Dirty gas clogged pump

[JoelJim]

my 1987 325i sat for years before it got to me and there was a bit of hesitation right at the start of revving it slowly. The hesitation would only happen down low on the rpm but be fine high up. So i thought it'd be a good idea to put sea foam in the full tank of gas to clean the injectors and the tank but it ended up freeing so much dirt in the tank that it clogged my second fuel pump that sits above the fuel filter. I took this pump out and connected it to the battery and got it all unclogged and now the car starts again. I was wondering, should i empty the whole gas tank and throw that dirty gas out and let it go to waste (really don't want to do this), or run it and risk having the pump get clogged again? Thanks for any imput

[ELVA164]

Get rid of the old gas, that would have been the best thing to do at the start. It'll just continue to cause problems. I assume you'll be replacing the filter as well. It's too bad you're about an hour and a half away, it'd be fun to see the car!

[Kershaw]

Good luck with the fuel tank drain though. It'll strip immediately in my experience. I used a mityvac (that I have for oil changes) to suck all the old gas out of the tank.

[mmark.]

forward of the right rear road wheel, on the edge of the fuel tank should be a 4mm Allen screw/washer combo that is the tank drain port.
Spray some rust penetrant on this fitting, allow to soak.
then 3/8" drive Allen bit placed on the screw, rap it sharply a couple of times with a hammer, then remove screw.
If you don not feel lucky, order a replacement screw and washer from the dealer before you attempt the job.
then you can filter the fuel you drain, and mix with fresher fuel.

m

[thejlevie]

If the car sat for a good while with a partially filled tank, the odds are that it sucked in enough moisture to cause the tank to rust. That rust will wreak havoc on the pumps (rust is very abrasive) and clog the filter. The fix is a new tank or acid cleaning and sealing the tank you have. I have fixed two tanks using acid and the sealer kit Eastwood sells. A nice thing about that method is that the inside of the tank is pretty much rust proof afterwards.

[Kershaw]

New tanks are only $180 shipped on eBay though. It's not even worth trying to fix the tank imo.