junkuser Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 In view of the number of times that fuel tank rust problems come up on the forum, I was wondering if knowledge could be pooled on how best to clean tanks and what treatments are available/best to prevent further corosion problems.Are there coatings/systems that can be used to coat the inside of the tank and resist breaking down for a "considerable" time? (Hopefully another 40+ years) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monty69 Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 We bought some stuff of Frosts which was very good, it stopped the tank from flaking inside and blocking the carbs uphttp://www.frost.co.uk/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
junkuser Posted March 6, 2009 Author Share Posted March 6, 2009 Thank you Monty for responding.Hopefully others will respond with there experiences.Fortunately I have not had a problem, so far, with my '62 build Spit. The fuel filter fitted at the 1976 rebuild has not been changed, yet. (Ain't that slack!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ferny Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 The Frosts stuff is the only product I know of, but I've never used it. I'd also recommend running the tank near empty as often as you can. I've only run empty three times (not including the RBRR) - twice on the driveway when starting the car (I guess I chance my luck a bit...) and once when I'd been driving another car all day and forgot the "quirk" of my gauge to read full when empty. That third time it ran out in front of a petrol station! ;D My tank had been sitting in a barn for God knows how long and I washed it out with water and even after that it still sounded a bit like a childs rattle when shook. I've also got a glass filter before my fuel pump and I've never had problems with debris which I put down to me not letting it build up which it would do if the tank always had loads of juice in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 ferny wrote:The Frosts stuff is the only product I know of, but I've never used it. I'd also recommend running the tank near empty as often as you can. ......Peter, surely running mostly with the tank near empty will accelerate any corrosion as it will expose more of the metal surface to the oxygen and moisture that's needed for rusting to take place?I'd have thought condensation is the biggest cause of rusting in petrol tanks. I doubt if corrosion takes place where the surface is constantly wetted with petrol, but could be wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ferny Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 True, I didn't think of that. But I normally end up filling my tank at least once a week so rust doesn't always get a chance to take hold. For others that may not be the case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toomanyprojects Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 I don't think that condensation causing corrosion is an issue in cars which are used (and filled) regularly.However, the advice over here, where many cars/tractors are set away for the winter is to always leave the tank full to avoid condensation. That's certainly what I do.As for cleaning a tank. All I know, after trying to completely empty the Spitfire tank, is that it's nigh on impossible to drain all the petrol, water, shite out of a tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 Steam cleaning. High pressure steam. That gets rid of all the fuel, so that welded repairs can be done, if you want.Or else a high pressure water spray, if you just want to use an internal sealant.Take out the fuel sender, squirt through there and drain from the filler, and vice versa.But it must be BONE dry for the sealant. Airing cupboard, if 'er indoors goes to visit sister.Of course if you do it anyway, she probably will.John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GTRoger Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 I sealed my GT6 tank for 8 years with ELPE Tankcure. I was very happy about the result until last november when the engine stopped running due to fuel starvation. It turned out that the sealant came loose in the tank and caused blockages. Not sure what went wrong, I recon the tank still contained some rust when I applied the sealant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
junkuser Posted March 6, 2009 Author Share Posted March 6, 2009 Roger, this is the sort of information I was hoping for.I'm sure there are coatings being marketed but do they fail or separate with time?What preparation is the most satisfactory?Physical cleaning with gravel or such to start with seems logical and steam would not only get rid of any petrol but hopefully gums and such, if available.Etching, with acid or such, would seem to be a good idea to assist bond of subsequent coatings.Hopefully a suitable coating to give protection from further corrosion and bind any rust that hadn't been removed.I rather hoped to gather information from more knowledgeable poeple on the forum on this subject and experiences such as Roger has put forward.What preparation did you use Roger? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GTRoger Posted March 7, 2009 Share Posted March 7, 2009 First I cleaned out the tank as far as possible, trying to get most of the rust out. Then (before sealing the tank) I used the ELPE tankcleaner as recommend by the supplier. My car must have been one of the worst examples, it was locked up in a garage for 14 years with 1/4 filled tank when I bought it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thescrapman Posted March 7, 2009 Share Posted March 7, 2009 There was a bit in the latest FBHVC notes saying that the ethanol that has been added to petro for a couple of years now is removing sealants from fuel tanks.It advises using American sealants as the yanks have had ethanol in the fuel for 20+ years.CheersColinp.s Roger, trust me, you didn't have the worst tank! 1.5 cups of crap removed so far, and as the sticky brown muck disolves, more comes loose. sat half full for 20-odd years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fizzy Posted March 7, 2009 Share Posted March 7, 2009 having been out for some spirited driving last night after 'fixing' my fuel tank, i've just been out in it again and already ive got a little rust build up in the fuel filter again. after consulting the chief mechanic (dad ;)), he reckons its probably what was left in the pipes. we did blow the pipes through, but im sure it didnt all come out. even so, ive got a spare filter in the boot, and im keeping an eye on it. but i've gto a feeling more drastic action will be sooner rather than later.any ideas on non-metal tanks ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gt6s Posted March 7, 2009 Share Posted March 7, 2009 toomanyprojects wrote:it's nigh on impossible to drain all the petrol, water, shite out of a tank.How often do you need to shite in the fuel tank, is this a service item ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gt6s Posted March 7, 2009 Share Posted March 7, 2009 thescrapman wrote:1.5 cups of crap removed so far, and as the sticky brown muck disolves, more comes loose. sat half full for 20-odd years.Here is another mention of crap in tank, Still curious if this needs done every service.craping in my Gt6 mk 3 tank may be a bit trickey because of the position and shape of the filler cap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lordleonusa Posted March 7, 2009 Share Posted March 7, 2009 If there is rust coming from the pipes, then replace the pipes.Preferably with a non-rusting material such as kunifer.Can you still get 'slosh tank sealant' ? I think I got mine from 'Woolies' (no, not Woolworths).L Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ferny Posted March 7, 2009 Share Posted March 7, 2009 Gt6s wrote:How often do you need to shite in the fuel tank, is this a service item ?It's part of the emissions control system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shedmonkey Posted March 7, 2009 Share Posted March 7, 2009 Gt6s wrote:How often do you need to shite in the fuel tank, is this a service item ?I find its best after a good curry and ten pints of Tescos cheap lager Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greeks Posted March 8, 2009 Share Posted March 8, 2009 Gt6s wrote:craping in my Gt6 mk 3 tank may be a bit trickey because of the position and shape of the filler cap.Laurence, it's a little unfair to blame the shape of your filler cap ... after all that's the way God intended you to be. Perhaps you need Churchill Tool #2 ;) I'm sure you can modify it suitably for the 'job'.http://www.whizzy4you.com/index.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fizzy Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 anybody know where to get new tanks cheap ? ive only seen them for sale at about 150 quid, but i spoke to 3 different people yesterday who all said they've seen them for 50-70 quid. unfortuantly they're not people i see very often so i cant really ask them anytime soon.any ideas ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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