Fuel Cell Life?

[Ralph Z.]

What is the general concensus on the life of a fuel cell? How long before you replace it?

I have a '68 Alexis FF and just removed the cell. I would be embarassed to say how old it is.

[DanW]

What is the general concensus on the life of a fuel cell? How long before you replace it?

I have a '68 Alexis FF and just removed the cell. I would be embarassed to say how old it is.

I have a '73 Crossle FF, I replaced the cell in 2019. It was dated 1983, it wasn't leaking but the foam had turned to dust and the bladder was brittle.

[Ralph Z.]

Well, that makes me feel slightly better. Mine was manufactured in 1992.

[Rick Kirchner]

I would say it depends entirely on the material and the fuel stored (or not stored) in it.

If you can replace the foam thru a access plate you are in much better shape than otherwise.

I have a test method I've related here many times:

clean the bladder with mineral spirits, followed by alcohol, and let dry.

plug all vents

dust the cell with talcum powder.

place in large black garbage bag, tape the bag around the filler.

fill the cell, being careful to not spill any around the neck.

cap, and sit in the sun for a few hours until it bloats.

very carefully, pour out the fuel.

cut off the bag, look for telltale of weeping in the talcum.

[stownsen914]

I've seen three well-aged fuel cell bladders over the years. All three ~20 years old. Two of them were crumbling when removed and clearly unusable. The third I just pulled out of a GT car I'm restoring, and it looked practically new, and it's pliable and holds water with no leaks. Even the foam looks good. Not sure if it's that it was stored differently than the others, or perhaps made of a different material. My attitude is, inspect to determine if it's usable.

[DaveW]

I had a urethane cell that was fine using alcohol-free race gas or Avgas. It lasted almost 20 years until I started using Unleaded 93 E10. It and its foam disintegrated quickly after that. That's when I got my Eagle rubber cell that can handle E10. That's been in the car for almost 9 years with no issues using E10 93 unleaded.