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Thu Feb 02, 2006 10:34 pm

what is the best way to recondition a gas tank?
there is rusty sediment in mine and i would like to clean it out and put a new fuel sender in.. im sick of running out of gas and changing fuel filters.
any suggestions or are there businesses that do this sort of thing?
thx
p

Thu Feb 02, 2006 10:48 pm

This is what I used.

http://www.prp-porstore.com/page/por15/PROD/TankSealers/FTRK

:D

Fri Feb 03, 2006 4:15 am

Here's how I did the tank in my Beetle.

http://www.glenn-ring.com/tech/gas_tank_resto.htm

Fri Feb 03, 2006 8:25 am

empty the tank totally. Gather up a bunch of nuts and bolts, small lengths of chain, or even clean rocks. Drop them in the tank with all the "holes" plugged pour in the tank cleaner of your choice and shake the hell out of it. The small objects you dropped in the tank will act as an abrasive to help loosen all the gum, and junk stuck to the inside of the tank. repeat until clean. Then use a good quality tank sealer on it and you should be golden 8)

Fri Feb 03, 2006 6:16 pm

Don't use tank sealers on T-3 tanks. They have some very fine orfices that might get plugged. There is a "well" in the bottom that is to keep the engine from starving on corners, with a close to empty tank.
http://classicvw.org/gallery/main.php?g2_view=core.ShowItem&g2_itemId=288
Just clean it and then leave it, of treat it with some anti-rust treatment.

Fri Feb 03, 2006 7:34 pm

Russ, in the big blue Bentley, they mention using a "derusting phosphate agent Antax Extra M" mixed 1:10 with water to remove rust. Where would you find that? I know where to get some soluble oil. But the other stuff, I'm lost. :shock:

Fri Feb 03, 2006 7:44 pm

I am not a chemist, but I am thinking something like Muratic acid woould work.

Sun Aug 26, 2012 2:58 pm

This might be a dumb question but what did you guys use to plug the tank holes with before you filled with acid? I've got the tank off and don't see much rust but have a lot off tar like substance. Car has been sitting since 81 so it's to be expected. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Sun Aug 26, 2012 3:41 pm

Also do you remove the sending unit? Ni pulled it and it's got tar lie substance all over it too. Leave it for at acid bath or remove and clean up outside the tank?

Sun Aug 26, 2012 7:36 pm

Esteddom wrote: Also do you remove the sending unit? Ni pulled it and it's got tar lie substance all over it too. Leave it for at acid bath or remove and clean up outside the tank?

Pull it, as there's some small fine wires inside. Yonce out, you can take the "can" off, and clean the sludge out of it. Just be careful of the wires (ask neena), as you can break them easily. IF you break the wires, the sending unit is broken. Jim Adney ([email protected]) rebuilds them for 30 bucks.

Sun Aug 26, 2012 11:37 pm

Esteddom wrote: This might be a dumb question but what did you guys use to plug the tank holes with before you filled with acid? I've got the tank off and don't see much rust but have a lot off tar like substance. Car has been sitting since 81 so it's to be expected. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

What about a cork?

Mon Aug 27, 2012 12:55 am

Gorilla Tape worked for me.

Mon Aug 27, 2012 4:58 am

Hot water with sodium hydroxide 8) it will clean all the gum and deposited out but wont touch rust. but luckily I haven't had to deal with rust in most of my tanks so far.

Mon Aug 27, 2012 10:33 pm

muriatic acid works very well but I would advise you to take it to a radiator shop they will get it 100% clean and sometimes all that sludge and crap is blocking tiny rust holes

I just had my bus tank done it cost me 80 bucks

Tue Oct 11, 2016 6:37 pm

Thought I would share some nightmarish shots of how my tank cleaning is going:

The collapsed and suction-melded to the input tube brass sock/screen:

The chunky layer of rust that happened on some previously unknown tank sealing. Assuming that either the rust wasn't first removed, or the sealant started to separate and rust set in behind it:

Tue Oct 11, 2016 8:09 pm

:shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock:

Thu Oct 13, 2016 8:59 pm

That tank actually cleaned up fairly well, considering. Took some 5 hours of work to get all the loose old coating out of it, but the acid cleaned the rust out nicely. I put in a new screen, gasket, and did some fun hose routing (that is for another post regarding fuel pumps) Now the gas flows clean and freely, no more cavitation, Happy car. :-)