Cleaning fuel tank?

[Chucks67]

I would like to clean out the fuel tank on my old man this weekend. What's the
easy way to do this? Ultimately I want the easiest way first, is there a drain plug
I could pull and see what comes out maybe get lucky and just flush it out (doubtful)
Or do I need to drop the tank send it out for a cleaning and re seal the inside. If
I do have to drop the tank what am I in for?

[mdawg4x4]

I've been looking at these products with the same concerns about my tank, but haven't made a decision.
Anybody have experience with these types of products?

http://www.eastwood.com/por-15-fuel-tan ... 7Aod0AMAgQ

[sleepyzzz]

there was a real good write up on one of the Z forums where the guy redid his tank using POR 15 and the only thing that he was concerned with was the pickup tube in the tank getting clogged. it all came out beautiful and the tank looked like new.

if i get back on the puter tonight i will try and find the thread for you.

[bosque]

This guy did it.....you can too. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsL1wRaiMGs
I wonder if the other companies are worth checking out too. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bill-Hirsch-Aut ... 0655991330
KBS brand: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjhRg1CpMQI

[RiverPatrol]

There is a drain plug, so yes you can pull it and see what comes out. If there is some flaky junk coming out it's not too hard to flush the tank. There are the wires for the sending unit which can be disconnected from inside the rear by lifting the little trap door. You can probably get to the vent tube from there also. Disconnect the filler neck. Then there are 4 bolts holding the skid plate and tank in place.

I have been pretty lucky with the inside of most of my gas tanks. What ends up being the biggest problem is rust from the outside form the tank sitting in the skid pan and dirt building up between the tank and the pan. When I blast the tank there ends up being pin holes from the rust. I usually use some gas tank or radiator repair putty or even JB weld to repair the holes and bolster the thin areas.

I have a '69 that had some junk in the tank. I was all ready with a flush kit to do some serious work on it, even had the muratic(?) acid. Looking in to the tank the surface looked pretty clean though, so I flushed that tank out several times and put it back in. It still went through fuel filters pretty quickly for the next few hundred miles, but I just kept a spare in the vehicle. It finally worked all the junk out and I have put a few thousand miles on it, on and off road, with no issues.

[Urban60]

I am having a tank fabricated right now for my Patrol because mine was to rusty, I plugged 5 filters in only 15 miles of driving even after draining the tank a couple of times. I pulled it but the radiator shop said it was in too bad of condition. They felt it would not survive acid cleaning. They could do it but would have to replace the bottom of the tank. That plus lining it I decided to go for the new tank. The baffles in the tank will sometimes trap the rust chunks behind them, so even draining will not get most of it. I had a 240z that sat for 20 years it had rust stalactites growing in it. I think I dropped it 3 times stuck chain and bolts in there and shook it around even used muriatic acid, and finally cut the top open with a hacksaw and cleaned out the stalactites managed to get everything as clean as I could and soldered it back. I still plugged filters for awhile after that but it finally cleared up. I didn't line it but I wish I had. It was 2 yrs of fighting with it. After that experience I didn't feel like messing with the Patrol, time is a factor right now also. I took it to a garage and am letting them deal with it. It had a new filter # 5 on it before I left for the garage and it still died after only a couple of miles of driving. I stopped blew out the filter and dumped gas in the carb and managed to get it to the garage. These are my previous methods but I guess it will come down to the degree of rust your tank has.

[Chucks67]

stalactites? Had to get the dictionary out for that one.
Thanks for the info. Going to drain it to see what comes out. Hopefully I
don't have any stalactites hanging inside like what's in a cave. Lol
I'm going to like this forum, If anyone is coming to vegas please give me a call
1 702 604_4592 chuck

[timber]

I flushed that tank out several times and put it back in. It still went through fuel filters pretty quickly for the next few hundred miles, but I just kept a spare in the vehicle. It finally worked all the junk out and I have put a few thousand miles on it, on and off road, with no issues.

River, what did you use to flush the tank? Water? Glad to see you've recovered enough to go to your parts room!

Tom

[RiverPatrol]

On that particular tank yes I think I used water. It was just loose debris that I was trying to get out, not actually cleaning the tank.

[Sconnierider]

Hello fellow Patrolers,
I've been meaning to pen this for a while. This forum has given me so much help that I needed to give back as it were.
So, my Patrol tank was so heavily varnished up that the local guy with a history of dealing with dirty tanks simply handed it back to me with a statement of " I can't touch this with any of my methods, it's too dirty". So I took it home. Cleaned it out with dishwashing detergent to verify that any volatiles were gone. Got myself a 2" LP tank torch. Yep, a big one. (WEAR A MASK FOR THIS NEXT PART) Took the tank out to the middle of a gravel pad and proceeded to slowly heat (and I mean HEAT) every square inch of the tank while thumping it with a large headed rubber mallet. (NOTE, it's easy to dent these especially when adding heat and considering the metal may be degraded so go gently) The schmutz that came out was incredible. Chunks of varnished gas the size of quarters and every bit as thick as poker chips. I would then sluice the debris out with water again. It took me a few applications of heat / thumping to get it clean. I don't assume I got it all as I'm running a clear fuel filter that will surely pick up something. The intense varnish smell from my tank was completely gone when I got through. I did scuff the exterior down and primed / painted it with rust inhibiting products after the torching.

Any questions on my methods? Pen me and I'd be happy to help.