Resolved 2G gas tank rust - clean it out or run with it?

[athlete3344]

Pulled the tank and had basically 20 year old residual gas left over. Pics from inside fuel pump assembly. The same sludgy crap was on fuel pump assembly and scraped off with some effort but didn't really stick to the metal. Somewhat an easy clean up on the assembly.

I also dumped a can of SeaFoam in it for fun - that can was sitting around for years so figured it was worth a shot. It maybe dissolved a little, or just diluted the residual gas. Nothing was notably cleaner.

Question is, should I clean it, and if so, how? Called a few shops and they don’t hot tank or deal with fuel tanks. DIY options or keep calling places? Goal for the project is basically restore the car to/better than factory new, within reason. I'll definitely be taking care of the tank exterior (rubber/rust treatment/paint), but if all this crap will just instantly dissolve in gas then I'm not doing anything.

Thanks!

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[CKOPOCT]

Clean it.

I just did mine. I used 2 cans of Berryman's B-12 fuel system cleaner (the bigger truck-size cans). Drain the tank.

Pour them in the tank and slosh it around constantly for about 20-30 minutes. Get aggressive with it (tip the tank all over the place). Just make sure the B-12 doesn't slosh out. Let it sit for a few minutes, then slosh again for several minutes. Look inside and see if you can see clean metal. Check the condition. Should be mostly clean. Dump the Berryman's out. Repeat if necessary. It removed 99% of the varnish and sludge in mine. Replace the fuel pump, too. That varnish won't fully dissolve; if you run the car the crap will begin to dislodge and will clog your fuel injectors.

When you are done, good idea to rinse the tank with a gallon of fuel. Should be good to go.

 

[athlete3344]

Fuel pump is longgg gone! Thank you! I havn't come across Berryman's yet and that looks like a good solution!

Did you dilute with water or anything and what kind of mess were you dealing with? I might pick up an extra couple cans in case I need a 2nd rinse.

 

[FIBA M - EC17PSE]

For how long its sat its in pretty good condition really!

Do what you can to clean it inside and look for a tank lining to cap the inside, this will help seal and protect long term for you again and help fill any low spots that could be a leak issue later on!

Other then that look to protect outside the tank to at the same time to make a complete job worth it for you long term.

 

[athlete3344]

Bobby, what do you mean by a tank lining? I watched a jafro video a while back where he coated his head and block in that red goopy stuff to help with oil flow. Is it similar to that?

 

[FIBA M - EC17PSE]

For how long its sat its in pretty good condition really!

Do what you can to clean it inside and look for a tank lining to cap the inside, this will help seal and protect long term for you again and help fill any low spots that could be a leak issue later on!

Bobby, what do you mean by a tank lining? I watched a jafro video a while back where he coated his head and block in that red goopy stuff to help with oil flow. Is it similar to that?

No that's for oil to drop faster to the pan. You can buy special fuel tank lining products that protect steel tanks from the inside, sort of like a tire sealer but for fuel tanks and keeps ethanol from rusting it up and water vapor corrosion from age.

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something like this or this

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[athlete3344]

Adding that task to the list!! Thank you.

 

[athlete3344]

Decided to go a different route all together - going to have a shop clean it and apply the coating for a couple of reasons.

1) I started cleaning up the top part of the tank today and found rust on most of the indented circular areas (maybe weld/rivets or something) and more pitted areas then I initially found. Its not bad at all, just more then I would like to see.

2) Researched steps for hot to apply the coating and found if the tank wasnt completely clean, there was a good chance of the coating failing in the future.

Even though the fuel tank is in good shape and Im more than capable of cleaning/prepping/sealing it, I dont think I would do a comparable job compared to a hot tank and Id rather have someone with some experience perform the work. This is likely the only thing Ill be paying a shop to do, other than some machine work on the block.

 

[motomattx]

You could pour Evaporust (tm) into that tank, let it sit overnight, tilt it and let that sit overnight, tilt it the other direction and let it sit overnight, then rinse out at the car wash, that product works amazing at removing rust and is non toxic so you can get it on your hands and put it down the drain.