fuel tank cleaning

[Adrio]

I am starting a new thread on this just to keep things "clean".

I saw on the "purchased a second TR6" thread that he put a chain in his tank and rattled it around and was thankful it did not blow up.

I was wondering if there was a safe(r) way of cleaning the inside of one of our tanks. For those of us that are more chicken or that have had new gas in there of late without the luxury of the gas being 10 years old like the TR6 fellow had.

My TR3 tank is produsing rust flakes I suspect, given I have to empty the glass vial under the fuel pump at least once a year and it is almost full of rust flakes and other such sandy like matter. Any suggestions?

 

[rustbucket]

Summitt Racing sells a tank cleaning and sealing kit for about 54 dollars plus shipping, which contains cleaner and sealer. I just used it on an MGB tank, and it appears to have worked well.

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/SUM-900056-3/

Alternatively, a good radiator shop can clean and repair one, but be prepared to pay upwards of three to four hundred dollars for the service. They used to "boil them out" with a caustic cleaner, but due to EPA regs, now they mostly cut them open and sandblast them, weld them back shut and seal them.

Oops, didn't see you are in Canada, don't know what the equivalent to the EPA is up there.

 

[tdskip]

Hi there Adrio.

I've always done the following;

1) Drain the tank
2) Pulled the tank (easy to do)
3) Had it chemically dipped to remove any traces of rust
4) Then sealed it with KBS or POR15 or the tank sealer of your choice...

 

[JodyFKerr]

Here's an article I wrote a while back on how to clean/restore a fuel tank:
https://www.theymightberacing.com/ShopTech/FuelTankRestoration.aspx

In the article it features the POR-15 kit because that happens to be the kit I use.

Jody

 

[dklawson]

The chain in the tank method is not unusual nor is it particularly dangerous. Generally it's used in conjunction with the tank being full of some cleaning agent... either a paint stripper or a strong water based caustic.

I have used the POR kit as above and prefer it to the Kreme kit which I've also used. The POR chemicals are easier to deal with and POR leaves a nice metallic appearance on the inside of the tank... which I prefer to Kreme which goes on white but quickly turns orange/amber with exposure to gasoline. Others prefer "Red-Kote".

I think you'll find that ALL the kits recommend putting something in the tank (chain, nuts & bolts, rocks...) and sloshing it around to remove loose flakes and deposits.

Now it the idea of chains in the tank scared you, sit down for this one. There are a few people on the Spridget part of this board who boil there own tanks out. The method involves initial caustic cleaning to remove liquid gas, some varnish and deposits. Then they fill the tank up about 1/3 way with water and put it on a gas grill for most of a day (filler neck open). They say the resulting boiling and steam remove virtually all the rust, scale, and varnish. If the tank is in good shape, they just dry and use it as is. Where rust was bad and/or there are concerns of pin hole leaks, the cleaned tank is further prepped to apply one of the tank sealers mentioned above. I have never tried this method but may some day when I find another tank in need of coating.

 

[TR3driver]

Personally, I just clean the sediment bowl at every tune-up. Occasionally, if I happen to have them off for some other reason, I'll clean the even finer silt that accumulates in the bottom of the float bowls. In over 30 years of LBC ownership, I've never had a problem beyond that. Compared to the horror stories I've heard from some who tried to 'seal' their tanks, I still think that's the way to go.

There have been some fuel tanks come to me with rust pinholes in the bottom, but I believe that was because they were allowed to sit with accumulated water in them while the car was off the road. I soldered up the holes & put them back in. One of those tanks I soldered 30 years ago still holds fuel today; the other likely got crushed along with the rest of the car.

 

[DNK]

Adrio- The safest way to do this is call your local Rad. shop and see if they clean and prep fuel tanks.

 

[TR6BILL]

Now it the idea of chains in the tank scared you, sit down for this one. There are a few people on the Spridget part of this board who boil there own tanks out.

Perhaps that is why there are very few people left in that forum.

 

[toysrrus]

Hi Folks,

I was driving thru and saw this post which Is quite interesting.

Something I learned from a "Restoration" friend of mine is drop the tank, throw a bunch of "Stones / Pebbles" into it. Do the "Hoki-Poki" and "Shake Them all about" & watch the rust deposits come out!

Its like having your tank "Sand Blasted" without the fear of fire, explosions etc etc.

"Boiled out over an open fire"!! WOW; You got have a guts!!

