Fuel tank cleaning/restoration

[dklawson]

Vinegar is used to remove rust and scale, not the "gunk" formed as a fuel varnish/sludge at the bottom of the tank. Same with CLR. Both are acids.

If you want to remove the sludge, use a strong caustic cleaner like the ZEP Industrial Degreaser available at Home Depot and other places. Wear gloves, slosh it around frequently, allow it a day or more to work, then rinse with water. If you want to try the acid cleaners, do that AFTER the caustic. Acids will not remove the fuel deposits and gums.

 

[TomMull]

I am stubborn and I guess somewhat unlucky.


Other sources for USED tanks want $250 plus about $50 for shipping. New tanks... $600 (to $900) plus shipping. Shoot... those $300 used tanks are still an unknown. They could have pinholes of their own to worry about.

Just to add a bit of irony, you can by a new tank for a 60s Nova for $79. I know the Mini tank pressing is a bit complicated but it shouldn't present a problem to the Chinese fabricators.
Tom

 

[Jerry]

I have used the Eastwood sealer, still working after 5 years. It did seal up the little plastic filter that was on the uptake line inside the tank. I had to stick a wire down and poke holes in the filter to open it up again. Doug, I would have put in a right side gas tank in my mini if they were cheaper. But the $400 + that they wanted allowed me to stop for gas many times to fill up the 6 gallons I have on the other side.

 

[dklawson]

Two months ago I did finally coated the Mini's LH tank with the Caswell epoxy liner. I chose "grey" (as opposed to clear) so I could see the coating was on all surfaces and so it would look somewhat OK for the inside of a tank (as opposed to their teal, blue, and red coatings). The application went well but then life got in the way. I did not get the tank back in the boot until last weekend.

With the tank installed, the car wouldn't start. I traced the problem back to the Mr. Gasket fuel pump which had basically gummed up from sitting full of fuel with an open supply hose. I went to the attic and got my spare, generic Airtex pump. First it was also dead (brand new and still in its shipping bag and box). I eventually coaxed it to life only to find it was going to supply 9 PSI, NOT the 4 PSI which I ordered. No problem I thought... I have a spare NEW Facet pump in a plastic bag in the side pocket of the Mini. It's a spare I carried just in case the pump on my car dies while I am on the road. The Facet pump was also DEAD! Geeze.

I reinstalled the Mr. Gasket pump and the car came back to life. However, there was a hissing noise... from the DASH. It turned out the rubber vacuum line I installed for my vacuum gauge had perished. If it's not one thing... it's another!

It is WAY too early to say if the Caswell coating is any good, it's only had gas in it for a week! The Kreem coating (should be the same as the Eastwood product) I had lasted maybe 4 years. The POR coating lasted about 7 years. The Red Kote coating didn't make it 18 months. I figure there is no point in bragging about how good a coating is until it's been on there a decade or more WITH exposure to ethanol.

 

[DrEntropy]

I've used Red Kote on the MG tank, about five years ago. After entertaining the neighbors for a couple days as I rolled the thing around the yard with all sorts of nut/bolt combinations. Washed out, dried in sun for days, rinsed with acetone to attract/dry out any moisture left. Did the Red Kote (more entertainment for the 'hood) dance and it has so far been fine. Now that I've read this thread, I'll probably find Doug's experience repeated. <sigh>

 

[dklawson]

Now that I've read this thread, I'll probably find Doug's experience repeated. <sigh>

I don't think so and I certainly hope not. My friend who encouraged me to try Red Kote has used it for well over a decade and never had a failure.

When I took the Red Kote lined Mini tank out, the failure was like NOTHING I had experienced before. Something acidic appears to have gotten into the tank or ethanol did a number that it isn't normally credited with. A layer of rust had grown all over the inside of the tank under and through the Red Kote. The nearly new fuel sending unit was caked in rust. I had to disassemble the new sending unit it to free it up and get all the scaly rust off/out.

The majority of tank liner material failures appear to be where the coating lifts off the steel or is attacked by fuel. God only knows what happened with my Red Kote application but I have NEVER seen anything like it before and I hope to never see it again. When I finally was comfortable putting fuel in the Mini's tanks I used a product similar to Stabil to condition the fuel and give it ethanol protection... just in case.

 

[Bayless]

Man, listening to you guys about ethanol makes me even more thankful that we can still get pure dinosaur fuel here in OK. For years it ran about 10 cents more than E10 but recently it is getting a bit more precious. Still that is the only thing I put in anything that burns it. Hurts the wallet a little getting the high octane stuff the Saab turbo likes but it gets good mileage and doesn't get too many miles.

 

[dklawson]

I am cautious and hesitant to blame my problems on ethanol. I know some things can be damaged by it but I have never heard anyone blame it for catastrophic rust. I don't want to be the first and help spread a myth or urban legend. I'm just taking some precautions just in case my Red Kote failure was due in part to ethanol.