Outdoor Power Equipment and Small Engines - fuel filter clogging on briggs vanguard

Hi, I've got a 9hp horizontal briggs vanguard motor on a tractor. The filter screen in the fuel valve is clogging repeatedly. I'm not the first owner and I don't know what started this. When I first got this motor, it was clogging after about every 5 minutes. I had the fuel tank off and washed everything. After that it ran for quite a few hours before clogging. I would have thought I needed to clean the tank better, but the problem seems to be getting worse (ie mean time between failure is going down). The filter is clogging with a white fibrous material. Has anyone seen this before? Is the tank or a fuel line deteriorating? I was thinking I would add an inline filter, but if it could be a fuel line issue, that might not solve the problem. Any help would be appreciated.
Barry

I would replace the gas hose and install a clear in-line gas filter. You didn't say where you are located. If your state is using E-10 (10% ethanol) gas, yes the gas hose can be deteiroarating as the ethonal does eat older gas hose. Just make sure that the new gas hose is approved for Ethonal.

NJ and we do ad 10% ethanol to fuel in the winter but, if I had to guess, I'd say the gas in my can was purchased before the switch to E-10.

Is your fuel stored in approve fuel container?

Some plastic jugs not approved for gas can deteriorate and contaminate the fuel.

Yes, the fuel is in a new gasoline rated container. The problem with this engine is older than this new container, so I'm pretty sure it's not it. Also, I've got a number of other engines that I fuel from this same can, and none of those have any problems.

Then I would have to think that the fuel tank for this engine must have some kind of problem and leaching something into the fuel that the filter is picking up. If it were the fuel lines, the debris in the filter would not be white. It has to be coming from somewhere.

The only thing I see that is at all white are the fibers embedded in the fuel lines, but I can't imagine how they would get inside the lines and into the fuel. The other thing that puzzles me is the filter screen is as the top exit of a separating bulb, so the fibers seem to be floating in the fuel rather than collecting in the bottom of that bulb. If the fibers are coming from the tank, I would think they would float and wouldn't make their way to the fuel line. The tank is pretty pricey. That's why I elected to just clean it rather than replace it from the get go. If I knew that would solve the problem, I'd just bite the bullet and do it. Have you ever seen a plastic tank deteriorate like this?

Just watching the thread and wondering...would a sealer like "kreem" eliminate the gas tank as an issue? Prob much cheaper than a new tank.....if it works on plastic.

A new tank sells for about $70. Kreem is about $20 if I don't need to do the pre treatment. It's more like $35 if I do. I see take off tanks on ebay for about $40. I'd be tempted go the ebay route if I really thought the tank was the problem. The thing is when I washed the tank out, the inside looked pretty good. I guess if someone had this problem before and it turned out to be the tank, I'd replace the tank. Otherwise fuel lines and an inline filter is the cheaper guess.

OK, so if I want to change the fuel lines and see if that fixes the problem, can I use any automotive SAE fuel line, or is anything special about small engine fuel line? The fuel line that is there is routed along the base of the cylinder, just below the cooling fins. Does this line get more heat than an SAE fuel line can handle? Could this line be heating and causing my problem?

NJ and we do ad 10% ethanol to fuel in the winter but, if I had to guess, I'd say the gas in my can was purchased before the switch to E-10.
NJ IS a CARB state which means you are and have been using E-10 year round since NJ came into full compliance in early 2008.

Go to an automotive parts store and get regular fuel line. It probably takes 1/4". I doubt the fuel tank is the problem... I've never seen a plastic tank deteriorate into white fibers...but then again, weird things happen. I'd put new lines and a new filter on it.

The only thing I see that is at all white are the fibers embedded in the fuel lines, but I can't imagine how they would get inside the lines and into the fuel. The other thing that puzzles me is the filter screen is as the top exit of a separating bulb, so the fibers seem to be floating in the fuel rather than collecting in the bottom of that bulb. If the fibers are coming from the tank, I would think they would float and wouldn't make their way to the fuel line. The tank is pretty pricey. That's why I elected to just clean it rather than replace it from the get go. If I knew that would solve the problem, I'd just bite the bullet and do it. Have you ever seen a plastic tank deteriorate like this?

Only once, a long time ago. The tank looked to be made of some type of fiberglass reinforced resin. I was just taking a guess at what it could be, seems like if the fibers from the fuel line were comming out, there would be quite a bit of black neopreme that is inside the fuel hose. Regular automotive fuel line should be fine to use, as cheese suggest, usually 1/4" I.D.

Best of Luck, let us know what you figure out.

OK, I replaced the lines and installed an inline filter. I drained the tank through the filter screen in the valve, and it must have clogged up 5 or 6 times in draining the half full tank once. This was after I changed the lines but before putting on the new filter. With the tank drained, I washed it out the best I could. I don't know what I should have used for this trick, but Dawn dish soap and hot water was what I had around. The inside of the tank (at least the small part I could see) looked pretty clean after this, but that's what I thought last time. (Oh, the tank is black plastic and looks fairly modern.) I've got my fingers crossed.

OK, so this is puzzling me. I think there is more to the story than I know. I took it out yesterday to push some snow. After about 45 minutes, it started surging and died. I think this must somehow be temperature related. I moved the tractor into a semi-heated garage, but didn't get to look at it until today. Today the fuel flow didn't seem too bad. Unfortunately, I couldn't open the inline filter to see what it caught. Thinking back on how things played out, the problem first surfaced after I got a blade to push snow (or started using it in the winter). It worked ok over the summer, but the problem resurface when I started using it to push snow again. I'm guessing there may be some contaminent in the tank that is disolving in the warm gas in my garage and precipitating out when it cools down. Hmmm.