Regards, Russ

 

[dklawson]

Perhaps that is why there are very few people left in that forum.

Actually... I think it's the second most active part of this board.

As for having guts to boil out the tank... no not really. The process is started after you've washed out the inside of the tank. The residual "smell" of gas is really all that's left. The tank is open, so there is no pressure.

If you want to worry yourself about such things and are afraid that the tank might blow up... think about that nice electric fuel gauge sending unit inside the tank. I have never heard of a car blowing up from those... even when their resistance windings burn out.

Regardless, I've never had to use tank cleaning methods beyond those in the tank lining kit instructions.

 

[stever_sl]

Some tanks have a fine mesh screen around the fuel pickup tube -- those can get clogged if you slosh sealant in a tank, as can the fuel pickup line itself, and once clogged they're basically impossible to unblock again. Ask me how I know! So while the sealant is still wet, be sure and blow air down the pickup line to keep it and the screen (if your tank has one) clear until the sealant sets.

Steve Richardson
St Louis MO
76 TR7 (original owner)
50 Dodge Wayfarer

 

[poolboy]

There have been some fuel tanks come to me with rust pinholes in the bottom, but I believe that was because they were allowed to sit with accumulated water in them while the car was off the road. I soldered up the holes & put them back in. One of those tanks I soldered 30 years ago still holds fuel today; the other likely got crushed along with the rest of the car.

The TR6 came from the factory with a somewhat absorbant mat under the fuel tank. If that mat got wet from a rain with the top down, boot lid open or poor filler neck seal, it could hold moisture and get rust started from the outside, too.
I had to patch one from that and although the outside was pitted, there were only 2 or 3 pinholes that made their way thru the tank.
I sloshed phosphoric acid around the inside of the tank to kill any rust on the inner surface and seams.

 

[PeterK]

A trick to clean out baked on coffee from coffee carafes is to use ice cubes and liquid dish washer detergent. Then do the Hoki-Poki or whatever. The sharp edges of the ice help scrape the crud and the dishwasher detergent is strong stuff that dissolves deposits. The freezing action also helps. It always works well on coffee pots and SS travel mugs.

For the fuel tank, I would slosh in a generous amount phosphoric acid AFTER cleaning out the ice and soap, then rise with clean water. (note: skip the acid for your coffee containers)

 

[tr8todd]

Here is what I have done many times with excellent results. It is sort of a combination of some of the previously mentioned techniques. Once the tank is out and empty, pour in a cup of salt, a bunch of ice cubes, and a half bottle of toilet bowl cleaner. Swirl it around for several minutes and then flush very well. Dy it out with compressed air and then a hair dryer. Seal with POR 15 tank sealer or similar. The salt and ice act as an abrasive, and the toilet bowl cleaner is a fantastic semi caustic cleaner. Don't place over a fire, leaded solder melts at around 376 degrees.

 

[dklawson]

Don't place over a fire, leaded solder melts at around 376 degrees.

True. However, if you have water in the tank it doesn't reach 376 degrees F. The highest temperature the tank will achieve is that of boiling water, 212 degrees F.

This is very similar to the old "trick" of boiling water in a paper cup. If you've never seen this done, see this YouTube link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGseQk_r9EI

Solder on tanks is typically reserved for repairs. Most of them are assembled with overlapping spot welds to form a continuous seam.

 

[billspit]

Years ago i tried to get several radiator shops to boil out my tank. None would touch it. I ended up doing the cleaning myself.

I good trick is a couple of handfuls of roofing nails inside the tank shaken vigously.

 

[TR3driver]

Years ago i tried to get several radiator shops to boil out my tank. None would touch it. I ended up doing the cleaning myself.

I had the same problem (and solution) when trying to get mine repaired. But now, my local radiator shop is a Gas Tank ReNu franchise, so they are eager for fuel tank work.

 

[pjsmetana]

Back-when I was working on air cooled VWs all the time, I would take the tank out, hose it out, throw a bunch of gravel in it, seal it off, chuck it into the bed of the truck, then drive with it in there for about a week (driving like an idiot, mind you, and flipping the tank once a day). After the week, I would remove whatever I used to seal it up, dump out the gravel and rust (and once a rat, twice a G.I.Joe!), hose it out, fill it with water, seal it again, check for leaks or holes in the metal, drain it, wire bush then paint (or use undercoating spray usually) the outside of it, then put it back in the car. After running the engine for a few miles with the refreshed tank on it I would replace the fuel filter again.