Dirty Tank?

[poffenroth]

So... I was having fuel delivery problems when my engine got hot. I think I found the problem...

Anyone know a way to clean the fuel tank while it is in the car?? I dread the idea of removing it...

[Thom71GT]

Holy crap dude!! Remove it. You'll thank yourself a hundred times later if you do or you'll kick yourself a thousand times later if you don't.

It's not that bad. You could have it out in an hour.

[poffenroth]

Ugh... Might as well replace my vent hoses while I am there. Anything else I should do while the tank is out?

Some of those "might as well's"??

[Thom71GT]

Replace the gasket around the sending unit on the tank, replace the filler neck tube and replace the gasket around your gas inlet on the outside of the car.

[guyopel]

Amen , you can find the filler hose at napa stores , sold in ft. HTH\

[gtzero]

I just got my tank out. See my post "Just had to vent" to see what I went thru.

I was going to post a new thread but since this is along the same lines, I'll ask here if no one minds.

What happens when I send out my tank to have it "cleaned"?

Someone mentioned "acid dipping". I called around and got prices in California ranging from $200-$450. That's a pretty wide spread. Why the big difference? It got me thinking that maybe different shops "clean" differently. I thought I'd ask here before calling the shops again tomorrow for more details.

Thanks,

Manny

[poffenroth]

But its's out. FREAKIN' PAIN IN THE A$$!!!

Man, that sump is DEEP!!!

Ok, so I'm not up for acid dipping mine... Just shake it and wash it with gas until nothing else comes out??

I think my vent hoses have already been done too - they are all still soft and pliable, no cracks or anything.

[ayeropelgt]

When you send a tank out to be cleaned most of them wash out the tank with a special acid type stuff then add some kind of rust converter( turns the rust into stable black rust) then puts a type of liner in. Around me that costs about 45-65 dollars. I know a guy who worked at a radiator shop and he told me to pressure wash the inside of the tank out then put some "Tank Saver" ( ~$20 at smyth auto ) in and follow the directions on it. I haven't got a chance to do either yet, but I would not get the tank acid dipped, way to expensive and not needed at all, ulness your tank leaks and need to get it welded.

[kwilford]

Originally Posted by poffenroth Ok, so I'm not up for acid dipping mine... Just shake it and wash it with gas until nothing else comes out??

I guess it was more than the fuel pump!

Trevor, have a GOOD look inside the tank. With that much rust in the pump screen, I suspect that the tank is somewhat rusted. While you have it out, call a radiator shop (I used City-Wide down on Blackfoot Trail for my rad rebuilds) and see if they will hot-tank it. You might also have them coat the inside (if they do that), or get a kit from POR to do it yourself.

You will also need to get that inlet screen out of the tank while you are at it. Did the outlet pipe come off without any hysterics?

[gtzero]

Can a radiator shop that's doing the cleaning of the tank also put in baffles?

Manny

[oldopelguy]

Both eastwood and POR I think make products specificly designed for cleaning the inside of a gas tank. There is also a couple of other companies thet make a cleaner for use as part of the 3-part liquid tank liner kits, but I'm not sure if they sell the cleaner seperatly. (Any reputable motorcycle shop or Dennis Kirk will sell the whole kit though.)

http://www.eastwoodco.com/shopping/p...iProductID=258
http://www.denniskirk.com/jsp/produc...eafCatId=22205
http://www.por15.com/product.asp?productid=156

But whatever cleaner you end up with, the easiest way I've ever found to clean the inside of the tank is to toss in either a couple 8" chunks of chain or a heaping double handfull of nuts and bolts and shake the tank. The hard metal material inside will beat all the flaky rusty stuff loose, and if you shake long enough polish the inside to a beautiful finish. You will want to remove the fuel sending unit, though, to keep it from getting too beat up.

I've used the liquid liner kits on several tanks over the years, motorcycle, tractor, car, truck, lawm mower, etc., and always had great luck. I would highly recommend the stuff to anyone with an older auto.

http://www.eastwoodco.com/shopping/p...&iProductID=38
http://www.por15.com/product.asp?productid=316

[poffenroth]

Looky what I found...

