Guest mdroll Posted July 2, 2013 Share Posted July 2, 2013 I'm looking for a good method to clean out my fuel tank of all the bad gas that was left in the tank. I have not measured how much is in there yet, but estimate about 1/2 gallon.the tank is not the original, a custom made stainless steel tank was made for it about 8 years ago.Any tips? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Grant Magrath Posted July 2, 2013 Share Posted July 2, 2013 POR 15 make a gas tank restoration kit, but I don't know whether a cleaner is included. I have heard of stuff to do the job, but have never had to do it sorry!CheersGrant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mdroll Posted July 2, 2013 Share Posted July 2, 2013 POR 15 make a gas tank restoration kit, but I don't know whether a cleaner is included. I have heard of stuff to do the job, but have never had to do it sorry!CheersGrantthanks Grant for the reply. I have looked at several websites and they have mentioned putting muriatic acid and sloshing it around, but muriatic acid is also very aggressive on skin. I have also read to use acetone and maybe put some chain or rocks to help scrub it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Shaw Posted July 3, 2013 Share Posted July 3, 2013 I used a whole can of Drano drain cleaner crystals, a half gallon of hot water, & two cups of pea gravel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelod Posted July 3, 2013 Share Posted July 3, 2013 (edited) I sent mine out to Gas Tank Renu due to a POR-15 disaster caused by a previous owner. They did a great job but were rather pricey. Edited July 3, 2013 by michaelod (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dwight Romberger Posted July 3, 2013 Share Posted July 3, 2013 (edited) Since it is stainless steel, you don't need to remove rust in the tank with abrasives or acid. Neither do you want to coat it with anything after it is clean!You just want something that will dissolve any gunk that might be in the bottom of the tank. Use a good solvent and then flush out with clean gasoline. If it is only eight years, there may not be much gunk in there.The old tractor guys recommend lacquer thinner, acetone or E85. E85 would be the cheapest. There are five stations in Houston that have E85 http://www.altfuelprices.com/stations/E85/Texas/Houston/ Edited July 3, 2013 by Dwight Romberger speeling (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLYER15015 Posted July 3, 2013 Share Posted July 3, 2013 mdroll,I would lean toward Dwight's idea.You want a solvent, but one that is not abrasive.I would choose naptha (old dry cleaning fluid). Pour in a half gallon, seal it up tight and let sit overnight.It won't attack the stainless, and it will soften up the old gas residue, for flushing with e-85 gas.Be sure to put a BIG CLEAR filter just outside the tank on the way to the carb. That way you can check for any crud you missed.Mike in Colorado Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Shaw Posted July 3, 2013 Share Posted July 3, 2013 I am dealing with this on my 12 Buick right now. It has black tar-like gunk inside that has already softened and plugged the outlet. I tested the gunk with lacquer thinner, acetone, and mineral spirits with no good results. I have not yet tried naptha, but would like to know if anyone has seen it dissolve this stuff... I suspect it may be an old sealer somebody added to this tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimy Posted July 3, 2013 Share Posted July 3, 2013 Methyl Ethyl Ketone (MEK), available at your hardware store, is the solvent that Northern and other manufacturers use in their three-part kits. They advise that "varnish" also requires mechanical abrasion, but MEK is the best softening solvent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dwight Romberger Posted July 3, 2013 Share Posted July 3, 2013 (edited) Mark, I was going in the same direction as Grimy. You might want to test a heavy duty paint remover like Klean-Strip Aircraft paint stripper. Take proper safety precautions. Edited July 3, 2013 by Dwight Romberger (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mdroll Posted July 3, 2013 Share Posted July 3, 2013 I am dealing with this on my 12 Buick right now. It has black tar-like gunk inside that has already softened and plugged the outlet. I tested the gunk with lacquer thinner, acetone, and mineral spirits with no good results. I have not yet tried naptha, but would like to know if anyone has seen it dissolve this stuff... I suspect it may be an old sealer somebody added to this tank.Mark, that gunk was the reason my grandfather had the tank made. Apparently my great grandfather used a pour-in liner that peeled away and clogged the outlet. So my grandfather had the stainless tank made, but he has more money than sense. I'm not sure what it cost him but it could not have been cheap. The best solution i can think of for you would be to take it to a radiator shop and have them dunk in the cleaning vat. I looking for one in my area now to see how much they charge to clean my tank, I'll let you know how much they quote it for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimy Posted July 3, 2013 Share Posted July 3, 2013 mdroll, not to discourage you from the radiator hot tank method, but MEK also dissolves the pre-ethanol sloshing liners. The problem dealing with the yellow pre-ethanol sloshing compounds is getting the material out of the tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now