I know that I am a pain but need some help - Sediment bowl

[Mike S]

I just got my carburetor rebuilt, and it is on the way back here. I have some extremely fine rust particles that I see after filtering some of the fuel through a coffee filter (very fine) while the carb is off the vehicle. I've spent a lot of money so far and want to make due with what I have for now rather than replacing the fuel tank. This vehicle has a Sediment bowl on it, and before I reinstall the carb, should I try to clean out the sediment bowl? If so, how does one clean/empty the part, or should I just empty the gas tank and remove the sediment bowl and rebuild it? I intend to install an in-line filter to prevent the fine rust particles from getting to the carb, but should I clean this part out first? I hate to keep bothering you folks, but I am trying to learn what to do.

Thanks,

Mike

[Norman Kling]

With gravity flow, an in line filter will be too restrictive and can cause fuel restrictions when going fast or going uphill with open throttle. Best to take off the tank and slosh it around a lot and refill with clean gas. If the tank is rusty, you night need to take it to a radiator shop and have it boiled out.
There is a fine screen inside the sediment bulb which is supposed to filter out fine particles at the outlet of the bulb so that they will drain out when you open the petcock at the bottom.
Norm

[A Whiteman]

Hi Mike, thanks for asking, the only dumb question is the one you didn't ask! We are more than happy to help out where we can.

I would second Norman, better to do a tank clean especially if you have spent a lot so far. An inline filter will cause fuel starvation problems.

1) remove the tank, slosh around a cleaning agent (read gasoline) and drain out the liquid carefully to get the sediment out (only your time, can take some of that),
2) if rusty
2 a) try a shop to clean it out (possibly a modest cost).
2 b) One of my tanks had a light rust coating inside so I put smallish gravel (yes) in the tank and rotated and sloshed for an extended time, then drained and spent another long time to get the gravel out again. I then sealed the tank inside with a product - there are a few threads here on what is the best with alcohol fuel you have in the States. (mostly your time plus the cost of the product if you choose to use it).
3) remove the sediment bulb, disassemble it and clearn and replace the gauze filter (only your time and a modest cost for a replacement filter. There are a lot of threads here on sealing it up again!)

It is a pain to do but will be well worth while and save you a ton of headaches with on going grit-in-fuel problems (advice is based on experience ).

All the best

[mtntee20]

With Ethanol (alcohol) fuel, once your tank starts to rust there are only 2 options: Replace the tank or Clean and seal the tank. As stated above, you can do it your self or have it done professionally. IF you have it done, they should give you some kind of warranty. If the tank rusts again, you'll have a warranty to rely on.

[big2bird]

Mr Whiteman is spot on. Is it a PITA? Yes.
Stalling all the time is worse.

At least drain it, pull off the sediment bowl and snoop around.

Shine a flashlight in there. No drop cords.

[speedytinc]

There is supposed to be a screen in that valve. Remove the bottom fitting to access/clean it. Being a repop valve, it may not be there.
When you drain the valve do you get a bunch of rust flakes?
I would not be so fast to pull the tank. The sediment bowl screen is designed to filter any chunks large enough to be a problem.
Normally an in line filter is bad news on a T. Not so much on an improved model. Head pressure is already much higher than an under seat gas tank. You could try one, but the internal sediment screen should be enough.

I am not a fan of tank coating. Seen too many failures & then you have a bigger mess, thinner wallet & have to replace the tank.
I have had a similar rust issue on a tank. After cleaning the filter a few times, adding an inlet screen & a bit of ATF on occasion, the problem went away.

Your questions are interesting. I hope most of our answers are useful.

[Jerry VanOoteghem]

There is supposed to be a screen in that valve. Remove the bottom fitting to access/clean it. Being a repop valve, it may not be there.
When you drain the valve do you get a bunch of rust flakes?
I would not be so fast to pull the tank. The sediment bowl screen is designed to filter any chunks large enough to be a problem.
Normally an in line filter is bad news on a T. Not so much on an improved model. Head pressure is already much higher than an under seat gas tank. You could try one, but the internal sediment screen should be enough.

I am not a fan of tank coating. Seen too many failures & then you have a bigger mess, thinner wallet & have to replace the tank.
I have had a similar rust issue on a tank. After cleaning the filter a few times, adding an inlet screen & a bit of ATF on occasion, the problem went away.

Your questions are interesting. I hope most of our answers are useful.

+1^^

[TXGOAT2]

If you elect to remove the tank and put pea gravel, BBs marbles, or whatever in it, then shake and slosh it, do not use gasoline. Use plain water or plain water with a quart of rubbing alcohol in it. When done, rinse the tank with plain water and shake all the gravel, etc out, then rinse with a quart of rubbing alcohol and let dry for several days.

[TXGOAT2]

A sediment bowl that is working properly will prevent most issues.

[John kuehn]

Three things : Gas your putting in your car from a can that’s got dirty gas in it.
Your sediment bowl is getting stopped up or is passing contaminated gas and
not filtering it good enough.
Or the obvious is your gas tank needs to be removed and cleaned out and
needs to be removed and cleaned or replaced.
My opinion.

[Scott_Conger]

Assuming you are running an NH or a Vaporizer, and the tiny particles are more like dust than flakes, follow advice SpeedyT gave, use your shut-off when not driving and don't worry about it.

These carbs can digest quite a bit and do not have fine jets like more expensive period carbs and there is nothing to clog up if the particulate is very small. You may have a float valve weep a bit if some gets on the seat but that's why you ALWAYS use the shut-off valve with gravity feed carbs anyway.

Drain the sediment bowl occasionally and drain the carb bowl occasionally and in short order the amount of material you see should slow way down if you keep the car in service.

In the early days of Model T's, the advice from the manufacturer was to always filter your fuel with a cloth so as to filter out dirt and sticks from the gasoline. Believe me, your carb has very likely seen worse than what you are describing.

[Mike S]

Thanks everyone. My '27 is new to me as are these cars. I don't know what is involved in replacing the fuel tank, it is just behind the dash, and since I am new to this, I am almost afraid to take that project on. There are not any big flakes, just microscopic flakes, and a not a lot, but enough to concern me about interfering with the operation of the carb. I got this car two weeks ago and have so far replaced the timer, both adjusted the coils (thanks George) and got a new set. I replaced the spark plugs, and yesterday I replaced the muffler.

On top of all that, I had to buy an enclosed trailer to take the car places that I want to go. I spent almost as much on the trailer and the associated stuff to make it appropriate for the car.

I don't know what the previous owner did with the car or, more properly, he didn't do, that concerns me. I would opt to try and reduce my investment at this point, but I'm not opposed to replacing the fuel tank if needed. I only mentioned the inline fuel filter to limit my issues right now until I can at least get it running.

This is a cool car and I just want it to run for now.

Can anyone point me in the direction of how involved replacing the fuel tank would be?

Thanks for helping me, very much!

[Mike S]

Three things : Gas your putting in your car from a can that’s got dirty gas in it.
Your sediment bowl is getting stopped up or is passing contaminated gas and
not filtering it good enough.
Or the obvious is your gas tank needs to be removed and cleaned out and
needs to be removed and cleaned or replaced.
My opinion.

I only put a gallon or two of fresh non-ethanol gas in it. It had gas in it previously. Should I drain all that and see what I have?

[Scott_Conger]

we both posted at the same time...read my above post and get a good night's sleep.

You don't want to pull the tank and from what you've posted, you don't need to pull the tank

[perry kete]

Here is a breakdown of the sediment bowl. It has very fine screens in it that can get blocked up and it will need to be taken apart and cleaned.

[JohnM]

Pulling the tank and cleaning it is good advice if that is what you want to do. But you sound like you would rather do no more than you need to. With a flashlight, inspect inside the tank, if it's real bad you will see large flakes of rust loose on the bottom. In that case you should pull and clean the tank. If not, then turn off the gas at the sediment bowl, then drain it and remove the lower part that contains the filter screen. How much debris is in it? Is it even there? (I've seen that before) If there is very little debris and the screen is tight and not bent out of shape I would not be afraid to use it as is. Anything that can pass through the screen will cause nothing more than a hiccup. I would drive your T and when you put gas in, drain and check the filter. If It fills up with debris fast, it's time to pull the tank. If very little, I would enjoy the ride.

[DHort]

gas filter1.jpg (3.75 KiB) Viewed 341 times

I would consider using one of these. $7.50 at Langs.
Item #2903CSC

[JohnM]

Dang You guys, I can't type that fast on this little screen.

[Mike S]

I'll follow the advice to see what I can accomplish. I am assuming that the bottom of the bowl has a gasket. If I remove it, would I need to order a new gasket?

Can I just unscrew the bottom drain plug to see what comes out?

