Corrosion of fuel tanks are caused by water in fuel tank and it can be a symptom for more dreadful issues
This Volvo Excavator is experiencing sudden shut offs, low of acceleration and other issues.
Hence, the mechanic ran a thorough diesel fuel maintenance and took off the fuel cover sitting at the bottom.
High level of water is usually accompanied by other symptoms
Like the excavator in the photo above, the engine is often having difficulties starting, low acceleration and low horsepower and sometimes even white smoke (steam). All these are caused by high levels of water mixture in your fuel system
The reason there is water in the fuel tank
1. Water comes with the fuel, especially in diesel in which it is less refined than gasoline and even more so if you acquire fuel remotely via oil trucks. Normally there will always be water in the fuel measured via parts per million (ppm). It is only when ppm levels surpassed the acceptable level is when you see problems with your vehicle like sudden shut offs and low acceleration. The fuel will appear murky and hazy if there's significant amount of water in it.
2. The water accumulates in the fuel tank through condensation and other factors. Condensation happens rapidly in places with volatile temperatures and water is more dense than oil and thus, it sits at the bottom of the fuel tank until you drain them. The image above with rusty oil cap is due to water accumulating at the bottom and never drained. It is always good practice to drain your fuel tank often.
High levels of water will cause damages to your fuel system
If your got too much water in the fuel tank, it will cause issues for your engine and other relevant parts.
1. Water can cause injector damage. Injectors pores are designed to spray fuel as precisely as possible. Water being denser than fuel will cause overload on your injector
2. It will rust your engine parts. Fuel pumps normally suck from the bottom of the tank, which means that is where water that is denser than fuel is at. When there is enough water at the bottom of your tank, a lot of water will enter the system and cause all sorts of issues and damages for your engine.