[BlackML550]

My daughter inherited a 2010 B180 which had been sitting for about 5 years. It wouldn't let you fuel it up and the fuel gauge wouldn't work properly. Tank was basically empty for all that time. Today, the tank came out and look at how much rust we found. There's also a flap at the bottom of the filler tube that stops fuel coming back up at you. Rusted solid as well. New pump on order and a 2nd hand tank coming from a wrecker. Note there's a "sock" filter attached to the pump - but - its after the pump, not before it. Go figure. Also, fuel pump replacement is a tank out job. There's no inspection hatch on these and no conventional fuel filter - its inside the pump.
MB Fuel Pump Part No. is 169 470 04 94.

 

[DEVOURS]

We always recommend that the fuel tank be kept as near as possible to full, especially during our much colder winter months in the GWN (great white north). You've just shown the perfect reason to keep that principle always in our minds.

Up here, changing the tank and fuel pump etc. and the labour involved would probably be more expensive than the full value of the B. The phrase "Use It or Lose It" carries much weight here today.

Thanks for sharing the pics and info with us here.

 

[ArchAngel2190]

Thanks for the post, that's very interesting. As @DEVOURS said, we always keep fuel tanks as full as possible for winter months and especially during extreme cold. For a vehicle I'm driving, I'll fuel as normal unless the temperature is forecasted to be below 0F, in which case I will always keep the car above 1/4 tank. For a car, truck, or boat that is being stored (my parents run a business storing cars/trucks/boats/motorcycles/you-name-it during the winter) we always recommend that the tank be kept entirely full, or if that's not possible, we strongly encourage the use of HEET or any similar product that will help to absorb the water in the fuel and help it burn. Sometimes (for boats especially) we recommend a combination of the two. This shows the importance of these simple steps even in today's modern sealed fuel systems - thanks for sharing!