[TRDxB2]

I have some extremely fine rust particles that I see after filtering some of the fuel through a coffee filter (very fine) while the carb is off the vehicle. I've spent a lot of money so far and want to make due with what I have for now rather than replacing the fuel tank. This vehicle has a Sediment bowl on it, and before I reinstall the carb, should I try to clean out the sediment bowl? If so, how does one clean/empty the part, or should I just empty the gas tank and remove the sediment bowl and rebuild it? I intend to install an in-line filter to prevent the fine rust particles from getting to the carb, but should I clean this part out first? I hate to keep bothering you folks, but I am trying to learn what to do.

Thanks,

Mike

If it were me, I wouldn't make a big project out of a potentially little one. First thing would be to clean the sediment bulb (have replacements parts on hand). What you see could be a disintegrated filter screen. Removing the filter to see whats is in it. Then drain the tank through the coffee filter to what you get. Small particles shouldn't pass through the filter if it was there. Look into the tank to see if there's rust
https://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/7 ... 1485344026

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You could use an aftermarket filters (sediment bulb or in line filter) for a while to see if there's more particles. Could be you got bad gas to start with.

[John kuehn]

Buy the new sediment screen from Lang’s and a new gasket. Do as mentioned above and hope that takes care of it.
Order tomorrow for peace of mind and do it.
That’s where you start from and see if it helps and if it does you solved your issue.

[Mike S]

I sent my carb off to Jim Potter and he said that all three of the passages were pretty clogged up. It is on the way back here and I am just trying to prevent future issues. By the way, Jim was fabulous. He got it on Thursday and he will send it out tomorrow morning.

I just don't know too much about this but I maybe should take the sediment bowl off (or drain it first) to see what is there. I think that I will go ahead and order the replacement screen from Langs and the drain the fuel tank and replace it with non-ethanol fuel.

I'm just gun-shy about what to do.

[Scott_Conger]

Remarkable all the advice to buy a new screen...

Modern day Repro bowl hasn't been taken apart yet and even so, folks know the screen is a: ruined, or b: missing, or c: cannot possibly be cleaned as it was designed to be cleaned. How easy it is to spend OPM!

FWIW - during the course of owning your "T", if you buy every part you will have suggested over the coming years, you will end up with 2 "T"s in the garage...this car and the car that will be the sum of the parts you're told you needed to buy. These cars require basic maintenance and removing and cleaning the fuel screen is one of those maintenance items that rarely involves new parts.

[Mike S]

Remarkable all the advice to buy a new screen...

Modern day Repro bowl hasn't been taken apart yet and even so, folks know the screen is a: ruined, or b: missing, or c: cannot possibly be cleaned as it was designed to be cleaned. How easy it is to spend OPM!

FWIW - during the course of owning your "T", if you buy every part you will have suggested over the coming years, you will end up with 2 "T"s in the garage...this car and the car that will be the sum of the parts you're told you needed to buy. These cars require basic maintenance and removing and cleaning the fuel screen is one of those maintenance items that rarely involves new parts.

Thanks!

[Dan Hatch]

Have not read all this, but again I see what looks like a basement/ garage.
Is there a gas water heater or gas furnace in there with the T?
They don’t mix, Be very careful. Dan

[OilyBill]

Removing the gas tank on a 26/27 is REALLY not that hard. You might want to order replacement rub strips, and a new piece of cardboard for the front, to reduce noise and prevent any damage to the tank. The straps themselves are not that hard to remove. You will need to remove the drain valve, petcock assembly from the tank prior to removing the tank, also there is a small pipe that drains any spilled fuel that you will have to remove as well.

Once the tank is out, drain it and then wash it out with dish soap and water. Agitate the tank to remove as much dirt as you can. Then rinse the tank with rubbing alcohol and water, and repeat the agitation. Then drain the tank and let it dry out for a day or so.

Do NOT coat the inside of the tank. It will bring nothing but trouble.

Block off the tank openings and pour in a couple gallons of "EVAPORUST". Let the tank sit for a day in ANY position. The next day, rotate it so that the next position is covered with the EVAPORUST. Just slowly rotating the tank around the horizontal axis will be fine. You can look through the filler to see where the liquid level is at, and adjust accordingly. The goal is to have rotated the tank so the Evaporust has a chance to act on all the wall surface areas in the tank. Any rusty sediment will be completely dissolved during this process, and the inside metal of the tank will be completely clean. If your rust problem is minimal, you can probably turn the tank several times a day. The Evaporust gets RIGHT to work. I have had metal parts clean in only a few hours, but I usually let them sit until the next day. When you have accomplished this, drain the Evaporust out of the gas tank, into a bucket or back into the Evaporust containers and store it for further use. Even if the Evaporust looks dirty, it will still have PLENTY of rust removing power left. I use it until it is black and gunky, and no longer has an effect on rust. Then I know it is used up, and can be flushed down any drain. It has NO environmental consequences, as all you are pouring is a mixture of water and iron oxide that has been removed from the parts you put in it.

