cleaning out a petrol tank cheap

[SnowTigeress]

On another forum there was a question on how to clean your petrol tank out

so i just thought id share the method I used to do the corporals,Tef was saying that the corporal tank needed cleaning as the petrol was coming out red,there was a lot of rust inside the tank...he was pondering on what to use....

I said to him, vinger as that would eat away at the rust,as vinger eats away lots of stuff....See I have Good ideas too:P


https://i1177.photobucket.com/albums/x349/snowtigeress/104_0107.jpg
One bottle of cheap asda`s own vingar
https://i1177.photobucket.com/albums/x349/snowtigeress/104_0108.jpg
https://i1177.photobucket.com/albums/x349/snowtigeress/104_0109.jpg
Pour the whole bottle in to the tank and shake it round and then leave it over night shaking every couple of hours


Look at all the rubbish that came out of it yuk
https://i1177.photobucket.com/albums/x349/snowtigeress/104_0110.jpg
https://i1177.photobucket.com/albums/x349/snowtigeress/104_0111.jpg

swill it round with water after and then leave to dry

and all for about 50p
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[DrDonnyBrago]

I'd be surprised if a highly dilute acetic acid solution (vinegar) did anything more than what a quick swill with water would have tbh.

[hellbound]

drain tank...put some gravel in and rattle it about to break up the rust and repeat until satisfied.
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[fiery tupp]

I dont think it's going to stop the rust on the underside of the tank eating through , which it probably already is doing
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[Paxovasa]

[cb1rocket]

Or the electrolysis method even

[stinkwheel]

I've used strong Muraic acid (HCl) on a bad one. It's still sold in some hardware shops as "spirit of salts" for cleaning drains.

You DO need to wear goggles and gloves and you need to keep a careful eye on it because it WILL eat all the way through the tank if you leave it too long.

The old fashioned way though is to put a handful of pebbles in the tank along with some fuel and swill them about inside which physically removes the rust.

A couple of modern updates on that technique include substituting nuts threaded loosely on a bit of string for the pebbles (so they are easy to get back out again) and wrapping the tank in an old blanket then putting it in a cement mixer (saves a lot of tiring shaking and swilling).

EDIT: Chemically, vinegar is a good idea because the iron salt it forms is one of the few that is soluable (Iron Acetate). I reckon on normal dilute vinegar taking quite some time though. The glacial form is somewhat unpleasant to deal with in terms of fumes.
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[ms51ves3]

[Teflon-Mike]

Yes, the corporals tank does need stripping & painting on the out-side too....that job got interupted by Donna's dire need to transport! It will get done, but for now, just needed to stop the bludy inline fitler turning red!

She missed the first step which was to rince and slosh repeatedly with warm soapy water. And hell of a lot of friable shit came out on the first few shakes and swills.

And i was pondering the nuts on string idea when she suggested the vinegar.....

Not sure about the loose gravel idea Stink... there was 'something' in the tank she chose to prep for her bike.... it rattled every time we moved it and was infuriating... more so by refusing to come out the filler HOWEVER we shook it! In the end I cut a hole in the bottom of the tank to get it out! Gawd knows what it was, looked like a plastic disk with a bit of metal embedded in it!

Anyhow, she suggested the vinegar, and i remember it having been suggested as an 'old' de-rusting treatment, and we used to have a copper top table that was regularly cleaned with salt & vinegar! So said 'Why not?"

She tipped in a 36p bottle of ASDA's own brand that was on the shelf, and shook it around a bit, left it over night, shook it around a bit more, left it a few hours longer, then rinced it out with water, and all that shit in the bottom of the bath is what came out JUST with the vinegar.

Remember, swilling with water, no more crap was coming out, so thats just what the vinegar has loosened off.

Seems to have done a pretty good job, and 25miles later, the clear inline fuel filter is still yellow, not pink! So got a thumbs up rating from me as a trick that can work!

Certainly cheaper than tank-treatment, and at 36p, and a little shaking and rinsing? What you got to loose?
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[Robby]

Far more effective (and more expensive, but hardly breaking the bank) is a gallon of phosphoric acid, about £15 delivered on ebay. Pour that in, then fill to the brim with boiling water. Leave it for a couple of hours, and the tank is spotless with a nice zinc finish.

Does eat rubber, although it doesn't appear to eat plastic. You need to remove the fuel tap and cork or blank off the hole.

[HD]

Won't water just make it rust again inside?
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[Kickstart]

[HD]

[Kickstart]

Hi

Trouble with fuel is getting rid of it and spilling it.

I wouldn't worry too much about the water. If having water in there for a few hours is going to rot through the tank then it is about to fail anyway.

If you want to get rid of water then put a bit of methanol in with the petrol. Will absorb the water and will mix with the petrol and be burnt.

As an aside, I would be a bit careful about what is dropped in the tank to loosen rust. Last thing I would want in a tank with petrol vapour in it would be a spark. I wonder if what Teflon found in the tank was one of those things claimed to act as a lead replacement.

All the best

Keith
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[stinkwheel]

[Kickstart]

[duhawkz]

I prefer using a lenth o chain if i have to clear the inside of a tank as its easier to get out or nuts and bolts at a push as you can pick em out with a magnet if you cant shake them out
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[ZRX61]

Putting nuts, bolts gravel etc in the tank is a complete waste of fucking time. Just fill it with vinegar & leave it for a day.
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[Suntan Sid]

[stinkwheel]

[Kickstart]

Hi

They look like it but not sure (plenty of other bits seem to be plated brass from memory).

Why would the oxidation be worse?

All the best

Keith
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[stinkwheel]

[Kickstart]

Hi

Interesting

There was a big recall a few years ago on the BMW Minis due to the fuel filler orifices not having the coating they were meant to have.

All the best

Keith
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[stinkwheel]

From reading about, it first came to light in coal mines where aluminium fan blades struck the rusty steel safety cage round them.

I remember my Dad telling me years ago that they'd had to contact a load of people who'd bought their sparkproof hoists and send them a brass safety latch to fit on the hook in place of the aluminium one in case it caused a spark when it snapped shut.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.