Gas tank cleaning....

I am dropping the gas tank on my '85 Monte Carlo to clean it and change fuel pump and sock and all that. I am doing so because the filter keeps getting very clogged up with muddy rust. I was told there are cleaning kits you can buy to clean the tanks and coat the tank walls to prevent further rusting. However I was also told that vinegar eats acid right up and would most likely solve my problem. Would this be a good thing to try? And would I go about making sure it is all drained out so it doesn't play havick on my car? Any help would be great!

Thanks,
CarFreak

Oops, typo. Did not mean vinegar eats acid... meant vinegar eats rust or so I'm told....

There is no radiator repair shop near here... :( I went to a machine shop and he said he can't clean them. He recommended another repair shop but it is out in kabooky. For that matter I am looking to do the whole job today. Thought about buying a new tank but why in the world would I wanna do that if it is as simple as cleaning the one I've got. Is there some cleaner I could buy locally that I could use to just clean it out myself? I don't think it is rusted real bad but it's just that the car has sat for a while and now that I have been driving it all of the muck inside is mudding up the gasoline.

Again if anybody can recommend any way for me to clean this thing myself I would be greatful.

What is MEK and what are the greenish and purplish chemicals this guy was talking about? He seems to know what he is doing but is not very vivid at all about what exactly he is using. I just wanna clean the gas tank......:( :CRY: :CRY:

:whacked: Uuuh.... sand and gravel in my gas tank? That doesn't exactly sound like a sure fire way to get the "rust" out.:HMMM:

carfreak

i had the same problem,but i have a stainless steel tank
a magnet wont stick to it,i cut my inline fuel filter in half
and put a magnet in it,all the particles stuck to the magnet
that told me it was the steel fuel line running from the tank
to the fuel pump,i replaced it that solved my problem,it could
be your fuel line. i also cut the old fuel line in half and scaped
out old rust that was clogging my carb.:LOL:

Guys, the thing is that I wanna get rid of the rust. Sure what Denny is saying is a great idea and several people have told me the same thing roughly. But the thing is. Just getting big pieces of rust isn't going to solve my problem. For that matter the problem isn't pieces of rust. The filter so far hasn't had anything solid in it. It's just powdery rust and gunk.... no solids. If the rust was bad enough that I was getting whole broken chunks out by rattleing stuff in it, then I would think the obvious approach would be to get a new tank but we're talking about an '85 Monte Carlo. It probably just has light surface rust that is mixing with the gasoline.

What I wanna do is chemically treat the tank without having to order somebody's super duper $50 rust removal kit. I am sure there are chemicals I can buy from the store to "treat" the rust so that it discontinues to rust. I found some stuff at Lowe's that supposedly is used on metal to "treat" rust before applying primer and/or paint. However I am not sure how it would stand without being covered by something and I don't know if it would have some adverse effect on the gasoline or the engine.

Tomorrow I am dropping the thing and seeing what the whole picture actually looks like. Thanks for all of the comments. As always your diverse minds are helping me to conglomerate a devious attack plan of my own.:D

Go to www.eastwoodco.com They have a thing JUST for gas tanks, there is an acid thing, a sealer, and something else. Put a chain in there, shake it around to break up big pieces and then do the eastwood company kit. It's cheap too.
Saw them use it on the show Trucks and hear it's a great product.

You can use nuts and bolts instead of sand and gravel. The nuts and bolts are a little easier the clean out of the tank then sand and gravel.
Just a thought.
Jerry....

You can use the gravel orv the nuts and bolts. I have done both successfully in the last couple of years. Ive never tried sand. You have to make sure you wash it out very good. then blow it out good with air . If you have enough air pressure it will knock any scale loose as well as drying it out good. You can use something like ospho . it will eat into the rust and seal it . You always take the chance that you will clean a hole right in the tank but if thats the case you needed a new tank anyway.This week I used something called Right STuff De-Ruster metal conditioner. I am doing a Frame off on my 64. It seemed to work very well and its cheap. I bought it from a local tractor supply house for $4.99 a qt. Goog Luck.

If your tank is in good shape, this is my approach to it. Drain the tank completly out. Make sure its dry. Run your hand along inside feeling for any bubbling, unsound surfaces, ect. Take a standard issue wire brush and clean all of the loose metal free. Then get a bottle of CLR($2-$5) and coat the entire inside of your tank. After about a 1/2 hour, all of the surface rust should be clean. Take a standard issue cleaning brush, and scrub the sides just to be sure. Pour the clr into a disposal container, flip the tank over to get the little loose pieces out, take a Damp, not soaking cloth to get the residue off the walls, dry with either paper towels or heat, and your tank should be rust free. Total cost $5 if you have the towels and brush, $20 if you dont.

Buy a new tank. I just bought a tank on line for $96. The old tanks will contiue to rust from condensation unless kept full.

Geezer trick on cleaning old car gas tanks, instead of the sand and gravel, I take an old side window out of something put it in a bucket and smash it. All those sharp edges on the busted glass clean the heck out of the inside of the tank.

BB's work good and they are easy to get outta the tank,available at Wally World in quart size milk carton type of container,
But I would rather have a new tank, might call Performance Radiator !-877-291-4288 they got new ones for $176.00 plus shipping......

The glass trick isn't a bad idea there Dave! I'll have to remember that one. Too bad I am not in Middle school or something or else I can have a new science experiment to tell which method works the best! heh :)

Hi everybody.

Just found this site and was interested in all the ways to clean gas tanks.
My brother and I have a radiator shop and a salvage yard and we have occations to clean gas tanks and what works best for us is hot water and the granulated automatic dishwashing soap. The soap is some what caustic so it cleans organic build up from gas tanks. The dark brown goo and crud one sees in an old tank that has been setting around for a long time with old gas in it.
The procedure we follow is: the tank is emptyed and flushed out with hot water, a steam cleaner works best but the car wash will do nicely. Next buy a small box of dishwasher soap and add it to the tank and fill about 3/4 ths full of hot tap water and agitat until the soap is disolved. Then let it set overnight, empty and flush again. the inside of the tank should now be pretty clean, if not repeat the procedure. When you are satisfied that the tank is clean obtain a quart of muratic acid at the hardware store. Follow the precautions on the lablefor breathing the fumes, (not a good thing to do). Pour the acid into the tank and slosh around until any remaining rust is dissolved. Rince the tank again and dry completely. That is how we clean gas tanks and it works well for us.
Good luck and be careful.