PaulMN
New CEG'er
Monday my usually trusty Mystique would crank but not start. Occasionally it would start at idle, but it would die in a couple seconds. If I touched the throttle it would die instantly. I couldn't find an obvious problem. No MIL, no codes pending. Checked sensors- all looked OK. I came here and searched, maybe IAC, probably not MAF, then found that one post!
Could it be? I asked my wife "Did you get gas?" "Yes, right before I came home Sunday. I remember they were having some trouble with the pumps." Saturday we had 4 inches of rain, tornadoes in the area.
I found the cause of the problem: water in the gas. My wife put in 5 gallons to top off, because we had to get relatives to the airport first thing Monday morning. I disconnected the fuel line after the filter and attached a hose to the filter. I pulled the fuel pump relay and jumpered the two wide terminals to power the fuel pump. I emptied the tank (in stages, using a mix of gas cans and plastic jugs) of about 14.5 gals. After decanting what came out, I have roughly 6 gallons of what settled, and 9 gals of gas. The junk that settled looks like dark beer. I do not plan to use the decanted gas, it looks greenish - yellow, and is somewhat cloudy.
I hooked the gas line up and put 2 gals of the decanted gas in the tank. Then I hooked up a drain at the Schrader fuel pressure test port using a test gage, and ran a gallon out to flush the gas line. With the pump running I closed the test gage valve to flush the return line (got 40PSI), then opened the valve and ran the rest out. (When I saw more bubbles than gas in the line I stopped. ) I got a bit of water both times, less than a cup, I'm assuming that's what was in the lines.
I put in 2 bottles of gas treatment, and 5 gals of fresh gas. Car started up, and is now running great. I plan to replace the fuel filter. I have 180,000 miles on this car.
The gas station owner readily admitted the problem, and gave me their insurance company's contact info. I will file a claim. The insurance company told me to bill whatever is customary for this work, plus any parts costs.
My questions for the experts:
1) Do I need to replace the fuel pump strainer (sock)?
2) Is there a need to drop the tank to clean / empty it completely?
3) What would a repair shop charge to do what I've done (how much should I bill), including any further work you recommend?
Thanks!

I found the cause of the problem: water in the gas. My wife put in 5 gallons to top off, because we had to get relatives to the airport first thing Monday morning. I disconnected the fuel line after the filter and attached a hose to the filter. I pulled the fuel pump relay and jumpered the two wide terminals to power the fuel pump. I emptied the tank (in stages, using a mix of gas cans and plastic jugs) of about 14.5 gals. After decanting what came out, I have roughly 6 gallons of what settled, and 9 gals of gas. The junk that settled looks like dark beer. I do not plan to use the decanted gas, it looks greenish - yellow, and is somewhat cloudy.
I hooked the gas line up and put 2 gals of the decanted gas in the tank. Then I hooked up a drain at the Schrader fuel pressure test port using a test gage, and ran a gallon out to flush the gas line. With the pump running I closed the test gage valve to flush the return line (got 40PSI), then opened the valve and ran the rest out. (When I saw more bubbles than gas in the line I stopped. ) I got a bit of water both times, less than a cup, I'm assuming that's what was in the lines.
I put in 2 bottles of gas treatment, and 5 gals of fresh gas. Car started up, and is now running great. I plan to replace the fuel filter. I have 180,000 miles on this car.
The gas station owner readily admitted the problem, and gave me their insurance company's contact info. I will file a claim. The insurance company told me to bill whatever is customary for this work, plus any parts costs.
My questions for the experts:
1) Do I need to replace the fuel pump strainer (sock)?
2) Is there a need to drop the tank to clean / empty it completely?
3) What would a repair shop charge to do what I've done (how much should I bill), including any further work you recommend?
Thanks!