Now, once again, run a solution of rubbing alcohol and water into the tank, and agitate it again. By this stage, it should be squeaky clean! Drain the rinse mix out, and open all the openings in the tank, and let the tank dry out for a couple of days. You should now have a tank that is free of all rust and all dirt. Once you put the gas tank back in the car, and put some gasoline in it, you should have no further problems with rust, if you hit your sump drain occasionally, and remove any water that shows up. Water WILL show up, but if you drain your sump once a week or so, you will have ended your rust problems for as long as you own your car.

The water and rubbing alcohol are cheap. Get it at Walgreens or Walmart on sale. The Evaporust is the only real expense. I think it is about $25 per gallon now. I buy it in 5 gallon drums, and it costs me less than $100 for a 5 gallon bucket of it, at O"Reilly's Auto Parts. It may be a special order for your store, but they can get it. DON"T have it shipped, but pick it up at the store. They ship to their stores for free, and then it only costs you pennies to go down and pick it up. My local store usually has it for me by 4 pm of the same day I order it, if I have called in the order by 10 am or so. Most Harbor Freights only carry it in 1 gallon jugs, so you can buy it there if you only want to get a couple gallons for your gas tank. But once you put some other parts in it, you will be amazed and will wish you had bought the 5 gallon bucket to begin with. (For one thing, the 5 gallon bucket is it's OWN soak tank for metal parts, whereas with the 1 gallon jug, you still have to get an oil drain pan or small bucket or pail to use it.) I use a protein shake plastic bottle to clean small parts, as it takes only a quart or so to give you enough solution to hold a bunch of small parts, hardware, carb parts, etc, etc, and you can keep better track of the parts using a smaller bottle, even down to the size of a peanut butter jar.

Good luck with your gas tank! Do it once, do it right, and never worry about it again. That is the cheapest and best way to do everything, when it comes to a Model T, especially!

[OilyBill]

Removing the gas tank on a 26/27 is REALLY not that hard. You might want to order replacement rub strips, and a new piece of cardboard for the front, to reduce noise and prevent any damage to the tank. The straps themselves are not that hard to remove. You will need to remove the drain valve, petcock assembly from the tank prior to removing the tank, also there is a small pipe that drains any spilled fuel that you will have to remove as well.

Once the tank is out, drain it and then wash it out with dish soap and water. Agitate the tank to remove as much dirt as you can. Then rinse the tank with rubbing alcohol and water, and repeat the agitation. Then drain the tank and let it dry out for a day or so.

Do NOT coat the inside of the tank. It will bring nothing but trouble.

Block off the tank openings and pour in a couple gallons of "EVAPORUST". Let the tank sit for a day in ANY position. The next day, rotate it so that the next position is covered with the EVAPORUST. Just slowly rotating the tank around the horizontal axis will be fine. You can look through the filler to see where the liquid level is at, and adjust accordingly. The goal is to have rotated the tank so the Evaporust has a chance to act on all the wall surface areas in the tank. Any rusty sediment will be completely dissolved during this process, and the inside metal of the tank will be completely clean. If your rust problem is minimal, you can probably turn the tank several times a day. The Evaporust gets RIGHT to work. I have had metal parts clean in only a few hours, but I usually let them sit until the next day. When you have accomplished this, drain the Evaporust out of the gas tank, into a bucket or back into the Evaporust containers and store it for further use. Even if the Evaporust looks dirty, it will still have PLENTY of rust removing power left. I use it until it is black and gunky, and no longer has an effect on rust. Then I know it is used up, and can be flushed down any drain. It has NO environmental consequences, as all you are pouring is a mixture of water and iron oxide that has been removed from the parts you put in it.

Now, once again, run a solution of rubbing alcohol and water into the tank, and agitate it again. By this stage, it should be squeaky clean! Drain the rinse mix out, and open all the openings in the tank, and let the tank dry out for a couple of days. You should now have a tank that is free of all rust and all dirt. Once you put the gas tank back in the car, and put some gasoline in it, you should have no further problems with rust, if you hit your sump drain occasionally, and remove any water that shows up. Water WILL show up, but if you drain your sump once a week or so, you will have ended your rust problems for as long as you own your car.

