Gunk in Farmall H fuel tank?

PJH

Well-known Member
My son and my grand-daughter are working on her great-grandpa's 1942(?) H. They've put in new sleeves, pistons, rings, manifold, and other necessities. It runs real sweet for about ten minutes. The sediment bowl fills up with a stringy molasses-like substance and impedes the flow. Clean it out and you're good for ten more minutes. It sat with old fuel in it for years, and the stuff turned to something I've never seen before. When they brought it home, it was dry and hard - son put clean gravel inside the tank and strapped it to a jacked up tractor wheel and let it shuffle for hours. It got some of it loose, but there's plenty more. Now it seems like the gasoline is softening it up and letting it cause havoc. He says there's a baffle in the tank, and that doesn't help. Surprisingly, the tank doesn't seem to be rusty inside. Just the molasses. I wonder if carb cleaner and another good spin on the tractor wheel would loosen it up. Anyone have any recommendations on fighting this gunky stuff?
 
(quoted from post at 11:28:12 02/28/14) My son and my grand-daughter are working on her great-grandpa's 1942(?) H. They've put in new sleeves, pistons, rings, manifold, and other necessities. It runs real sweet for about ten minutes. The sediment bowl fills up with a stringy molasses-like substance and impedes the flow. Clean it out and you're good for ten more minutes. It sat with old fuel in it for years, and the stuff turned to something I've never seen before. When they brought it home, it was dry and hard - son put clean gravel inside the tank and strapped it to a jacked up tractor wheel and let it shuffle for hours. It got some of it loose, but there's plenty more. Now it seems like the gasoline is softening it up and letting it cause havoc. He says there's a baffle in the tank, and that doesn't help. Surprisingly, the tank doesn't seem to be rusty inside. Just the molasses. I wonder if carb cleaner and another good spin on the tractor wheel would loosen it up. Anyone have any recommendations on fighting this gunky stuff?

E85 will dissolve that stuff.
 
You are going to have to remove the tank from the tractor to start with. I use a POR15 product called Marine Clean to clean out the old varnish from gas tanks. If you can not find any of that go to a janitoral supply house and buy the strongest degreaser/detergent you can find. Mix it strong with VERY hot water. Put about a half pound of 3/8" washers in the tank and shake, rattle and roll the tank. You most likely will have to repeat this several times. You should also let the tank set in different positions to allow the mixure to soften the goo on the sides and the top of the tank. The last one I did I built a sling to hold the tank and suspended it from my ceiling to make it easier to shake it with out having to lift it up while I was shaking. Pull the washers out with a magnetic probe and you should be good to go. I would look very carefully at the cleaned tank for rust. If it rusty, you should put in a tank liner product. The rust can be just as vexing as the goo....

Have fun,
 
I had the same problem with my 1950 ford car. Old gas had dried up and turned into a tar like substance. I removed it and had a shop clean it out with a steam cleaner, it came out shiny inside as it wasn't rusty.
 
was the tank full of gas when they parked it or not? Just fill the tank with E85 like Rusty says up to where the dried on stuff is. fasten a small tank somewhere and hook that up to the carb and then you can drive the tractor around and the sloshing of the E85 in the tank will wash the crap off the side wall of the tank and when it is all loose you can drain the tank, and steam clean it and you should be good to go. It may take a month or more to get it all loose. Just be patient and it will work out just fine.

Bob
 
With all the work thats been done to it already I would take the tank off and have it cleaned. American Radiator here can cook them out and coat them if needed, they have access to way stronger solvents and processes than any do it yourself type stuff. You would have to prime and paint the tank because it will be bare steel inside and out after they clean it.
 
Use muratic acid, Just empty the tank then poor some in there and fill it with water. After about an hour or two dump it all out and wash the tank with hot water, but you will have to get gas back in it or put a little oil in it to coat the metal because it will flash rust, badly, if you don't. I have found this to be the most effective and fastest way to get rid of thick varnish. It really works fast. Good Luck
 
I had mine steamed out / boiled out, my local machine shop has some sort of boil tank. It got clean, then I put in Red-Kote, and you have to be quick with that stuff. Worked great.
 
it was that way on my granddads f20 that iam fixing up for my grandson. I used laquer thinner and it was good to go a week later. Bob
 
(quoted from post at 17:43:25 02/28/14) With all the work thats been done to it already I would take the tank off and have it cleaned. American Radiator here can cook them out and coat them if needed, they have access to way stronger solvents and processes than any do it yourself type stuff. You would have to prime and paint the tank because it will be bare steel inside and out after they clean it.


I had my W-30 tank done there years ago and the liner inside it still looks like new. perfect work they did. cost me 180 bux. I figure by the time I buy all the crap I need to do it and have to deal with the chemicals and time id be stupid not to let them do it.

they warranty it also....
 

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