Water in Fuel light?

[Penmaenmawr]

Having been long parked without being started, and recently just run short distances and not having time to warm up, the 345 has been running a little rough. This didn't surprise me, since she'll have been running very rich. Today when I started her, the "Water in Fuel" light came on. Somewhere deep in my brain I thought I read that this only is fitted to diesel engined vehicles, and mine is gas. Does this light function in the 454 engined vehicles? Mine is a '88 chassis. (I'm going to add some DriGas or similar in any case).

[idroba]

My '83, 310 gas also had a water in fuel light which came on (and went off) all by itself and for no reason. I opened the plug at the bottom of the tank and there was no water to drain out. I finally got tired of seeing it come on randomly and removed the bulb.

[3 Dog Nite]

You can get water in your gas tank. This will happen to a vehicle that sits for a long time. This happens when there is less than a full tank. Warm humid air gets into the tank during the day. The temperature drops over night. The humid air creates condensation on the inside of the tank and drips down into the gas. Repeat this every day from the last time you drove till the time you're driving now. The less gas in the tank when parked makes more condensation while parked. The gas doesn't mix with the water, it floats on top. Just add some dry gas to your tank when you drive again. I think dry gas goes by the name of HEAT now. The alcohol molecules will attach to the water molecules and take them out through the engine.

[oliver00]

The light may be for a Diesel equipped coach. My 89 had the same light but no switch to turn it on.

[Penmaenmawr]

Thanks oliver00 and Idroba, that pretty much confirms what I thought. The strange thing is that I had been thinking to myself just minutes before that maybe I should get DriGas (Heat I guess). So maybe it doesn't need a switch, maybe it is telepathic and anxiety-based..... there might be other anxiety-based warning lights that appear, like "Check your Fly", or "Did you turn the water heater off?", or maybe "Is there eggyolk on your beard?".

[bkahler]

As a side note on the water in gas light, our 1984 454 powered 310 has the same problem with the light. It comes on at random times for no apparent reason.

For another side note, the 1986 454 powered 345 that I dismantled last year had a fuel tank marked diesel fuel only.

It's my guess Airstream bought all of their chassis with diesel fuel tanks.

Brad

[cwf]

Ya mite consider...


http://m.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/s...4&ci_sku=94134

Fuel water separator and filter...

[tony6373]

I have this problem with my '85 diesel also. The PO said that it was the wire leading to the sensor. The sensor is in the very bottom of the tank and subject to water being splashed up on it. I suspect that the sensor is too sensitive and may even be tripped by high humidity. PO solved the problem by sticking a piece of duct tape over the light. Someday when all my other problems are solved I'll try rewiring and shielding the sensor.

[ravi]

Originally Posted by 3 Dog Nite

You can get water in your gas tank. This will happen to a vehicle that sits for a long time. This happens when there is less than a full tank. Warm humid air gets into the tank during the day. The temperature drops over night. The humid air creates condensation on the inside of the tank and drips down into the gas. Repeat this every day from the last time you drove till the time you're driving now. The less gas in the tank when parked makes more condensation while parked. The gas doesn't mix with the water, it floats on top. Just add some dry gas to your tank when you drive again. I think dry gas goes by the name of HEAT now. The alcohol molecules will attach to the water molecules and take them out through the engine.

I think what 3 Dog Nite said is perfectly logical to me. We have ethanol in our fuels. Ethanol attracts water. I don't believe the water is just in our tanks, it's also in the tanks at the gas station. I've had to learn not to ignore the light the hard way. Driving through mountains can really exacerbate the problem. I've been adding an ethanol stabilizer for quite some time now. I used Sta-bil ethanol treatment. I also used a Lucas fuel cleaner to help. Finally, I've been using Sta-bil marine ethanol fuel stabilizer with incredible results. My engine sounds so smooth now. I add 1 oz to every 10 gallons. If I add 40 gallons additional to the tank, I just add four ounces more of the stuff. It increases my gas mileage significantly as well. It has helped me tremendously, especially because my '89 is a carbureted engine. I don't believe this effects fuel injected as much but whenever I add it to my '04 truck it runs smoother too.