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paule
Samba Member
Joined: May 22, 2004
Posts: 24
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 Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2006 10:34 pm Post subject: Cleaning gas tank |
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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
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krusher
Samba Member
Joined: September 24, 2002
Posts: 7662
Location: europe
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Glenn 
Mr. 010
Joined: December 25, 2001
Posts: 79445
Location: Sneaking up behind you
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bbugman74
Samba Member
Joined: April 21, 2004
Posts: 159
Location: south of here and north of there
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| Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2006 8:25 am Post subject: |
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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 
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65 Notch (project)
74 Standard Beetle
01 Jetta VR6
"That beer I had for breakfast, wasn't bad, so I had one more... for dessert"-Johnny Cash |
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Russ Wolfe
Samba Member
Joined: October 08, 2004
Posts: 25187
Location: Central Iowa
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| Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2006 6:16 pm Post subject: |
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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.
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Society is like stew. If you don't keep it stirred up, you end up with a lot of scum on the top!--Edward Abbey
Gary: OK. Ima poop. |
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Bobnotch
Samba Member
Joined: July 06, 2003
Posts: 23362
Location: Kimball, Mi
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| Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2006 7:34 pm Post subject: |
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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. 
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Bob 65 Notch S with Sunroof
71 Notch ...aka Krunchy; build pics here;
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=249390 -been busy working
64 T-34 Ghia...aka Wolfie, under construction... http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=412120
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| Tram wrote: |
| People keep confusing "restored" and "restroyed". |
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Russ Wolfe
Samba Member
Joined: October 08, 2004
Posts: 25187
Location: Central Iowa
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| Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2006 7:44 pm Post subject: |
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I am not a chemist, but I am thinking something like Muratic acid woould work.
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Society is like stew. If you don't keep it stirred up, you end up with a lot of scum on the top!--Edward Abbey
Gary: OK. Ima poop. |
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Esteddom
Samba Member
Joined: July 24, 2012
Posts: 35
Location: So Cal
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| Posted: Sun Aug 26, 2012 2:58 pm Post subject: |
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| 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! |
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Esteddom
Samba Member
Joined: July 24, 2012
Posts: 35
Location: So Cal
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| Posted: Sun Aug 26, 2012 3:41 pm Post subject: |
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| 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? |
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Bobnotch
Samba Member
Joined: July 06, 2003
Posts: 23362
Location: Kimball, Mi
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| Posted: Sun Aug 26, 2012 7:36 pm Post subject: |
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| 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.
_________________
Bob 65 Notch S with Sunroof
71 Notch ...aka Krunchy; build pics here;
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=249390 -been busy working
64 T-34 Ghia...aka Wolfie, under construction... http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=412120
| Tram wrote: |
| "Friends are God's way of apologizing for relatives." |
| Tram wrote: |
| People keep confusing "restored" and "restroyed". |
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chaosisme
Samba Member
Joined: August 29, 2005
Posts: 1245
Location: Orange County, Ca
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| Posted: Sun Aug 26, 2012 11:37 pm Post subject: |
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| 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?
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'65 1500 S [quareback]
'68 FI Sunroof Squareback
'70 Westy
OCT3 - Orange County Type 3's |
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Brent
Samba Member
Joined: April 28, 2010
Posts: 1622
Location: San Tan Valley, AZ
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vlad01
Samba Member
Joined: October 27, 2010
Posts: 3069
Location: Australia
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| Posted: Mon Aug 27, 2012 4:58 am Post subject: |
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| Hot water with sodium hydroxide 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. |
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sub-hatchtim
Samba Member
Joined: September 19, 2006
Posts: 2667
Location: Phoenix AZ
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| Posted: Mon Aug 27, 2012 10:33 pm Post subject: |
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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
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58' pg/sg silo fridge westy
58 Dove blue singlecab
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micahmonster
Samba Member
Joined: August 30, 2016
Posts: 22
Location: Denver
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| Posted: Tue Oct 11, 2016 6:37 pm Post subject: Re: Cleaning gas tank |
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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:
_________________
71 Ghia - First car
72 Ghia
71 Square
68 Square
74 T4 Square
73 Ghia
And now I've got that 68 Squareback.. back!
I may have a habit. |
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KTPhil
Samba Member
Joined: April 06, 2006
Posts: 35871
Location: Conejo Valley, CA
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| Posted: Tue Oct 11, 2016 8:09 pm Post subject: Re: Cleaning gas tank |
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micahmonster
Samba Member
Joined: August 30, 2016
Posts: 22
Location: Denver
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| Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2016 8:59 pm Post subject: Re: Cleaning gas tank |
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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. 
_________________
71 Ghia - First car
72 Ghia
71 Square
68 Square
74 T4 Square
73 Ghia
And now I've got that 68 Squareback.. back!
I may have a habit. |
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