best way to clean out gas tank?

[Guest classic.car.fan]

i need to clean the gas tank for my 65 deville. lots of old dirty gas at the bottom of the tank. anyway once i get the gas out. what is the best way to clean out the rest of sludge on the inside? can i rinse it out with water? or is that bad for it? what is the best way ?

Edited May 10, 2014 by classic.car.fan (see edit history)

[Trulyvintage]

You might consider checking the tank before doing a complete flush.

If water was sitting in it for a prolonged period - it might be corroded inside to the point of needing to be replaced.

Jim

[Matt Harwood]

Once you've got it drained, it's pretty easy to remove the whole tank and take it to a radiator shop to have it boiled out. It may be full of crud (we just pulled the tank on a 34,000-mile original '65 Fleetwood, so I'd say it's likely), but that's really the only way to be sure it's clean. Otherwise you'll be chasing clogged fuel lines for a long time. You're more than halfway there; pull the tank and get it cleaned and/or replace it.

[R Walling]

I have cleaned them out by washing them with detergent and then after rinsing it out, I added water,sand, gravel and small stones and then "sandblasted)" the interior with a pressure washer.

It takes about an hour to rinse out the sand but it comes out like new. (except it will rust again, especially with e10 gas.

A quick look found a 66 Oldsmobile, brand new tank for only $150 on line.

If you could find a caddy, I think you would be better off with no problems in the future.

[28 Chrysler]

I have used: Dawn dish soap,acetone , chemicals of all kinds, and I add a small chain about 10 ft long to the mix. I find it work good as an abrasive and simple to remove.

[Friartuck]

All these suggestions will help clean the tank of Gooo and debris. Another step to pull rust out is Electrolysis, which uses direct current and sodium carbonate solution to deposit the rust from the rusty peice (Cathode) onto a steel Anode (like a peice of Rebar). In this case, treat the metal tank as the Cathode, fill with sodium carbonate solution and add the Annode inside the tank making sure it does not come in contact with the tank. Use insulators on the tips and whatever other means specific to your situation. Clean the Anode often about once per hour. Exercise care that Electrolysis produces gases and venting is needed and disconnect the direct current at the source to prevent sparks. POR has a line of cleaners and tank sloshing sealers.

[Studemax]

Used to pour a cheap bag of marbles in with some soapy water, and agitate until clean. Rinse well, and save marbles for next time.

[Wilf Sedanet]

One should always keep their marbles safe. One doesn't want to lose them!

i was wondering, there is this rust killing agent, based upon the rust killing stuff in coca cola (it even smells a bit like coke). In our country it's sold as " HG roestomvormer" (roughly translated as "HG rust converter"). I previously used it to clean up a stock intake. The rust changes to a bluish black state. After about a day one should rinse it thoroughly. Does anyone recognize this stuff and could this be useful in a tank too, maybe with some marbles too to get rid of loose rust layers? The intake has been rust free ever since (5 years) although I did paint it afterwards, except for the internals, which are also quite rust free still.

* I've done a quick search and the main active ingredient is phosphoric acid.

Edited May 14, 2014 by Wilf DeSoto (see edit history)

[michel88]

When I bought my 51 Ford Country Squire wagon it had been sitting in a garage untouched for 27 years. The gas had turned into solid black crud. I pulled the tank off and took it to a radiator shop where they hot tanked it for about two days and it came out clean. I sealed it with Eastwood gas tank sealer and when I installed it back in the car I put a visible filter in the gas line near the carb. This was over 20 years ago and it has never given me a problem.

[trini]

Another way to clean a tank is to remove it from the car, remove the sending unit and inject steam. How long it takes depends on how much crud in it. If you know how to steam wood for bending then you have an idea what I am talking about. Rig up a steamer and pipe the steam into the tank. Be careful to keep the tank well away from the fire, by using a long hose. Keep the steam going as hot as can be, one inlet and one outlet in the tank. The other is the "Gastank Renu" They boil out the tank and cut a hole. Sand blast inside and out. patch/repair as required and coat with a white stuff inside. Looks like ceramic when dry.

[Buffalowed Bill]

Wilf,

I used to buy what you a talking about in crystal form, and mix with warm water but I can't remember the brand name. Just soaked the rusty parts and scrubbed then periodically to get as much of the black converted rust off as possible. When you fed up with soaking and scrubbing the part was dried and whatever particles of rust that were left was converted to an inert black compound that could be primed and painted. I don't know why it wouldn't work for a tank but I would rather take it to my radiator guy. He diligently cleans, dries and uses a quality sloshing product that they use on diesel truck tanks and does it for less then $200 as a matter of fact the last one he did for me he charged me $125. Both Bill Hirsch and Eastwood sell a fine and comparable sloshing sealer if you want to do it yourself but be careful the end of the pickup tube in the tank can be plugged with whatever you put in to slosh the tank. My radiator guy rigged up a fitting to the tank outlet so that he could periodically blow a shot of air back through the line so that it wouldn't clog up as it dried.