Rust in gas tank

so after i knock most of the rust and junk out of the gas tank with rocks for something so i dont spark anything up, it is ok to use water to flush out the rest? or will that just make the rust worst in time? and also would it help to clean up the carb, after all the but was sitting for quite some time before i got it, maybe rebuild it? Nick

Reply to
Nick via CarKB.com
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Use some marbles. Be sure you count how many you put in so you get the same number out. I would think water would be ok to flush it out with but do your best to blow it out really good. After you are done, keep your tank as full as you can for a while at least. Helps cut down on condensation.

< TC
Reply to
tcrdn11

Hi!

I would at least flush it out really good with water first.

I had a neighbor who got killed when he was welding a fuel tank on a government vehicle. He had taken all the necessary safety precautions and still had the accident.

I used this POR kit from aircooled.net/ for the fuel tank in my 1973 Beetle a few years ago. There is still no evidence of rust in my clear fuel filter.

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Auto Fuel Tank Repair Kit Price: $ 54.95 Part #: POR0022 This will also seal holes the size of a dime! Contains all the stuff you need to clean, prep, and seal your gnarly old fuel tank. This is NOT a simple coating (like others) that is sloshed around, sticking to all the gum, sludge, and varnish in there also. Includes Tank Clean, Metal-Ready, and U.S. Standard Tank Sealer to seal the tank. Also includes Fuel Preservative & Stabilizer to keep you out of trouble for a while too!

There was one step where I cleaned out the tank. I put a short 2 ft. length of 3/4 inch chain link in the tank. I sloshed it around with the chemicals to help remove rust.

Also, there is a galvanized fuel tank available at oeveedub.com

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If I had the money, I would get the galvanized fuel tank and treat it with the POR 15 Auto Fuel Tank Repair Kit.

Or start off with a new tank and the repair kit.

Even with a new tank, it should be cleaned out, since they usually have a protective coating in them.

A long time ago, someone in this group said they got a VW Beetle fuel tank that was made in Canada from Advance Auto Parts.

Sleepy Joe

1973 VW Beetle
Reply to
Loosenutbehindthewheel

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Thanks for the recommendation and link -- I will try that too. While mine is clean now (see previous thread - sheepish ), I am sure that makes it even better.

I initially considered getting a new tank, but the sheetmetal was just a lot thinner than OE. (at least, the stuff at the local shows were pretty thin).

Remco

Reply to
Remco

Wash it out with lots of water. When you fill it up with gas later, first pour in a bottle of common de-icer. Its basically alcohol and both water and gas mix with it. As you know, water wont mix with gasoline so its hard to get it out of the tank without alcohol. Ja

Reply to
Jan

Check in your Bentley manual. They have good instructions on how to remove rust and prevent more rust afterwards.

There should be a filter somewhere which should have stopped most of the rust. Check it. If it's bad, check in the float bowl, too.

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----------------------------------------------- Jim Adney snipped-for-privacy@vwtype3.org Madison, WI 53711 USA

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Reply to
Jim Adney

thanks guys, one last thing. should i flush my lines too or just blow air through them? and is it only one line that i do this to? the one on the very bottom? sorry just knew to bugs and first time to flush out rust and junk out on the gas tank.

Reply to
Nick via CarKB.com

I did use the POR15 tank kit...they recommend drying the tank with a hot air blower for a loooong time.

anyway I had bad luck with the kit and will need to start all over again...

cheers

Reply to
Kuebel Guy

Tells us more about your experience, even though is was a bad one, we can all learn something.

Reply to
TerryB

in a bottle of common de-icer. Its basically alcohol and both water and gas mix with it. As you know, water wont mix with gasoline so its hard to get it out of the tank without alcohol. Jan

Use Acetone to flush after you have rinsed it with water, this removes all traces of water. The metal etch you use in these kits are nothing more than Phospour(sp?) acid.

I used a KREEM kit on my Ducati tank, and the only thing I could not have gotten cheaper by using a generic liquid was the 1 component epoxy liner thing..

The sequence for cleaning/prepping a tank is:

  1. Remove loose surface rust by mechanical means(I used a glass blast cabinet).

  1. Fill with a mix of Phospour acid and water, let sit for as long as it takes to uniformly etch the inside to a grey dull, all rust will now be gone aswell, I let mine sit for a couple of days..

  2. Flush thoroughly with water, do not let it dry in between steps.

  1. Flush with a suitable amount of Acetone, now it should dry out quickly.

  2. You are now ready to apply the coating, which can be thinned with Acetone or otherwise specified thinner. The trick here is to rotate the tank continiously for aprox 5 minutes, then to drain the sealant back into a closed container. Let the first coat air dry for aprox an hour, the repeat this step to you run out of coating or have a uniform coating on the inside. Finally let it air dry for a couple of days with all openings uncovered, do not use a hair-dryer! A low pressure high volume air supply is ok.

Hope this helps a bit.

J.

Reply to
P.J. Berg

I really don't recommend the epoxy liner gas tank coatings. They are probably fine in a really simple tank where there are no small openings or passages, but a lot of our cars have little passages in there which will just be plugged with stuff like this.

I'm sure your Ducati tank was just fine, but I hear the occasional horror story about the passages that are now clogged and then there's the problems that pop up 2-3 years later as the prep turns out not to have been perfect and the coating starts to peel off.

I'm gonna guess that most people don't realize that a steel gas tank with just gas in it really won't rust inside, even when bare. It's the water that gets in that causes the problems, so just keeping the tank and the gas dry is all you really need to do.

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----------------------------------------------- Jim Adney snipped-for-privacy@vwtype3.org Madison, WI 53711 USA

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Reply to
Jim Adney

use de-icer in humid climates, or climates where the temperature changes are big. It is basically alcohol, and alcohol mixes with water. This alcohol-water mix, will then mix with gasoline, thanks to the alcohol content. The little amounts of water are then burned off with no ill effects.

Jan

Reply to
Jan Andersson

You obviously plug all small passages.. You can normally get your hand inside from the level sensor cover plate, or where the pump goes in when the tank is new. Small rubber caps a la what goes on brake bleeder screws works fine.

The Ducati tank was very grateful to handle, the filler cap sits in a large circular "disk" than can be removed via a zillion small unbraco set screws. It can be replaced for a speed filler lid for competition use, and also gives access to internal pump and filter.

Bare steel tanks in our climate will rust, period! :o)

J.

Reply to
P.J. Berg

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Reply to
Eric

well, in my case the POR15 coat started to crack....

As all the process was did like the instructions said, cleaning, etching, drying...the only reason I found (after contacting POR15) was the high ambient humidity at that time (warm weather, 80%+ humidity..).

Now I will need to strip the coat, though work, somebody recommended using broken beer bottles :-), without the beer :-)

cheers

Reply to
Kuebel Guy

.............Go see if Advance or Autozone or maybe NAPA can get you a new tank. The good ones that are comparable to OEM quality are made in Canada. For a little over $100, you'll be done with gas tank problems for a long time.

Reply to
Tim Rogers

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