I've never had one go bad & it's rare to see somebody complaining in here about it. I can't give you a specific though. With your reference to bad smelling & looking gas I'd be willing to bet it's the sending unit. Another thought is you shouldn't run the engine if you have old, bad gas in the tank. It can stick intake valves shut & bend pushrods. I discovered that the hard way.

Save a life, adopt a senior shelter pet.
The three main causes of blindness: Cataracts, Politics, Religion.
Name your dog Naked so you can walk Naked in the park.