Found these in my gas tank??

[JRZEE2000TR4LTD]

I bought a 1999 Limited recently to replace my totaled 2000. I totally lucked out as this thing is clean. It had about a half a tank of gas and I drove it home in stop and go traffic. I've driven it a bit and about 2 weeks later noticed a rattling coming from underneath every time I braked and took off. . After some investigation, I was sure it was coming from inside the tank. I had planned on transferring the fuel pump I had recently installed in my 2000 (I bought it back for $900)
Any ways, this it what I found in my tank.




At first I thought they were mothballs, as I heard that they add some sort of performance advantage to gas. But mothballs dissolve in gas. I smashed one and realized they are some sort of ceramic ball. What in the world are these for? Some weird joke? An audible low gas level warning system?? This is a first for me so any insight (or jokes:wink2 are welcome.

 

[StreetCreeper]

I bought a 1999 Limited recently to replace my totaled 2000. I totally lucked out as this thing is clean. It had about a half a tank of gas and I drove it home in stop and go traffic. I've driven it a bit and about 2 weeks later noticed a rattling coming from underneath every time I braked and took off. . After some investigation, I was sure it was coming from inside the tank. I had planned on transferring the fuel pump I had recently installed in my 2000 (I bought it back for $900)
Any ways, this it what I found in my tank.
View attachment 165664



At first I thought they were mothballs, as I heard that they add some sort of performance advantage to gas. But mothballs dissolve in gas. I smashed one and realized they are some sort of ceramic ball. What in the world are these for? Some weird joke? An audible low gas level warning system?? This is a first for me so any insight (or jokes:wink2 are welcome.

You have a one-of-a-kind truck! Its 3rd gen Runner — WITH BALLS!

Just kidding.

Okay perhaps they are just Helico-conical immersed nanometer/FIR/magnetic fuel saver balls...no really.

That or some kid lost his marbles...

 

[St Runner]

I think street creeper is right, some kind of clean your tank better performance scam. Awful side effect for something that doesn't work

 

[tbones1369]

Could be that someone put them in through your gas fill. What happens is a ball gets stuck when in line with the pump. Your truck stalls. Then so on and so on. It's a sad joke we used to do to people when we were younger. But we used ping pong balls.

 

[Arnezie]

Could be that someone put them in through your gas fill. What happens is a ball gets stuck when in line with the pump. Your truck stalls. Then so on and so on. It's a sad joke we used to do to people when we were younger. But we used ping pong balls.

How would you ever fit ping pong balls in the gas filler opening??? Calling bullshit

 

[Ed_C]

They look like 30 weight muffler bearings.

It's all ball bearings nowadays...

 

[baja1]

How would you ever fit ping pong balls in the gas filler opening??? Calling bullshit

LOL. its true, youth is wasted on the young!:cell:

 

[02SE]

How would you ever fit ping pong balls in the gas filler opening??? Calling bullshit

I'm guessing you're fairly young, and have never seen a car from the pre-unleaded era.

 

[azcat90]

How would you ever fit ping pong balls in the gas filler opening??? Calling bullshit

I'm old enough to remember that regular (leaded) gas pump nozzles and fill holes were double the width of current unleaded.

 

[Arnezie]

I'm guessing you're fairly young, and have never seen a car from the pre-unleaded era.

l own a fully restored 69 charger and a mint 1970 C10 , both Leaded gas models and would be hard pressed to get ping pong balls in to the gas tank on either. Anyway this is not a leaded pre emissions vehicle. :nerd:

 

[AZBub]

I remember seeing something like that a few years ago. A salesman was making photocopies of fliers for a product and I ended up talking to him and he tried to sell me what looked like white Mentos in a fancy container he claimed you add one to a tank of gas every so often to increase mileage (this part is true, well...the story not the product). So I traded my ox for them and took them home and buried them in the garden and overnight they turned into Transformers.

 

[azcat90]

Vapor Canister

What is inside the vapor canister? Does it contain any kind of pellets that might float out into the tank if it was damaged or flooded?

 

[JayRolla]

Could be that someone put them in through your gas fill. What happens is a ball gets stuck when in line with the pump. Your truck stalls. Then so on and so on. It's a sad joke we used to do to people when we were younger. But we used ping pong balls.

How is a ball going to clog a sock filter on the fuel pump. Impossible

 

[traffic61]

Tankstones?

 

[TacoRunner1983]

looks like some little bastard opened the gas tank and threw them in.

kids do anything without reason.

 

[Doc2012]

How'd you get ahold of the Anarchists Cookbook as a child, [MENTION=127044]tbones1369[/MENTION]?? Messing with some dangerous stuff.

I remember Downloading the ACB and putting it on a floppy.

I use to make the smoke that he had in there.

Damn those things would put out a lot of smoke, though they also put out a big ass flame. Cought a couple bushes on fire playing paintball with those things......

 

[midcoma]

Damn those things would put out a lot of smoke, though they also put out a big ass flame. Cought a couple bushes on fire playing paintball with those things......

Not to mention our parent's hardwood floor...

 

[Doc2012]

Not to mention our parent's hardwood floor...

How'd I know you were going to chime in.....

And I didn't catch the floor on fire. Just antiqued it a little.

 

[animator]

Kinda look like agitator balls from your average spray paint can.


Maybe someone was wanting to keep their gas nicely mixed... lol.

 

[baja1]

did the "pinging" stop after you removed em? :lmao: