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Rust in fuel tank


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I have the most heartwrenching story to post up later about me and my new 240z over a 1200 mile road trip. Right now, I need to know what I can do about getting rust out of my fuel tank. It clogged up the lines twice. I heard of something called "boiling the tank," but there isn't anyone around me that offer the service.

 

I'm willing to spend money to fix this problem. I'm going to KO now.

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http://www.ldrider.ca/techpages/gastankrepair.htm

 

try the first step at removing the rust by sloshing it around. just hang it from a tree and fill it with some stuff mentioned here or some other rust remover and really just spin it and whatever to clean it out.

 

then you can wash it with distilled water so that you get all he chemicals out of it completely before applying this as a sealer:

 

http://www.kreemproducts.net/p-35-kreem-titan-combo.aspx

 

It could cost about 100 to do it yourself or 200 - 300 to have someone else do it with some more industrial strength products. If you know of a good rust remover, that's the first step.

 

g'luck! :mrgreen:

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Just to add to this.

 

you could buy distilled water at a local hardware or automotive store (look near the radiator coolant). I would recommend about 2 gallons.

 

Buy some fine glass bead in a 10lbs bag, with some small rocks too if you can find a small area around the 'hood that has them.

 

Put them in the tank with HOSE WATER and shake shake shake to break apart and remove flakes and large clumps of rust and then drain. Rinse with distilled water.

 

Then go to Home Desperate and buy some "BEHR Concrete Etcher" for 10 bucks. It's a big black jug with a purple stripe on it. Put about 1/3 of the jug in there and slosh it around (wear a mask, it smells like chocolate depending on the weather but it's a lot worse than chocolate is for you!).

 

It's phosphoric acid. It will turn the remaining rust into iron phosphate rather than iron oxide (rust). Then rinse one mo' time with hose water (you must rinse it after 20, max!) and then rinse again with distilled water.

 

Now you're ready for kreem.

 

All in all, i'd say it's about 2 hours work. Do it on a hot day, have a bbq goin. you'll be fine =)

 

 

I wire-wheeled almost the entire side of my Z car and I was afraid it would rust. on one end I whiped some concrete etcher on it, and on the other I did not. Immediately, you will notice that it turns brighter if the surface is clean. If it is full of rust, it will turn black. After you rinse it, it stays the same, but over 18 months, one side has developed a small haze of rust, the other side looks like i patch welded a new piece of metal on there (but really it was just some concrete etcher!)

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and one more thing never occured to me.

 

but...uh..... it's possible that electrolysis might work, since the tank is metal. LOL.

 

all you would need to do is "borrow" a battery charger from a local retail store with their 30 day borrowing policy, some water and baking soda, and a couple of wires. it might work!

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If you can find a local radiator shop they usually can dip them for you.

That is what I did with my old tank, then have them seal it or you can do the sealing yourself.

 

Tom

+1

 

I dropped my tank, took it to a place called Service Center Radiator, who boiled the tank, etched it, installed a liner called Red Coat, and painted the outside of the tank black all for $165. haven't had a problem with the fuel line since!

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  • 2 weeks later...

yeah I was going to say... almost any radiator shop will boil the tank out for you. If you go the do it yourself route, get some dry gas (or is it gas dry?) to add to the first tank of gas to get any remaining water out. It's basically alcohol which allows the water to mix into the gas and burn off.

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