The water and rubbing alcohol are cheap. Get it at Walgreens or Walmart on sale. The Evaporust is the only real expense. I think it is about $25 per gallon now. I buy it in 5 gallon drums, and it costs me less than $100 for a 5 gallon bucket of it, at O"Reilly's Auto Parts. It may be a special order for your store, but they can get it. DON"T have it shipped, but pick it up at the store. They ship to their stores for free, and then it only costs you pennies to go down and pick it up. My local store usually has it for me by 4 pm of the same day I order it, if I have called in the order by 10 am or so. Most Harbor Freights only carry it in 1 gallon jugs, so you can buy it there if you only want to get a couple gallons for your gas tank. But once you put some other parts in it, you will be amazed and will wish you had bought the 5 gallon bucket to begin with. (For one thing, the 5 gallon bucket is it's OWN soak tank for metal parts, whereas with the 1 gallon jug, you still have to get an oil drain pan or small bucket or pail to use it.) I use a protein shake plastic bottle to clean small parts, as it takes only a quart or so to give you enough solution to hold a bunch of small parts, hardware, carb parts, etc, etc, and you can keep better track of the parts using a smaller bottle, even down to the size of a peanut butter jar.

Good luck with your gas tank! Do it once, do it right, and never worry about it again. That is the cheapest and best way to do everything, when it comes to a Model T, especially!

[Mike S]

Have not read all this, but again I see what looks like a basement/ garage.
Is there a gas water heater or gas furnace in there with the T?
They don’t mix, Be very careful. Dan

Neither is an issue here. Once I get it finished, I am going to garage it elsewhere. Thanks!

[Mike S]

Removing the gas tank on a 26/27 is REALLY not that hard. You might want to order replacement rub strips, and a new piece of cardboard for the front, to reduce noise and prevent any damage to the tank. The straps themselves are not that hard to remove. You will need to remove the drain valve, petcock assembly from the tank prior to removing the tank, also there is a small pipe that drains any spilled fuel that you will have to remove as well.

Once the tank is out, drain it and then wash it out with dish soap and water. Agitate the tank to remove as much dirt as you can. Then rinse the tank with rubbing alcohol and water, and repeat the agitation. Then drain the tank and let it dry out for a day or so.

Do NOT coat the inside of the tank. It will bring nothing but trouble.

Block off the tank openings and pour in a couple gallons of "EVAPORUST". Let the tank sit for a day in ANY position. The next day, rotate it so that the next position is covered with the EVAPORUST. Just slowly rotating the tank around the horizontal axis will be fine. You can look through the filler to see where the liquid level is at, and adjust accordingly. The goal is to have rotated the tank so the Evaporust has a chance to act on all the wall surface areas in the tank. Any rusty sediment will be completely dissolved during this process, and the inside metal of the tank will be completely clean. If your rust problem is minimal, you can probably turn the tank several times a day. The Evaporust gets RIGHT to work. I have had metal parts clean in only a few hours, but I usually let them sit until the next day. When you have accomplished this, drain the Evaporust out of the gas tank, into a bucket or back into the Evaporust containers and store it for further use. Even if the Evaporust looks dirty, it will still have PLENTY of rust removing power left. I use it until it is black and gunky, and no longer has an effect on rust. Then I know it is used up, and can be flushed down any drain. It has NO environmental consequences, as all you are pouring is a mixture of water and iron oxide that has been removed from the parts you put in it.

Now, once again, run a solution of rubbing alcohol and water into the tank, and agitate it again. By this stage, it should be squeaky clean! Drain the rinse mix out, and open all the openings in the tank, and let the tank dry out for a couple of days. You should now have a tank that is free of all rust and all dirt. Once you put the gas tank back in the car, and put some gasoline in it, you should have no further problems with rust, if you hit your sump drain occasionally, and remove any water that shows up. Water WILL show up, but if you drain your sump once a week or so, you will have ended your rust problems for as long as you own your car.

