1G Remove rust on fuel tank or throw it away?

[sebas-1024]

Hello,

I'd been having issues with my injectors getting plugged for a few months now, it was getting more frequent each time and I decided to drop the tank and verify if it was rust that was causing the issue. After a few hours of struggling I finally managed to drop the tank completely and sure enough, it is full of rust (see images). is there a way to restore it without breaking the bank (and rust-proof it I would suppose) or is it too far gone and I would be better off just hunting for a "new" one?

Thanks in advance!

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[99dsmer4g63]

@1990TSIAWDTALON was just doing something very similar to this on a different vehicle. I’m sure he will chime in once he gets a chance to give you his experience on what they did and used.

However the last picture looks pretty crusty not sure how bad his was.

-Daniel

 

[DreamChaser7]

POR 15 resto kit. But yah that looks pretty crusty. Marty?

 

[Drewpy Dawg]

My tank looks worse than that but I think it's still salvageable. I'm planning to use a combination of EvapoRust and electrolysis, but I can't speak from firsthand experience and I'm definitely open to hearing other suggestions. I would definitely suggest trying to save it. You could spend a long time searching, and spend a few hundred dollars and still not end up with a tank that's much better.

 

[CrackedDSM]

Muriatic Acid. Get it from a hardware or pool cleaning supplies store. Use quality chemical resistant gloves and eye protection.


I think they also make an actual kit that uses muriatic acid with instructions too, but it's cheaper to just buy some at the hardware store.

 

[sebas-1024]

Muriatic Acid. Get it from a hardware or pool cleaning supplies store. Use quality chemical resistant gloves and eye protection.


I think they also make an actual kit that uses muriatic acid with instructions too, but it's cheaper to just buy some at the hardware store.

Yeah, I've seen it used as a stronger and faster alternative to vinegar, a bit scary but it should be ok with proper care. Any ideas for rustproofing after the muriatic acid?

 

[CrackedDSM]

Yeah, I've seen it used as a stronger and faster alternative to vinegar, a bit scary but it should be ok with proper care. Any ideas for rustproofing after the muriatic acid?

As someone else mentioned POR makes a good kit. I’d do that after rust removal.

 

[1990TSIAWDTALON]

This is what my son did to save his old 1987 Honda Accord Hatchback tank that he saved. We couldn't find a used or new one anywhere. We did 10 gallons of white vinegar then we did some Muratic Acid that was delute then he finally did the complete 3 step POR 15 kit. It turned out VERY WELL and it is a fuel injected car so we know how important it is to be clean.

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[1990TSIAWDTALON]

Since Instagram doesn't load up his post automatically, I copied and pasted it so you can see his description and a few pictures. Vinegar, Muratic Acid, Electrolysis (it worked the best) and was amazing, I think he went through 4 sacrificial pieces of metal but it sure did a good job. Then the POR15 treatment, which was what made the tank sealed, no rust, and useable again!

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[sebas-1024]

Appreciate all of the suggestions, but I think I'll be going in a different direction, I actually got an used fuel tank that's in pretty good condition (it's almost new compared to mine). I'm thinking of just doing a wash with water and soap as the tank is dirty on the inside and mount it up on the car.

Also got a "new" fuel sending unit and had the "pump holding bracket" soaking in vinegar for a couple of days to reduce the level of rust it had, the result was not perfect but I'd like to think I bought it a couple of years of minimal rust. While I understand that solutions like Evaporust and POR 15 seem to be the best out there, they're outside of my budget right now and I'm not from the US so it would take a while for those to get here. Do you guys think this could be a decent enough solution to last a while or am I being too lazy/cheap?

Below are pictures of the "new tank", and a before and after of the "pump holding bracket".

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[97egl]

That tank looks pretty good. I've run worse without issue.

 

[sebas-1024]

In case anybody is still watching this, I put the "new" tank in and everything seems to be Ok for now regarding the fuel tank and it's hoses, it was a pain getting it up there though, hope I never have to touch it again. I do sense a strong fuel smell coming from the exhaust, maybe now that the injectors are free of rust they can inject more gas and something needs to be adjusted? I did, however, run into alternator issues which will prevent me from driving for now, but I'll post another thread regarding that.

 

[1990TSIAWDTALON]

I didn't think taking the tank out of my 92 DSM was to bad of a job. I have slender hands and can reach places larger hands might have a tougher time getting to. Glad you got the fuel system back to good working order