Re: Re: Re: HELP!! Dirty gas tank

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: HELP!! Dirty gas tank

Comments:
: : : : : : : : : : : : Could someone tell me the best way to clean out a dirty gas tank? THANKS : : : Hello Steve, You didn't mention what the tank was on or if it was diesel or gas or how bad it was. I have cleaned a few tank in different ways. you could park the equipment on a hill to make everything go to one corner and pump it out. But I will assume that you will remove the tank. I cleaned an aluminum tank for my boat with a detergent called"greased lightning". I poured about 32 ounces of the cleaner along with about four gallons of water into the tank. I have an old lawn mower that has a bent crankshaft from hitting a stump. It vibrates a lot. I put the tank on top of the motor with it running for about 30 minutes to agitate the solution in the tank. After rinsing, I let allowed it to dry. It came very clean. : : : If the tank is not leaking or rusted too bad, you can put coarse sand or small nuts, bolts and screws in it and shake it by hand or somehow attach it to a vibrating or shaking device such as a paint shaker or rig something like I did. : : : I have saved three tanks so far that should have been scrapped. They were rusted out and were a mess inside. I went to the extreme that a lot of people would have never done but made them like new again. I cut a hole in them in a place that would be hidden with a die grinder and cutting wheel so that I could get my hand and sand blast hose inside. I sandblasted the inside thoroughly. I then held them up to the light to check for holes. I brazed up all of the holes that I could see. Then I brazed the piece back into place that I had cut out. To finalize the job, I got a gallon of fuel tank sealer from Eastwood restoration products. It is supposed to be compatible with diesel or gas. This stuff works good. It will seal any holes that you miss and will coat the inside so that the tank can't rust. It turns to a sort of white porcelin. To make this stuff cure faster, I rigged my airhose to blow air into the tank at a low rate to help the curing rate. : : : Good Luck, Hope this helps. K.Ray : : Sounds like K.Ray is a real tractor nut to go through all that trouble! Just watch out for : : gasoline fumes when brazing or even sandblasting! : : I had to solder up the tank on my 2N and filled it full of water.As the water leaked out of the : : tank at the gas cap ( I had the tank upside down) : : I did get a few flames . A radiator shop might be : : able to steem clean a tank well enough to prevent : : any problems . They might even solder it up at a resonable cost . : : Good Luck, : : Ford Man : Hey Ford man, You did bring up a good point, You should never use an open flame if that tank has any fuel in it. I guess that is why you had some flame ups. The best way to completelydry out the tank is to force air into the tank at a low volume. You can do this with a air line and a blow knozzle. In about 30 min to an hour the tank will be dry. When you get the tank dry you can do about anything you want to it safely. If your tank is leaky, you really need to use the tank sealer after repairing the big holes. The sand blasting really cleans the inside and prepares the surface so the sealer will really stick. This would be about the most permanent repair that you can do. Gooday, K.ray

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