Voltron

Long time lurker, first time posting. Let me start by saying thanks to everyone for all the incredible info you post on here. I can’t count how many hours and dollars you have saved me over the years.


So onto my XJ -1996 Jeep Cherokee SE 4.0, 35,000 miles. My fuel pump died for about the 3rd time since I bought the Jeep 4 years ago. Due to life, the jeep sat idle for about 6-8 months before I got around to fixing the issue. So I finally get time and pull the pump from the tank to find it is completely corroded. The gas in the tank is also orange. I have no idea how this happened.

Facts:

• Replaced Jeep fuel pump in early 2015
• Fuel pump dies in early 2016
• Jeep sat idle for 6-8 months
• New gas was put into the jeep 6-8 months ago (gas isn’t more than a year old)
• Pull fuel pump out of tank and it and the assembly are corroded
• Gas in the tank is now orange and murky
• The gas tank was almost full, has no leaks, and you could not smell any gasoline vapor so a good seal seems to have been made

Does anyone have any ideas what is causing all this? I have ordered a replacement assembly and pump but don’t want to install it until I figure out what is going on inside my fuel tank. I have not dropped the fuel tank yet and don’t have any pictures form inside. That is my project this weekend.








Entire Assembly




Top of Assembly - Holes in metal tubing from corrosion




Corrosion on bottom of fuel pump




Thanks for any help!

fb97xj1

Tank needs cleaned. Or replaced? I would be replacing the entire fuel system had i found all that orange stuff in mine. Thats nasty.

CCKen

Have you been using e85 gas? The Ethanol in that crap will eat steel.

Willys55

Welcome to Cherokee Forum








Now it's time for a clearance sale, everything must go...replace the tank the pump assembly and the fuel lines, I would replace everything, fuel rail and injectors. That is almost as bad as the 95 Cherokee we had in the shop last year....sat in storage for two years while the guys son was in the military, gummed up everything

Voltron

Thanks for the replies and the welcome!

@ fb97xj1 - I'm hoping the tank is still in good shape and just needs a good cleaning. I don't think any of this fuel got to the engine, but yeah - I'm replacing the entire fuel assembly, fuel lines, filter, etc. I'll take a picture of the fuel when i get home. It really is nasty - Looks like murky orange juice.

@ CCKen - I don't think i put e85 fuel in there so that shouldn't be an issue.

@ Willys55 - Thanks for the welcome! I'm replacing everything i can at the moment. Fuel lines & filter are already swapped out. A new pump/assembly is on the way and I'm hoping i don't have to change out the rail and injectors. Regarding the 95 Cherokee at your shop - did you figure out what caused the fuel to gum up? I've had gas sit for longer than this and never had this happen. I really want to know what the culprit was so i don't have to replace the entire fuel delivery system again in the future. Thanks for the help!

mrfwd

Don't forget to replace the fuel pressure reg. as it also has a a diaphragm and real fine screen....

Waynerd

I've had gas go bad just over the winter in a go kart I used to have. Most regular gas is still 10% ethanol anyway, which is enough to cause issues.

BlueRidgeMark

Why is everyone making this so complicated?

You have a rusty tank. Either line it, or replace it. THEN install the new fuel pump, and take *****'s advice about cleaning up the rest of the system.

If you can find one made from polyethylene, that's the best option, but those are scarce as hen's teeth.

EZEARL

Cheaper than I expected:
http://www.autopartswarehouse.com/sh...tank-1996.html

BlueRidgeMark

Yeah, hardly makes it worthwhile messing with trying to clean it out to line it.

Waynerd

Will the 97-01 poly tanks work?

BlueRidgeMark

Interesting question. I don't know what the differences are between the 96 and 97, but it's probably moot. I can't find poly tanks anywhere, anyway. I did some looking a couple of months ago, and came up empty.