. also the water hitting the filters will not let gas pass through so you may need to replace them again. good luck keep us posted

[clubcarjeff]

:

Originally Posted by nobuckbuild

WELCOME to the ethanol nightmare , you probably have ethanol phase sep. , just this past week i had to drain everything the mowers the golf carts everything with an engine here had to be drained due to the ethanol breaking and absorbing water , we had three inches of rain last week and even though everything was covered up the ethanol just soaked it up out of two gallons of gas i had a full quart of water. get a glass jar and pull the fuel line off the carb and put it in the jar and crank the engine till it fills up the jar , you'll be able to tell within a few minutes when you see all the water at the bottom of the jar with the gas on top , like a lava lamp. also the water hitting the filters will not let gas pass through so you may need to replace them again. good luck keep us posted

[Streetbu]

I manage a small engine shop and you sir have phase separation caused by Ethanol. Use MARINE STABIL ALL THE TIME and it will HELP the issue ALOT. All of the additives sya they "fix" the ethanol problem but I don't believe them. I've used the Marine Stabil for 4 years now and only had 1 issue. It only works for a maximum of 2 years, I had a generator that sat for 4 years and still had the problem even after being treated.

[TRP]

So, what's the fix? Replace the two fuel filters - and then what? Pour i some stabil? Or do I need to drain the tank, chuck that gas, and then start with new gas and the stabil?

The fuel in the tank looks fine. It's just the two fuel paper element fuel filters have the murky fluid in them.

T

[Streetbu]

Personally I'd drain the whole tank including the hose and carb float bowl. I've seen people let them sit for a day or two with out even being bumped (stirring causes it to mix together) and just drain the water out, but with the way the fuel pickups are on top of the tank you can't usually do it...

[TRP]

That's what I was afraid of. How do you drain the float bowl on a 1988 club car? is there a 'drain' on the carb?

(Forgive my simpleton question - the cart is not here in front of me...)

T

[Streetbu]

Should be a bolt in the middle of the float bowl on the bottom that you remove and the bowl will come right off.

[TRP]

Okey doke. I'm back with an update on this issue.

I drained the fuel tank. Sure enough there was something in the fuel. It smelled foul and tasted just as bad. :)

I replaced the fuel filters and swapped in new gas, put fuel stabilizer and water eater stuff in the new fuel. I drained the float bowl as well. The cart now runs well. In fact, it will now idle (something I was told the previous owner had configured the cart to do...) - I'm not really keen on that 'feature' though.

Now I'm getting a fuel leak out of the bowl. :(

I'm guessing there should be a rubber gasket for that float bowl. I tried to feel around up under the carb for a gasket, but couldn't find one. I guess I'll need to order a replacement.

I'll call the guys up in Martinez, CA. They are a local'ish club car dealer. They will be able to get me the part quicker than any of the site sponsors.

Thanks gang,
Ted