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I have a reserve gas tank mid-aft that I seldom - if ever use. I switched the tank over (half full), and I ran out of gas shortly thereafter. I later found the tank filter (glass type) completely clogged with brown rusty mud. I cleaned it and thought nothing of it, even though it smelled nothing like gasoline, and the dark color that I figured may be from rust accumulation deposits in the tank. I added another paper filter just before the fuel pump to catch any finer rust debris (or mud) that may get past the glass screen at the tank.
So I drove it a few days on that "punky" gas, and recall a sqeak-squeak engine noise that started at about 55mph, and quit sqeaking when I backed off to about 50mph . I logically took that to be a slippery or loose power steering belt..
The next morning when I went out to start the truck ( cold fast idle) , it clanked and hammered for a bit, and then ran like it lost spark on one of the cylinders. I later found the bent intake pushrod in the valley pan, and further found the valve sticking near the closing of the valve. The spring could return the valve closed sometimes, and I figured the valve was bent slightly also, and that there should be piston damage along with the valve and the pushrod.
The engine is still disassembled, and I did not find any piston or head damage, nor any marks whatsoever. The sticking valve was not ever bent, but it was "glued" in the guide with a lightly tan varnish that took some twisting and pulling to free out of the head. After cleaning the stem and guide with acetone, it spun around freely in the .001-2" guide clearance like it should.
Can that old stale gasoline do that to a valve - and are there any other examples to confirm what appears to be what happened here BAD GAS ?
Yes, it sure can. I was brought a T-Bird w/ fresh 390 that bent 2 push rods. "Fresh" being about 10 years ago. Ran great then I was told. Same gas now was not too good, to say the least! New push rods fixed 'r up. The entire fuel system was flushed out. Never heard from them again.
Rezvani's Latest Post-Apocalyptic Monster Is a Ford F-150 Raptor Underneath
Slideshow: Called the Fortress, the 850-horsepower pickup combines Raptor underpinnings with military-inspired features, survival equipment, and a starting price of $285,000.
