Cleaning rusty fuel tank

monaro17, Jul 14, 6:56am
Hi all
As above, is there a good way to clean the inside of my car’s fuel tank? I have dropped the tank and drained it, removed the sender and pipes etc. lots of rusty deposits inside. Very small opening so can’t really get in there with a brush.
I am in Christchurch is there a firm that will do this?

gsimpson, Jul 14, 7:29am
This works well with rusty tanks.
https://www.por15.com/POR-15-Fuel-Tank-Repair-Kit

thejazzpianoma, Jul 14, 7:31am
Beat me to it +1

trackim, Jul 14, 8:03am
Don't be like my old man. He use to restore old tractors, had one that had been sitting for years. Tank full of rust flakes. Thought he'd use mum's old tallus vac to suck out the dust and crap. Amazing how high the top half of those vacuum cleaners can go!

snoopy221, Jul 14, 8:11am
Keerist post number four reminds me of an old fuller (popped his clogs now R.I.P.)

Anywayzzz
Being an elder gent age wearies ya so rather than lift a twenty litre drum to fill his David Brown tractor with diesel he had a jug in the hay shed and his regime was to pour in to the jug and pour in to the tank.
Albeit birds and haysheds and well zeee old fuel blockage probleeemo
mmkay tank removal and heaps and f#2#k@2##n straw bits and major tank and fuel line clean

L M A O typing this as the look on his face when we were in the hayshed and zeee notorious jug was full of straw.
Priceless

Pretty amazing fulla in his day but as age grew on him well.
A few stories like that accumulated

gammelvind, Jul 14, 8:16am
Make sure you do the complete process, very important or it will fail.

gsimpson, Jul 14, 8:17am
Haha yeah. A chap at work had his kids put some stones into the fuel tank. He tried draining the tank but too big for drain hole. He had a brainwave. Out comes the wife's new vacuum cleaner. There was an almighty bang and when he recovered from the shock realised he was left holding the nozzle with tattered remains of hose attached. Cleaner in million pieces. His wife not too pleased.

monaro17, Jul 14, 8:36am
Can you buy this off the shelf in NZ?

gsimpson, Jul 14, 8:42am
Yes. Various agents around the country for por15 products

gsimpson, Jul 14, 8:48am
https://locate.por15.com/
type in your location in the search box

sprinter51, Jul 14, 9:11am
One has been known to use white vinegar with good results

sr2, Jul 14, 9:18am
Crazy as it sounds; remove tank, fill with 20 or so liters of water and a few hand fulls of assorted nuts and bolts, strap the tank onto a concrete mixer and give it half an hour. Reverse the tank 180 deg and give it another half hour - works a treat!

(My old man showed me that trick on my first car in the earl;y 70's).

supernova2, Jul 14, 9:36am
Now that's a good bit of kiwi ingenuity. Well done!

thejazzpianoma, Jul 14, 9:57am
If you don't have a concrete mixer, bungie cord a cheap orbital sander to the tank and leave it overnight. Then tip it over and repeat each side. Don't go too heavy on the media.

Also works great with a cake tin strapped to it as a small parts vibrator.

Oh. and your neighbors will LOVE you.

muzz67, Jul 14, 4:49pm
Couple handfulls of small crushed gravel from a driveway, bit of soapy water and shake the shit out of it for a few minutes. Wash and wash, bit of oily petrol so it does not rust,, done.

intrade, Jul 14, 6:37pm
i think 65 ford had some tips
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQNOjkGxQvg

elect70, Jul 15, 12:48am
stick some chain in the tank with water & shake it around drum recycler used to use this method

marte, Jul 15, 5:57am
Phosphuric acid will take up residual iron dust & rust & clean up rust pits.

gsimpson, Nov 24, 3:02am
Stage 2 of the Por15 kit is this.