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Cleaning a gas tank


Lloyd

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I have a few on going projects on hold right now waiting on parts so I decided to drop my gas tank and see what was inside. What came out of the tank is dark brown and the float is almost gone. I have a new float from bernbaums and I plan on replacing the entire fuel line as well. But right now I need to clean the inside of the tank, as clean as I can get it. Never done this but have watched a few UTubes. Those guys are dumping rocks, nails or anything else inside then swishing it around with soap and water. One guy even tied the tank onto a rear wheel of a 3-wheeler raised up and let the bike swish the stuff around. Kinda funny but I guess it worked however something like that is not going to be an option for me. I am looking for a cleaner/rust dissolver that I can dump in, maybe some manual swishing then dump back out.

 

Has anyone cleaned a fuel tank using what cleaner and method and gotten excellent results?

 

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I was hoping Don would pull that one out of his archives. I was amazed when I first saw that contraption, and still am. Don't know who designed and built that (Maybe it was Don), but "ingenious" doesn't begin to describe it. Stuff like that fascinates me.

Wayne

Edited by Oldguy48
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No kidding, curious how he added the gyro type movement and all I see is one motor.

 

Problem is how many times do you clean your gas tank?

Course he could go into the gas tank cleaning business..

 

Anyway, I have dropped a bunch of nuts and bolts inside with soap and water. Swished it around till my arms got tired then dumped everything out, Stuck a pressure washer wand in there and nailed it then rinsed it. Now I dumped some water soluble rust kill in it and swished it around. Letting that sit while I drink some coffee.

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This is my method of fuel tank cleaning.

Dump in some soapy cleaning solution, a few lug bolts, and let it run....

now ive seen it all,,,   lol   im sure east wood has some  product to  clean and coat the tank,,  im considering it instead of replacing the  tank,,

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I inspected the tank in my lastest aquisition just to know.the condition :eek: .......

Not good...

Got another good clean 8 cylinder tank. Done with it and know it will stay rust free.

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Edited by Dodgeb4ya
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I would take it to a reputable shop, usually a radiator place, and have them line the tank properly. It is not a job for amateurs and there are several steps that must be done to get a job where the lining does not slough off and cause major issues. Sometimes you need to spend money to save money.

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^^^^^^ Yes,the difficult  part is relining the tank so the membrane does not slough off after a couple years..Plus on the Mopars the oilite filter needs to be removed as it is or will be plugged.

 

If the tank was rusty it could be thin with pitting too.

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wd40 rust remover soak and a couple of small short chains ( 4 inch long about 1/4- 5/16 inch) I used 4 of them. Just swish it around good, then let it sit about 30 min. repeat swishing and the let sit at a different angle about 30 min. repeat until clean.

 

The cement mixer works to but makes a lot more noise.

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wd40 rust remover soak and a couple of small short chains ( 4 inch long about 1/4- 5/16 inch) I used 4 of them. Just swish it around good, then let it sit about 30 min. repeat swishing and the let sit at a different angle about 30 min. repeat until clean.

 

The cement mixer works to but makes a lot more noise.

"A lot more noise"......

 

Just turn it on, and go watch TV for an hour......

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POR-15 has a tank liner/sealer that I have used on Motorcycle tanks and it works great. I have never tried it on Automotive tanks. I have after repairing any holes taken fuel tanks in to Powder coat, and one I had Rhino lined (on the outside of the tank). never had a problem with any of them.

Rust inside of a tank is usually formed from moisture and air above the fuel in the tank. This is worse with E-85 type fuels. the two best solutions I have found to reduce this during storage is to use a good fuel stabilizer and keep the tank full, or completely drain the fuel tank and use a Engine fogging spray such as for lawnmowers to coat the inside of the tank.

Edited by Purevil
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