Cleaning Fuel Tank

[Paul-FcWag]

Hi all!

Judging by the amount of shit that ends up in my fuel filter im saying the bottom of my fuel tank will be a swamp of rusty dirty goo.

And being quite a novice with this sort of thing i was wondering if any1 or every1 give me some advice on cleaning out the fuel tank.

Is it worth it? it it a hard job? once the tank is taken out is it easy to clean? is it hard to take the tank out?

any help would be much appreciated

thanks all

[FCwagon]

Hi Thumper,
It's not a hard job to pull the tank out but you'll most likely need to get a new gasket for the fuel gauge sender before you re-install.
If it's too badly gunked up to clean at home, then I suggest you take it along to a radiator repairer who can do a chemical clean. They all usually have a chemical bath for stripping the paint off radiators before repairing them and it'll be big enough to submerge a tank.
Had my FB tank done when I bought an FC one as replacement (FB too hard to find) & had to have them graft the FB filler neck onto it.
cheers,
Leigh

[Roybeth]

If doing it at home - think my fuel tank is not in too bad a nick - how does everyone recommend how to clean the inside.

TIA

[DJ]

My tank was in good nick also with no physical damage or rust. There was sludge inside & the most common suggestion I received was to use methylated spirits. Swishing it around seemed to dissolve a lot of the rubbish but the area I could see still wasn't smooth & shiny. Some small ball bearings would have probably cleaned the surface OK, but without being able to see around the baffle I couldn't be absolutely confident. I decided to take the tank to a radiator specialist as described below. It didn't need any repairs but the modest outlay to have it thoroughly cleaned & tested was worth it. Here's another thread on the subject. I used the same radiator shop for my fuel tank, heater & radiator.
http://forum.fefcholden.club/index.php?topic=26004.0

[Harv]

If the tank is in good shape, you can give it a good clean and then seal it with a POR tank kit:
http://www.por15.com/POR-15-Fuel-Tank-Repair-Kit_p_62.html

Fairly simple DIY job.

The cost is about the same as a radiator mob doing a cleanout. The bonus is that your cleaned tank ends up with an epoxy coating that will prevent further rust.

Cheers,
Harv

[Stash]

similar to POR-15

I used this to reseal my fuel tank.. like brand new now

http://www.kbs-coatings.com.au/product/auto-fuel-tank-sealer-kit/