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I'm about ready to throw in the towel!

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Andy in Manteca

12-14-2005 18:20:44

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Rusty Fuel Tank...
Tank #2 (because tank #1 was too rusty) shows lots of internal surface rust -looks kinda crusty but not to the point of eating away at the metal. I had the local radiator shop boil it and they mixed in pool acid after the boil to get it extra clean. Brought it home and I'm still getting rust in the sediment bowl and water and who knows what else. I really need to get this thing cleaned - any tricks you folks are using to get rid of surface rust? This is for my AV.

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ohioron

12-15-2005 18:35:43

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Re: I'm about ready to throw in the towel! in reply to Andy in Manteca, 12-14-2005 18:20:44

The best solution I've had for rusty tanks, after trying unsuccessfully to clean them, is to take out the shut off, put in a 1 inch high stand pipe in the shut off part that goes in the tank using the right size pipe that will fit tight and reinstall. The stand pipe keeps any remaining rust in the tank. Works neat. Have also used a magnet on the tank to hold the rust. Probably not the high tech solutions this site is used to but they work.

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gene (missouri)

12-15-2005 08:55:22

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Re: I'm about ready to throw in the towel! in reply to Andy in Manteca, 12-14-2005 18:20:44

Red-Kote. Available at autoparts stores. Puts a plastic liner inside the fuel tank - sealing in the rust. Fairly inexpensive.

Gene

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Fisherman

12-15-2005 08:54:42

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Re: I'm about ready to throw in the towel! in reply to Andy in Manteca, 12-14-2005 18:20:44

I'm by no means an expert but would vinegar do the trick.

Some others might say no for specific reasons but it really works well for removing rust. It is a light acid, but don't leave it for very long.

Someone else could probable expand on using vinegar better.

I have been using it lightly on an old tractor and its working. I've always wipe the vinegar off when rust is removed and then lubercated it after that.

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Deerely B Parted

12-15-2005 07:22:10

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Re: I'm about ready to throw in the towel! in reply to Andy in Manteca, 12-14-2005 18:20:44

My dads '52 H had a lot of rust accumulation in the fuel tank. I lagged the tank to the wheel of my Cub and jacked that wheel an inch or so off the ground; and with the tank filled +/- 1/4 full of pea gravel (roughly the size of a marble) ran that Cub for an hour or so in 2nd gear. That pea gravel cleaned that tank as clean as new money!! Rinse it out good and you have the equilivent of a new tank. Worked for me. Joe Howard

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captaink

12-15-2005 06:45:47

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Re: I'm about ready to throw in the towel! in reply to Andy in Manteca, 12-14-2005 18:20:44

This can be exceptionally frustrating, but as others have said, it may be your fuel source. The neighbor and I had a combine together. All of a sudden we started plugging up the sediment bowl screen with �crap� and getting a little water in it too. (Not good on a diesel). Well, seemed that it got worse when we filled at the one place than at the other. We both started observing very closely our fuel filling procedures to find out what was going on. Finally figured out that one of us was dropping fuel from a nearby gravity tank into his larger electric one (no filter on the pump) sometimes while filling the combine with the electric pump. We figured that this was stirring up the fuel in the big tank and suspending small particles of crap in the fuel which was being pumped directly into the combine. Once a filter was added on the electric pump our sediment bowl screen problems went away.

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Nat

12-15-2005 06:20:46

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Re: I'm about ready to throw in the towel! in reply to Andy in Manteca, 12-14-2005 18:20:44

Did the radiator shop peer at you quizically when you asked them to boil the fuel tank, then say, "oooooh-kay?" They probably boiled it like so much kielbasa instead of doing what they were supposed to do... In a word, you got screwed, because the tank should've come back from them clean as a whistle.

Is there such a thing as a good radiator shop anymore? The old school radiator guys could work miracles...

Take a look at a product called POR-15 for coating the inside of the fuel tank and preventing future rust.

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T_Bone

12-15-2005 05:47:08

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Re: I'm about ready to throw in the towel! in reply to Andy in Manteca, 12-14-2005 18:20:44

Hi Andy,

Strap the tank to a cement mixer and add some small pee gravel or clean sand. Should be polished clean in a couple hours at the most. After you clean it then I would add some heavy oil or a sealer of some type so it won't rust so fast on the upper half of the tank.

T_Bone

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NDS

12-15-2005 05:32:58

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Re: I'm about ready to throw in the towel! in reply to Andy in Manteca, 12-14-2005 18:20:44

The water should be easy to eliminate. If everything else fails on getting rid of rust try removing sediment bowl and rigging 1/2 inch standpipe that will raise pick up off tank bottom. Have seen this method used successfully several times.

