Bad Tank O' Gas

[GoCougs]

Some of you may have heard of the flooding all over Western Washington last week. I had the (un)luck of getting a bad tank at a station that was in a flooded area. (The station itself however did not flood, so I didn't give it a second thought.) I made it ~200 yards to the post office. After restarting, the Accord would idle, but only at ~ 200-300 RPM, and then any attempt at throttle and it'd just die.

They emptied the tank and fuel lines, ran some cleaner through the system, and let it idle for a time periodically resetting the CEL. After letting the contents of the tank settle in a clear container, the only certainty (to them) is that it wasn't water as there was no water layer at the bottom (as water is more dense). Their best guess was that it was some sort of oil but probably not diesel.

She runs good now; all told it was $150 tow + $450 repair + $40 rental + half a day of work.The station has (luckily) already copped to it; many others have had similar complaints. I need to submit copies of the bills and will get reimbursed.

[AutobahnSHO]

Fun.     NOT!

I guess I had always assumed that the underground tanks were sealed or something?!

[Laconian]

Lame! Which city was this in, so I can avoid making the same mistake?

[GoCougs]

This was in Snoqualmie, about 30 miles east of Seattle. However, many a gas station in east King Country was inundated I imagine.

One would think they are sealed tanks, but one would also think they're vented, otherwise pumping would be problematic. I need to drive back out there with my receipts, and hopefully get a handle on exactly what they think happened.

[Rupert]

Ha, I had to break my window to get into my running truck near there last weekend.