how to clean fuel tank

Questions and requests about Technical Repairs of the CCKW
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sixbysix
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how to clean fuel tank

Post by sixbysix »

I have a fuel tank that when I peer into it ( with 3-4 of inches of fuel in the bottom) has some brown "gunk" as well as what looks like the odd loop of rubber gasket ( dropped in over the years?)
Whats the best way to go about cleaning it? Can I pressure hose the inside and let it dry out? Tank in reasonable condition, clean galvanised baffles clearly visible with torch .... tank generally in pretty good order.
sixbysix
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Re: how to clean fuel tank

Post by sixbysix »

any suggestions on a good reliable way to clean the tan? Using dry solvents or just plain water????
mudflap
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Re: how to clean fuel tank

Post by mudflap »

Found a couple of sites that listed suggestions for cleaning gas tanks:

http://www.hotrodders.com/forum/cleanin ... 17561.html

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/show ... p?t=284531

I think the biggest factor dictating which method to use is whether there is rust in the tank, or just some residue such as varnish or sludge.

Its been many years since I had to get a tank cleaned. We used to just send them off to the radiator shop and they would come back nice and clean. Not sure if they still clean gas tanks, or not...

Plz let us know what you end up doing. I'll be doing the same thing soon enough...

Best Regards...
sixbysix
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Re: how to clean fuel tank

Post by sixbysix »

Hi mudflap
have sent my tank to radiator shop
they said they will do the following to clean it
1) +/- soapy water soak and flush
2) soak and flush with diesel and/or brake fluid
3) flush with petrol

they said that if they soak with diesel then I can expect a bit of smoke when I first start it (despite the petrol rinse) - what they use will depend on what they think of the tank after a good prod around. Will keep you posted - they should have it back to me next week
mudflap
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Re: how to clean fuel tank

Post by mudflap »

Thanks, sixbysix.

Looking forward to hear how you make out.

Best Regards...
sixbysix
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Re: how to clean fuel tank

Post by sixbysix »

An update on the fuel tank.

after dropping it into a mechanics/radiator repairer - it got pressure washed and rinsed in diesel - however there was still a lot of "sandy (rust?) gunk" in it after this treatment ( I found this out by rinsing the tank in petrol, flipping the tank around then draining it into a plastic bucket and seeing what came out).The trip to the mechanics/radiator repairer a waste of money in my opinion.
So I took it to my local car wash pressure washed it a few times with detergent then then high pressure water rinse and then took it home, left it for 24 hours out in the sun on a hot day and then put in 20L of "corrodip" - a west Australian produced rust remover/chelator very similar to "evaporust" or "metal rescue". Each of the six sides of the tank were soaked for about 12 hours each (by rotating the tank morning and evening), then the "corrodip" drained out and the tank rinsed with 20L petrol by flipping it on all sides around the back garden for about an hour - draining the fuel out into a plastic bucket every 5 minutes or so to see what was still coming out, then running this back into the fuel tank through a filter and carrying on the flipping/agitation - quite quickly it became apparent that there was very little rusty "sand" left and I was mainly just removing small amounts of left over diesel.
Have since had a great run in the old girl with no problems - at least not yet. The new fuel filter looks pretty clean too so am hoping I have solved the problem .....
sixbysix
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Re: how to clean fuel tank

Post by sixbysix »

just checking you got this post Mudflap ... have you had a go at yours yet?
mudflap
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Re: how to clean fuel tank

Post by mudflap »

Hi Sixbysix,

Weather is starting to warm up here, so I have finally been able to get out and do some work.

I looked into the tank from the filler, and to my surprise it actually looked pretty clean in there. There appears to be some sediment on the bottom of the tank, but besides that, I see smooth shiny steel everywhere I look. No rust - at least that I can see.

I'm going to drain the old fuel out, add a little diesel fuel, shake it around, and drain it out before putting some fresh gas in it. Hopefully I will be in good shape.

I have most of the plumbing done. The steel line from the tank to the filter / water separator had been cobbled together from several pieces of tubing that were just sort of laying in the frame - not even fastened down. I replaced them with a single piece of 5/16" stainless, trying to run it as near as possible to the original location. I'll post some pics when I get everything back together.


Best Regards...
mudflap
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Re: how to clean fuel tank

Post by mudflap »

Finally got some time this summer to work on the fuel tank. As I mentioned before, it actually looked pretty clean inside. No rust or debris anywhere. The only issue was an area on the outside along the bottom that had some crinkled, gnarly looking paint. I never saw liquid fuel, but frequently when I was working in that area, I would smell a whiff of fuel vapor - but not enough to pin down exactly where it was coming from.

So.... I drained the tank and pulled it out. I expected to see a lot of rust in the area of bad paint, but to my surprise, the metal under it was shiny and clean. In fact, I could not find any rust at all on the tank surface. However, the paint that I was cleaning off in that area had deteriorated a lot - as if it had been exposed to something (like fuel) for a long time.
Fuel Tank 05 Lo.jpg
Upon closer inspection, I noticed a small crack in a spot weld that holds one of the inner baffles in place. I'm thinking that was probably not big enough to leak much, but it would seep - especially when the truck was driven and the fuel was sloshing around in the tank, pushing on that baffle.
Fuel Tank 03 Lo.jpg
This probably would have been a good application for solder, but lacking the right equipment, I just cleaned the surface and put a small dab of
Devcon epoxy on the weld. I waited a couple of days, primed and painted it, then reinstalled it in the truck.
Fuel Tank 01 Lo.jpg
So far so good. No sign of any more seepage, and no more fumes.


Best Regards....
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sixbysix
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Re: how to clean fuel tank

Post by sixbysix »

thanks mudflap
I actually found a slow leak alongside the edge of the fuel tank where its welded as well as a small hole in the middle underneath that became a stream when I picked at it. I have applied some radiator/fuel tank 'putty' that hardens to a metal like substance - and so far no further leaking!
like you initially I had some paint loss in the affected 2 areas a slight red petrol looking stain but no discernible drips or wetness ...
Graham
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Re: how to clean fuel tank

Post by Graham »

Old post I know but having trouble with intermittent fuel starvation so took out the tank of our 352. Upended it and a huge clattering ensued ! Found some wire and small chain inside, presumably the remains of the now non existent sender unit but also both baffles were just loose in the tank hence the clattering. I had seen one of them just below the filler but hadn't realised what it was, just thought it was a splash guard or something. Lots of solder flakes which I assume were the culprits blocking the outlet pipe from time to time causing fuel starvation but good news was very little in the way of rust flakes.
So the real question is, I assume my 352 has been running for a long time without the baffles and I can see no way of fixing them back in so apart from side to side fuel surge is there any reason to go to the expense of opening the tank and having them refitted ?
bud44750
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Re: how to clean fuel tank

Post by bud44750 »

I recently pulled a 353 CCKW out of the woods with an oil drum for a fuel tank. Has anyone on the site seen dimensions on how to build a new one. I seem to remember seeing one taken apart awhile back but searching hasn't found anything. I've looked on line etc for a new or used one but on luck so far so since I have a well equipped shop I thought i'd like to give building one a try. thanks
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