The water and rubbing alcohol are cheap. Get it at Walgreens or Walmart on sale. The Evaporust is the only real expense. I think it is about $25 per gallon now. I buy it in 5 gallon drums, and it costs me less than $100 for a 5 gallon bucket of it, at O"Reilly's Auto Parts. It may be a special order for your store, but they can get it. DON"T have it shipped, but pick it up at the store. They ship to their stores for free, and then it only costs you pennies to go down and pick it up. My local store usually has it for me by 4 pm of the same day I order it, if I have called in the order by 10 am or so. Most Harbor Freights only carry it in 1 gallon jugs, so you can buy it there if you only want to get a couple gallons for your gas tank. But once you put some other parts in it, you will be amazed and will wish you had bought the 5 gallon bucket to begin with. (For one thing, the 5 gallon bucket is it's OWN soak tank for metal parts, whereas with the 1 gallon jug, you still have to get an oil drain pan or small bucket or pail to use it.) I use a protein shake plastic bottle to clean small parts, as it takes only a quart or so to give you enough solution to hold a bunch of small parts, hardware, carb parts, etc, etc, and you can keep better track of the parts using a smaller bottle, even down to the size of a peanut butter jar.

Good luck with your gas tank! Do it once, do it right, and never worry about it again. That is the cheapest and best way to do everything, when it comes to a Model T, especially!

Great information, Thanks!

[TXGOAT2]

^^^^^"I only put a gallon or two of fresh non-ethanol gas in it. It had gas in it previously. Should I drain all that and see what I have?"^^^^^^

Yes, you should drain it ALL. That's the first thing you ought to have done.

Stale gasoline may be the seat of your problem. Stale gasoline can cause a lot of issues, and it is often found in cars that have not been in regular use for some period of time. As for replacing various parts, it's very likely that the parts on the car were OK.

What to do now?

1. Do not remove the gas tank or fuel filter unless it is absolutely necessary.
2. DO drain ALL of the gasoline out of the tank. Do this outdoors.
3. Put about 2 gallons of fresh clean gasoline in the tank and let it sit overnight. Then drain all of it, outdoors, into a clean container while rocking the car to agitate the gasoline.
3. Be sure that the fuel filter screen is clean and in place and the gas shutoff valve is closed.
4. Put 5 gallons of clean, fresh gasoline in the tank, outdoors, then open the gas shutoff valve and open the drain valve on the carburetor bowl and allow about a quart of gasoline to flow into a clean container, then close the gas shutoff valve and the carburetor drain valve.
5. Open the gas shutoff valve and observe whether the carburetor overflows or not.
If it does not, start the car and drive around the neighborhood.
Dispose of the drained gasoline. Don't put it in anything and try to use it.

+++It would be EXTREMELY HELPFUL if you can have someone familiar with Model Ts to come to your location and look your car over and give some advice and assistance with starting, driving , and troubleshooting the car. From the looks of your car, there is very little wrong with it,if anything. Most Model T people are happy to assist new owners.

[TXGOAT2]

QUOTE: " I only put a gallon or two of fresh non-ethanol gas in it. It had gas in it previously. Should I drain all that and see what I have?"


The gas tank on this car may be clean. Don't take it out if it is not very dirty! From the look of the car, and the look of the gas filter bowl, the system is probably in good condition, but suffering from stale fuel and perhaps a little fine rust.

[Original Smith]

You might consider using the correct Ford elbow from the sediment bulb too. It would look much better.

[Norman Kling]

This thread is quite long so I will state something that might not be covered. It could be that silt or rust in the fuel is not the actual cause, but that it is the fuel itself. Some of our fuel gets thick like varnish if it is not used for a long time. If it is like that in your tank, or the line or carburetor, every thing must be cleaned out for the car to run properly. It is a good idea to take the car out for a run quite often to burn up the old fuel. There is a product called Stabil which some have used in their gas to keep it from doing this. I haven't used it myself, but I do rotate the cars and drive a few times a week to use the old fuel before this happens. If you do, however, measure the fuel level before you drive and anticipate whether you will be climbing any steep hills so the fuel level can be kept high enough that you don't stall going uphill. With the higher tank of the 26 you can usually climb must hills with a low amount in the tank. Even the Model A's had a few similar problems when going fast or going uphill if the fuel got too low.
Norm

[NoelChico]

I don't know if this adds to the discussion or not. I use mostly ethanol containing fuel in my Ts, but store in the winter with non-ethanol gas. I add a few ounces of TCW3 2-stroke oil to each tank of gas. I believe this prevents float valve sticking, fine rust buildup in the tank, and lubes the valves and rings. On my moderns, I believe it lubes the valves and rings, slowing wear, as well as gives me 3-5% improved gas mileage which overly pays for the oil. 1 ounce to 5 gallons of gas. Noel

[TXGOAT2]

Like my Father before me, I use and recommend Marvel Mystery Oil.