got 35 gallons this morning going to Yuma, after 40 miles engine started running rough/missing a lot.

drained 1/2 quart water/rust out of separator. ran ok, then had to do it again.

did this for the next 160 miles.

had to use my spare filter.

called petro and talked briefly with the manager, she said she'd get back with me.

what can i expect from petro ?

i expect another tank of clean fuel and a new filter at a minimum, i still have 1/2 tank of bad fuel i dont want to circulate through my engine. will they pay for service ??

thanxx

 

They should at a minimum replace the fuel and your filters. Keep your receipt and it should make the Kingman paper...a lot of truckers fill-up at the Iron Skillet (if that is the one I am thinking of just of Exit 66). If you have anything done as far as fuel pumping, get receipts and keep a sample of the fuel. You might contact ABF (Arizona Best Freight) and find out if they had any problems with their trucks that filled up there.

Oh yeah, if you have to go after them for the bill, Petro is owned by TravelCenters of America (TA).

 

this morning talked with "jesse" the manager at PETRO. He said they hadn't had any other complaints about water in their diesel so my problem must not be their fault. He added that unless they received several complaints they wouldn't do anything.

He was going to have to wait until he heard from "corporate" to do anything, but he already knew their response.

I guess I'm imagining the water in my diesel or I fueled up at the water spigot and PETRO charged me $2.31/gallon for it.

I filled up in Flagstaff a week ago, the truck has been running fine. I topped off at PETRO in Kingman and had a problem 60 miles later. I drained 1/2 quart of water out of the separator and had to do this every 40 miles for the next 160 miles, the whole time the truck didn't run like it should. I changed to my spare filter/separator halfway home in case it was clogged. just found water, not much if any sediment to clog filter.

now it's parked in Yuma and will barely start. I've got 1/2 tank of bad diesel and the saddle tank is also contaminated as I put 20 gallons into it.

 

Dude,sorry to hear that they will not help,that being said,pump out the remaining fuel(I had to use a wet vac and remove about 30 gal. of a diesel/chitty bio fuel mix)and cut your losses and any future side of the highway down time.Just my .02 worth
Phil

 

I wouldn't advise using a wet vac to remove fuel. Unless you are sure that the electrical components of the vac are intrinsically safe. It would suck to burn up your truck trying to get bad fuel out of the tanks.

 

I'd siphon the fuel out of both tanks, then I'd drop the tank and clean it out. While you have the tank down do the Hutch & Harpoon mods (make lemonade out of lemons). Then I'd disconnect the fuel line at the fuel pump (both in & out). Then I'd used compressed air to remove all the fuel/water/rust in the lines (cleaning the screen on input side of the pump too, if I remember correctly). Then being the cheapskate that I am, I'd decant the fuel from the water/rust after sitting overnight (leaving a few gallons at the bottom of the storage container(s) and put the fuel back in the truck (this may not be the most popular suggestion, but I'd do it before trying to dispose of nearly 60 gallons of fuel). Cycle the key until the fuel bowl fills without trying to start it. After the bowl is full, fire her up!

BTW, I'd contact major trucking company shops to find out if they had any problems in their trucks AFTER filling up at Petro...not saying the manager is lying, but I'd want to know for myself.

 

Thanks for the advice.

I have eliminated the prefilter and recirc valve in the tank and replaced with SS tubing, have not cut off the filler/vent tubes. I have eliminated all the "push on" connections. don't want to pull the tank again in order to do the vent thing.

I have an aftermarket filter/water separator after the pump, before the fuel bowl. I have eliminated the OEM filter from the fuel bowl.

As a side note: the fuel not only has brown rusty water in it, about 1/5th by volume, but the normally bright green fuel is a milky green.

I am 300 miles away from home, visiting family. everything I need to do this myself is on the other side of the state. I checked with one of the instant oil change places here in Yuma and it'll be $ 80.00 to drain the tank.

I am starting my personal crusade against PETRO.