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Internal Fuel Tank line or sump is clogged


MarkB2PW

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I had the fuel tank line off the '48 P15 today.  The old fuel looked like WD-40 but the inside of the tank looked pretty good.  I'd like to save the tank but the line going to the sump internally seems clogged.  It seemed like it had some flow so I remounted it.  Nope, could not get fuel from the tank.

Any suggestions on clearing this out?  I tried soaking it in diesel, then gas.  I tried sticking bailing wire through it from the outside and the wire goes down about 8" then stops.  Nothing seems to be clearing it.  I'm now considering just using the tank bottom drain for accessing the fuel, if I can find a fitting.  I welcome any thoughts.

1578687236_backend.thumb.jpg.f870613e09b08e9a8d8897c2a39364dd.jpg

 

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There is an oil lite brass filter on the pickup.  It some times responds to a blast of compressed air.  You might give a thought to adding a quart of sovent or so and letting it sit for a while then blow it out.

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3 minutes ago, greg g said:

Did you notice and secure the ferrule inside the fitting the retains the gas line to the tank?

The ferrule fell out when I removed the line.  I 'm not sure of it's function.  I just put it back in when I reinstalled the tank.  Should it slip around the internal line?  It looked like it was compressed from the flare at each end.

 

 

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9 minutes ago, greg g said:

There is an oil lite brass filter on the pickup.  It some times responds to a blast of compressed air.  You might give a thought to adding a quart of sovent or so and letting it sit for a while then blow it out.

I'm going to try the compressed air tomorrow.

 

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the ferrule is a close fit around the fuel line and the ferrule or sometimes called an "olive" has a tapered end and usually a stepped other end.......whne it is around the fuel line and the gland nut thats on the end of the line is tightened against the ferrule, it is pushed into the inside of the tank fitting and the ferrule is compressed around the metal fuel line sealing the outside of the line and the ferrule against the tank fitting............a similar arrangement with a smaller ferrule or olive is used at the metal oil line/oil gauge junction............I've seen this type of ferrule/olive also used around the hard black plastic oil lines on more recent mechanical oil pressure gauges..............andyd 

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Vinegar. It's something like 4 or 5 percent acid,and it eats rust like nobody's business. You had better be prepared to coat the inside of your tank immediately after flushing it out or you will have lots of rust problems with your fuel,though.

 

What I always did was stand tanks on their end and fill it up half way and let it sit overnight. Then the next day I would turn it over and let the other end soak for 24 hours.

 

Sometimes you will discover that rust was all that was holding a tank together,and there will be obvious holes in it after the vinegar bath.

 

Personally,if a replacement tank is available  for 200 bucks or so,that is the best solution of all,and besides the massive savings in time you could spend doing other things,it's cheaper than a rollback ride  home.

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Well the big thing is you found it and didn't let it get a way.  They always go to the deepest darkest point in the garage or shop where they snicker at your frustrated attempts to seal the leaks after reinstalling with out it.

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The ferrule is like a spacer up through 1948. It is tapered at both ends, and one end seats against the fuel line fitting being connected, and the other end seats against the fitting mounted in the tank.      I have read here in the past of applying a bit more force with a coat hanger to knock the olite filter off. Filter acts to not only keep dirt/debris from getting out of the tank, but will also not allow water to pass.  If knocked off another filter of sorts in the line would be essential.

 

1010041896_ferruleandfitting.jpg.83fc91a335260aff7924183b99782aeb.jpg464548449_ferrulesize.jpg.ec47f89bb0b82bc73e0c3f207b7cb6b0.jpg

ferrule and stock done.jpg

Edited by _shel_ny
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120PSI doesn't work.

Hitting the end of a Coat Hanger still doesn't work

Solvent doesn't work.

Unless someone knows where I can get a clean looking 7/8-20 to 5/16 right angle hose barb fitting...

$230.00 at Summit Racing might be the ticket.

 

fuel tank.jpg

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13 minutes ago, MarkB2PW said:

120PSI doesn't work.

Hitting the end of a Coat Hanger still doesn't work

Solvent doesn't work.

Unless someone knows where I can get a clean looking 7/8-20 to 5/16 right angle hose barb fitting...

$230.00 at Summit Racing might be the ticket.

 

fuel tank.jpg

Yeah,that's the way to go. End your fuel headaches starting with a brand new clean tank. If it were me and I was doing a driver instead of a restoration,i'd go with the poly tank and eliminate any possibility of rust inside the tank forever.

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Does the inside of the tank have rust at the bottom? If so the filter might be clogged with calcium or rust deposits from water in the tank. As a last ditch attempt try some CLR. squirt some down the line and try to spray some on the pick-up filter through the sending unit hole. let it set for a few hours then try to blow some air through.  Then  clean the tank out  by using a short length of chain in the tank and shaking the tank from side to side to scrape out the chunky stuff. Hope this helps.

 

Joe

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14 hours ago, soth122003 said:

Does the inside of the tank have rust at the bottom? If so the filter might be clogged with calcium or rust deposits from water in the tank. As a last ditch attempt try some CLR. squirt some down the line and try to spray some on the pick-up filter through the sending unit hole. let it set for a few hours then try to blow some air through.  Then  clean the tank out  by using a short length of chain in the tank and shaking the tank from side to side to scrape out the chunky stuff. Hope this helps.

 

Joe

Joe

I've got some CLR.  I'll try that tonight.

I seen a nice tank for 300 bucks but would rather not spend the money for this driver.

 

Thanks

Mark

 

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2 hours ago, MarkB2PW said:

Joe

I've got some CLR.  I'll try that tonight.

I seen a nice tank for 300 bucks but would rather not spend the money for this driver.

 

Thanks

Mark

 

I've seen new Tanks Inc repop gas tanks for sale for $230. How much is your time and labor worth to you?

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4 hours ago, knuckleharley said:

I've seen new Tanks Inc repop gas tanks for sale for $230. How much is your time and labor worth to you?

 I've never liked buying something I could just fix.  But, it's time to buy a new one.  Thanks for all your input again.  What an awesome community.

mm

 

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