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Andy Martin

12-15-2005 04:59:12

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Re: I'm about ready to throw in the towel! in reply to Andy in Manteca, 12-14-2005 18:20:44

I agree with putting it on the tractor and driving it. I've cleaned up lots of fuel tanks by just using them. Sometimes I have to take the sediment bowl assembly off two or three times because of all the rust.

It also helps to put an inline auto style filter in the line to the carburetor to make sure you catch the little stuff. Only very rarely have I had an inline filter plug up and I have them on at least 10 Farmalls which get regular use.

If you continue to get water, though, I'd watch what I put in the tank. There is nothing like contaminated fuel to cause you problems.

And the last thing - to keep a tank clean, you have to keep it full of fuel and use the tractor regularly.

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gene bender

12-15-2005 03:06:07

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Re: I'm about ready to throw in the towel! in reply to Andy in Manteca, 12-14-2005 18:20:44

I built a tumbler using a gearhead drive motor. Have used the ground glass for media but looking for something more abraisive, Have 5 to clean up.

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LeeWv

12-14-2005 23:41:28

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Re: I'm about ready to throw in the towel! in reply to Andy in Manteca, 12-14-2005 18:20:44

How about a small magnet out of a junk car stereo speaker?Or a small horseshoe magnet with a string and a float so it could be fished out and cleaned?Just a thought!?

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Andy in Manteca

12-14-2005 20:33:18

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Re: I'm about ready to throw in the towel! in reply to Andy in Manteca, 12-14-2005 18:20:44

All good ideas. I've run a couple of tanks worth of fuel thru the tank. All the while shaking and tumbling the tank. "Let me tell you that tank is heavy when it's half full of fuel". I started out using Allan's method of cleaning the sediment bowl... but a day or two later the bowl would fill up with rust bits and water � looks kinda cool when it separates in the bowl. I like the idea of tossing in some media and tumbling the tank for a few hours. I�ll let you guys know how it turns out.
Thanks again!!

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scott#2

12-14-2005 20:00:30

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Re: I'm about ready to throw in the towel! in reply to Andy in Manteca, 12-14-2005 18:20:44

Get some triangle shaped tumbling/polishing media (MSC, Mc Master Carr)and put it in the tank with some solvent. Connect it to somthing that will turn it slowley and and let it run until it is shiney inside. Then change the position of the tank and let it run some more in the new position. Flush it real good and inspect. Eventualy it will look brand, shiney new inside. Took me about 10 hours total polishing time till I could just about see myself in it. This assumes that there is enough metal left to withstand the polishing. Slow but very effective.

scott#2

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Nebraska Cowman

12-14-2005 19:53:31

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Re: I'm about ready to throw in the towel! in reply to Andy in Manteca, 12-14-2005 18:20:44

You answered you own question. that is exactly what I would do...Stuf a towel or tee shirt into the tank and swab it around.

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Allan in NE

12-14-2005 19:32:41

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Re: I'm about ready to throw in the towel! in reply to Andy in Manteca, 12-14-2005 18:20:44

Andy,

I'm going thru the same thing on one. Just watch that bowl.

I've emptied mine four or five times now and it gets better (cleaner) each time.

Allan

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TDK

12-14-2005 19:03:00

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Re: I'm about ready to throw in the towel! in reply to Andy in Manteca, 12-14-2005 18:20:44

From what I've seen, the acid soak only gets some of the rust off. Radiator shop I use tumbles the tank with some sort of media inside and then coats the inside of it. No more problems. You may have to give this a try.

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F-Dean

12-15-2005 04:23:49

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Re: I'm about ready to throw in the towel! in reply to TDK, 12-14-2005 19:03:00

I recommend the radiator shop and be done with it. The radiator shop I use soaks the entire tank (inside and our) in acid. This removes the rust from the inside and the paint from the outside. Then they slosh sealer around inside the tank. This gives you a clean snd leak-free tank (important if the tank is badly rusted inside) that is ready to paint.

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RustyFarmall

12-14-2005 18:33:57

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Re: I'm about ready to throw in the towel! in reply to Andy in Manteca, 12-14-2005 18:20:44

Your sediment bowl is doing exactly what it is supposed to do, it is catching the rust and water, and preventing the impurities from finding their way into the carburetor where it could cause some real problems. Leave well enough alone, clean out the sediment bowl when you see rust and water in it, and eventually the crud will be gone.

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Janicholson

12-14-2005 18:48:12

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Re: I'm about ready to throw in the towel! in reply to RustyFarmall, 12-14-2005 18:33:57

Try using a funnel with a fine brass screen in it. If your tank was cleaned, there may be issues with the source of fuel!!
JimN

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