Water In Tank Options

[camino70]

We filled up at the local station and got a bunch of water. What's the process? Drain the tank, flush the lines, then get a couple fuel filters for replacement?
Its a 3.5 and the dealer's estimate was alot!
TIA,
Ron

[montego]

ron, you need to get this water out of the fuel system, you don't say how much water there is but l could damage the engine.

as you said you will need to drain the tank and get all the water out of the system

[jsinton]

If the car is still running, you probably didn't get too much water in there. In any event, modern gas stations are supposed to have monitoring devices to warn them if there is water in the tank. Are you sure you got water from the gas station?

If I were you, I'd go to the auto parts store or Walmart and buy some "dry gas" stuff and put it in there. It will remove any residual water.

[montego]

jsinton, what is this 'dry gas' product, l have never heard of this before, how would you use it and how does it work?

there seem to be several 'odd' products that are avaliable in the states but nowhere else.(i.e. a pressure can to top up your air con.)

[camino70]

We have a locking cap and the door only opens from in the car, not sure how someone may have done it. We were on E when we filled up and didn't make it a 1/2 mile before shutting down. I plan on pulling the back seat and getting to the access panel, any recommendations on how to do it?

[jsinton]

Dry gas is an alcohol product that we put in the gas tank in the winter. It's supposed to clean up water in the tank due to condensation. It sells under the name "Dry Gas". You just pour it in the gas tank.

[montego]

Dry gas is an alcohol product that we put in the gas tank in the winter. It's supposed to clean up water in the tank due to condensation. It sells under the name "Dry Gas". You just pour it in the gas tank.

interesting but a new one on me, maybe we don't have it here because its not cold enough for condensation problems.

camino, if there is so much water in your fuel system to cause the engine to cut out then you must get it all out, you could remove the seat, then remove the fuel pump/filter to get to the fuel tank. use a syphon or non electrical pump to clear the tank out

[camino70]

Who besides the dealer has the fuel pump/filter assembly? Car starts and drives, but is unresponsive and low on power. I was hoping the filter may be clogged?

[jsinton]

Who besides the dealer has the fuel pump/filter assembly? Car starts and drives, but is unresponsive and low on power. I was hoping the filter may be clogged?

Doesn't sound like a water problem. If there's water, it would cough and sputter a lot. Sounds more like a clogged cat, or something else. Could be a clogged fuel filter. Too bad you can't do a fuel pressure check, that would verify or rule out the fuel theory. I think the dealer might be taking you for a ride.

This is one of those cases where hmaservice show the fuel filter outside the tank under the car, but I'll bet it's in the fuel tank all the same.

If it's in the tank, you remove the fuel pump/filter assembly and just replace the filter. Here's a DIY for an Elantra of the same era to give you an idea of how that goes:

http://www.elantraxd.com/DIY/fuel.php

Here's a '05 fuel filter for Santa Fe 3.5 for sale on eBay. It looks like an "in the tank" model:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Hyundai-San...sQ5fAccessories

Attached it the diagram of fuel filter in hmaservice.com, which I believe to be incorrect.

This post has been edited by jsinton: Oct 17 2009, 07:33 PM

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[camino70]

I pulled the seats out and used a hand fuel pump to siphon all the fuel out, both sides. Filled up with new fuel and used drygas. How do I tell if water is in the fuel? The gas didn't seem to smell as strong as I was expecting, looked clearer then I was expecting, but I was expecting water in fuel to be separated and I did not see that. Is there a way to test? Is there somewhere on the fuel rail I can tap into for fuel pressure? The fuel filter is apart of the fuel pump assembly in the tank and not available anywhere around me, not sure I can wait on the listing above. I don't doubt the dealer trying to take me for a ride, this is the second dealer that is local I don't get the warm and fuzzies from.

[jsinton]

Water is heavier than fuel, so you would see the water swirling around at the bottom most point of the tank.

Sure you can't wait a week for eBay? You can "Buy It Now" and it will ship tomorrow. You can buy the three day shipping. for extra. I'm sure it's cheaper than the dealer.

Fuel pressure test requires a special "T" insert that you attach on the fuel inlet. See pic.

This post has been edited by jsinton: Oct 17 2009, 09:02 PM

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[camino70]

That is what I was fearing, both water and special gauge...
We have taken the car to two different dealers with unreproducible issues. The car would stutter and had a rough idle in drive at a stop, like the torque converter was trying to lock up. Eventually this dealer was able to reproduce and determined #6 coil pack is bad, since we complained at 50K, they replaced under warranty. Now 3 weeks later this happens, I originally assumed another coil pack or two went bad. Maybe my assumption wasn't too far off. The dealer was supposed to show me the sample, but was unable to when we picked the car up. Is it normal practice for dealers to lie so boldly? If so, did they sabotage my car? Unfortunately the dealer network is going to prevent me from purchasing another Hyundai.

[camino70]

Since we had a coil pack issue recently, I think there is another coil pack issue. I can get up to 70 with slow acceleration, but I can feel it with hills. Do any of the local parts stores test coil packs correctly?

[camino70]

I decided to pull the exhaust to see if it changed anything. What at the cans that the exhaust manifolds go to, at they cats? Then they join, go to that I thought was a cat, then the muffler and tail pipe. Are there three cats? It looks like honeycomb material in the cans off the manifold.
Ron

[camino70]

I left the cans, but the rest of the exhaust removed and the car ran great, loud as heck, but runnin' good. Does this mean the next piece of the exhaust is a clogged cat? It is my understanding, these should not fail. What can I expect at the dealer tomorrow? Going to be fun showing them fuel with not water and a clogged cat! Any advice is appreciated.
Ron

[montego]

sounds as though you are going around in circles with this one at the moment. no, its not that uncommon to get a blocked exhaust (either a muffler or cat) this would cause loss of power, let us know how you get on at your dealer tomorrow

[camino70]

I'm usually all over the place, I apologize. The honeycomb in the first cat off the manifold was turned, at first glance I thought it was some type of a door to keep some back pressure. The honey comb seemed to only be 1/4-1/2" thick, should it be through the whole can? I turned it back straight, but can only imagine it taking a bump to get it cocked again, partially blocking the exhaust. Can I fix it with something? Can I remove it? Can I replace it? Etc, etc.
Thanks for all the assistance, I truly appreciate it.
Ron