How To Inspect Fuel Tank For Rust And Other Crud

[SoquelDude]

Hi!

My 1990 Westy GL has the original fuel tank. Last year, I drove it with just a little reserve and clogged the hell out of 2 injectors. I verified that by the OBD1 codes.

So, I'm planning for a long trip in the fall and am thinking of replacing the tank. But is there a way to confirm that it has rust or other debris that can clog the fuel lines?

In other words, how do I know it's time to replace the tank? What can I do to inspect the interior of the tank?

Thanks!
_________________
'90 Vanagon Westy GL, AT, EJ22E conversion (1993 2.2L Legacy Engine)

[campism]

Boroscope. You can buy a handy complete inspection camera from Harbor Freight for about $80 that will sorta work but the feed is only about 3 feet long. There are others available that will work with an iPhone with much longer leads.

https://www.harborfreight.com/digital-inspection-camera-61839.html

_________________
'87 Westy in Wolfram Grey Metallic, tragically crushed by a falling hickory tree in my own driveway and now gone, leaving me Vanagonless and with no plans to replace it, alas.

[DanHoug]

i'm intrigued that tank schmoo got past the Bosch canister fuel filter to the point of clogging injectors. there is no pressure bypass on the filters, they should just simply stop passing gasoline at a sufficient rate as they clog unless the media blows out.

thoughts from the collective?
_________________
-dan
60% of what you find on the internet is wrong, including this post.

'87 Westy & '89 Westy both 2.1 4spd

Past projects can be found at--
www.thefixitworkshop.com

[zerotofifty]

What is with your fuel filter? If the filter is good, how did dirt get past it? Could it be that maybe a hose disinigrated internally after the fuel filter? Or is your filter busted or not existent?

Only two of four injectors clogged??? Do these two have a common injector rail, if so is it compromised?
_________________
Sorry About That Chief.

Give Peace a Chance.

Words to live by.

[Xevin]

Odd how the Vanagon’s improvements over the Bay and Split failed so bad with the fuel tank.
_________________
Keep on Busin'

[hardway]

If you take the tank out and remove the fuel level sending unit you can see most of the inside pretty good. But just blowing backwards through the filter when you change it should give you a good idea of how much and what is coming out of the tank.

[pbrown]

POR15 has a kit for tanks. I've used it with vintage motorcycle tanks. It's handy when you don't want to or can't replace the tank.

https://por15.com/products/fuel-tank-repair-kit
_________________
Patrick Brown

1986 Westy Syncro EJ25
Flickr --> https://flic.kr/s/aHsmQNUXEF

[SoquelDude]

[SoquelDude]

[SoquelDude]

[hardway]

If your original tank is in good condition it is a better tank than the replacements. Getting the level sender to seal with the replacement tanks requires some finesse. They just don't fit well. They also just don't have the same internal components. Sometimes benign neglect achieves a better outcome than good intentions. Sometimes you just have to replace the tank and deal with it's shortcomings.

[Xevin]

Por-15 is dicey. I know more failures with it delaminating and clogging than long term success. I’m sure it’s been successful. You might call Old Volks down the street from you and see if they know of a radiator shop locally that can inspect and clean up without a coating. Some people have had success with a bicycle chain (or similar) and diesel fuel shaking around to knock off the crusty stuff. Do your research as you are. Just something to investigate. I have no idea if any of my suggestions are more cost effective than buying a new tank or used OEM tank
_________________
Keep on Busin'

[syncrodoka]

You can't seal a 2wd gas tank, you are more likely to mess up the tank than make it better. There are parts inside you are likely to damage. Replacement is the only real option.

From the gallery

[AndyBees]

[SoquelDude]

[SoquelDude]

[vanis13]

[SoquelDude]

So, I'm convinced the 30+ year-old tank has rust and other crap in it. That will clog not just the filter but the pump as well over time. I suppose it's possible that once the filter gets too clogged, it will fail, and crap will seep out to the injectors.

So, for now, I plan to change the filter more often. I think the recommended time to change is 30K miles. I'm not sure when the PO last changed the filter, but when I changed it looked pretty old. So, for noe, I'll stay with a 5K interval.

The trouble is that the filter is downstream from the pump, which I recently changed as well. It cavitates sometimes, so I'm guessing the crap in the line is starving it. Note that it isn't cavitating/whining as much as the old pump, but without a pre-filter, it's only a matter of time before the pump starts to clog.

I'm not hot for the idea of repairing/rust-proofing the old tank for fear of stressing the old metal and causing leaks.

The ultimate solution I can think of is to replace the tank and the lines. I've seen the horror stories about seating the sensor unit on a new tank, so I want to do some more due diligence and look up posts from other westy folks who have changed their tanks.

Thanks for all of the great into!
_________________
'90 Vanagon Westy GL, AT, EJ22E conversion (1993 2.2L Legacy Engine)

[jlrftype7]

[SoquelDude]