The sock is off and I have what appears to be an old rag... Neat...

OldOpelGuy that chain idea is a great one!!

I'm not worried about a liner though... I don't have any leaks.

[GTJIM]

The reason shops charge so much to fix tanks is that they do not want too do it .... an empty fuel tank is a bomb waiting to go off unless a few simple precautions are taken:

Steam clean the tank first to remove ALL traces of fuel - the vapour is highly flammable and the merest spark ( from rattling around links of chain for instance!) will move you into the after-life real quickly.

NEVER weld a fuel tank without filling it up with water first; just turn it to have the tiny bit you are welding above the water level. Heat will "boil" traces of fuel out of any seams and - if the tank is NOT full of water - an explosive air/fuel vapour mix will from inside the tank you are applying a naked flame to the outside of .......... Ka BoooooM! Take it from me - the resulting explosion will blow the flame of your welding torch out - and you will have to relight it to continue .... don't ask!

After cleaning the rust out by the various methods described in the posts above coat the inside with the POR-15 or Eastwood products mentioned and you are good to go for just about ever.

[Thom71GT]

Aren't you glad you took it out now?

[spdkilz02]

i got my tank redone and it only cost me like 20 bucks, i guess its not what u know but who u know. they even coated the inside for me.

[benncojr]

This is great!! I just got the tank out of my GT and was about to ask the same question (What timing!!).

So...If I understand this tread correctly the steps are the following after getting the tank out and the sender unit out (If I want to do it myself).

1. Flush the tank with water, empty it out.
2. Psi wash the inside with water.
3. Purchase some tank cleaner and follow the directions
4. Purchase some tank sealer and follow the directions

or should I just do steps 3 and 4 and forget about steps 1 and 2.

[nobody]

When I fired up this GT I had a clear glass filter on it. I started seeing chips and chunks and gas isn't supposed to be orange is it? I looked into finding another tank and that isn't easy, especially with shipping a gas tank. I looked into the Eastwood and Por 15 and both solutions were better than hunting and hoping. If it's rusty it will only get worse, best to fix it once and be done with it.

[ayeropelgt]

My friend, who works at aradiator shop, said just pressure wash the tank the use tank sealer ( he suggested tank saver, but he said that was just what he was familiar with ) If you do that it should be good as new

[Thom71GT]

Rick, let me know how it goes and if all is well, Ill duplicate it.

[namba209]

Manny, call around to some radiator shops and see if they will do the tank for you. The reason to use a radiator shop is the stuff they dip the radiators in eats away rust and corrosion and leaves bare metal alone. I don't think they will do baffles though, that would require cutting the tank and rewelding it, and most radiator shops usually do lead soldering or brazing on the radiators, not welding. After you get the tank back nice and clean, use one of the products mentioned to seal the inside of the tank. But be sure NOT to have the sender in the tank when you seal it, that will make it cease to function correctly.

[Thom71GT]

Originally Posted by namba209 But be sure NOT to have the sender in the tank when you seal it, that will make it cease to function correctly.

Good to know. I gues I would of been screwed otherwise. Thanks

[benncojr]

Originally Posted by Thom71GT Rick, let me know how it goes and if all is well, Ill duplicate it.

Thom,
Do you need to have yours done also?? If so we may be able to get one of the local shops to do it.

I priced out the POR-15 repair kit for $55 plus shipping. If we can not find a local shop to do it, maybe we could do it at the same time together (two heads are better than one).

[BQS4]

Thom & Rick;
Sims Radiator in Lawrenceville cleans out gas tanks. I recently had a radiator recored there and saw several gas tanks about and asked, and they still clean tanks.
Gene

[guyopel]

HI , "You all" in Ga. can use Sims rad. ser. for cleaning they do good work & can leak test & do repairs . Then you can seal the tank yourself.
HTH , J Lewis

[benncojr]

Sounds like an idea. I will give them a call.