Fuel tank problems

[Phil Payne]

> I recently bought an '87 Quantum Syncro wagon to replace my very rusty
> 4000 Quattro. The fuel pump, located in the tank was bad and I replaced
> it with one from an '86 5000, and it ran fine for about two weeks and
> then the replacement pump failed.  In working on the vehicle, I find a
> sticky black stuff in the area of the fuel pump.  This doesn't seem to
> dissolve in gas, but is soft and gets all over my hand as I remove the
> fuel pump from its sump area.
>
> My question is, is this stuff supposed to be there, and what is it?  If
> not, how do I remove it, and is the tank salvagable?  I have a tank from
> another Quantum here, but it is not a Syncro model.  Will it fit?  The
> capacity is less, according to what I read, but that's not such a big
> problem.

The official fix is to remove the gauze screen from the pump and reinstall.