Gemcitabine Hydrochloride and Tanespimycin in Treating Patients With Recurrent Advanced Ovarian Epithelial or Peritoneal Cavity Cancer

Inclusion Criteria: * Diagnosis of ovarian epithelial or primary peritoneal cavity cancer * Relapsed disease * Persistent disease * Platinum-resistant disease, defined as having evidence of disease that would be expected to be non-responsive to additional platinum-containing regimens or contraindication to platinum-based chemotherapy and 1 of the following: * Failure to obtain a complete response to initial platinum therapy * Recurrence \< 6 months after completing a platinum-containing regimen for initial or recurrent disease * Any of the above situations and following treatment with additional chemotherapy regimens (e.g., non-platinum containing regimens) * Relative or absolute contraindication to platinum-based chemotherapy regimens (e.g., platinum allergy) as determine by the investigator * Measurable or evaluable disease * Patients with a rising CA 125 level, even in the absence of other indicators of disease, allowed provided CA 125 is ≥ 2 times upper limit of normal (ULN) * Patients with accessible disease must be willing to undergo tumor biopsies * No CNS metastases * Performance status - ECOG 0-2 * WBC ≥ 3,000/mm\^3 * Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm\^3 * Hemoglobin ≥ 9.0 g/dL * Bilirubin normal * Alkaline phosphatase ≤ 2.5 times ULN * AST ≤ 2.5 times ULN * Creatinine ≤ 1.5 times ULN * Ejection fraction \> 40% by ECHO for patients with prior anthracycline therapy * No significant cardiac disease including any of the following: * New York Heart Association class III or IV heart disease * History of myocardial infraction within the past year * Uncontrolled dysrhythmias or requirement for antiarrhythmic drugs * Poorly controlled angina * No history of serious ventricular arrhythmia (i.e., ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation ≥ 3 beats in a row) * No history of QTc ≥ 500 msec * No active ischemic heart disease within the past 12 months * No congenital long QT syndrome * No left bundle branch block * No cardiac symptoms ≥ grade 2 * No history of cardiac toxicity after receiving anthracyclines (e.g., doxorubicin hydrochloride, daunorubicin hydrochloride, mitoxantrone, bleomycin, or carmustine) * Does not meet the medicare criteria for home oxygen * No pulse oximetry at rest and exercise \< 88% * No symptomatic pulmonary disease requiring medication including any of the following: * Dyspnea on or off exertion * Paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea * Oxygen requirement * Significant pulmonary disease (e.g., chronic obstructive/restrictive pulmonary disease) * No pulmonary symptoms ≥ grade 2 * No history of pulmonary toxicity after receiving anthracyclines (e.g., doxorubicin hydrochloride, daunorubicin hydrochloride, mitoxantrone, bleomycin, or carmustine) * K+, Mg ++, and Ca ++ normal * No seizure disorder * No uncontrolled infection * No history of serious allergic reaction to eggs * More than 4 weeks since prior immunotherapy * More than 4 weeks since prior biologic therapy * No concurrent immunotherapy * No concurrent routine or prophylactic colony-stimulating factors (e.g., filgrastim \[G-CSF\] or sargramostim \[GM-CSF\]) * See Disease Characteristics * More than 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy (6 weeks for mitomycin or nitrosoureas) and recovered * Prior gemcitabine hydrochloride allowed provided 1 of the following criteria is met: * Patients have no prior exposure to gemcitabine hydrochloride * Patients who have prior exposure to gemcitabine hydrochloride as a single agent have experienced progressive disease while on treatment * No other concurrent chemotherapy * No prior radiotherapy to \> 25% of bone marrow * No history of radiotherapy that potentially included the heart in the field (e.g., mantle) * Chest wall irradiation or other radiotherapy techniques that do not include the heart in the radiation field area allowed * More than 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy * More than 4 weeks since prior radiopharmaceuticals * No concurrent radiotherapy * No other concurrent investigational therapy * No concurrent medications that may prolong QTc