water in the gas?

[uglyvaliant]

If your car started to run pretty crappy out of the blue, and found that in order to get it to run you needed to advance the timing...even then, it would "buck" on occassion, run hotter, feel like an inconssitent miss with NO backfiring...

...would you suspect water in the gas?

I'll be checking for this in a little bit (way too hot now)...who else thinks this may be the case?

[robot]

You used to be able to buy a test for water in gas. It came in a tube similar to a Semichrome tube (small tube) and was a thick paste. You smeared some on a stick and dipped it into the gas. If water was present, it changed color.......havent seen it in some time....do they still sell it a the auto supply?

Otherwise, you could run the gas thru a chamois.....

[drg84]

Unhook the fuel line, crank it a few times untill you get about 1/2 cup of gas. If theres water, itll show.

[R Pope]

Haven't you guys ever heard of gas line anti-freeze? Methyl alcohol emulsifies water and lets it go through the fuel system with no ill effects, unless you're talking gallons of the stuff.

[383 chev]

yeah but do u need it if there is no water in the gas though pope

[383 chev]

I was gonna say that Denny but....

[R Pope]

Alcohol in gas doesn't bother anything if there's no water, it might even up the octane of this crap they sell us for gas these days. And no, I wasn't joking!

[Hurst01]

I have used gas line antifreeze many times in my younger days to dissipate water in the fuel system. It worked very well. It DOES depend on how much water you have though on how effective it is. It is also referred to as gas line dryer.
Ed

[uglyvaliant]

You guys are cracking me up...

so tomorrow, as originally planned for today, I'll be doing exactly that...unhooking the fuel filter and pumping into a glass to see if water does in fact settle....

...but what I REALLY want to know (since I've seemingly ruled out ANYTHING with the ignition) is DO YOU THINK THERE WILL BE WATER BASED ON THE SYMTOMS I'VE DESCRIBED? GOSH!

[drg84]

Yes. Or No. Actually, theres a chance that theres water in the gas. And should you find water, replace the fuel filter. Chances are its damaged.

[R Pope]

Water can't make it necessary to advance the timing. It will get in the filter and stop the flow of gas, leaning the mixture to the point that the engine won't run, or get in a jet and cause that half to stop working right. Your symptoms sound more like bad plugs or wires.