My 1999 580SL has rust down there. The inline filter before the lift pump got all gunked up and starved the engine. I can see at least one baffle. I think i can hit some of the inside with a pressure washer but the baffles may make parts inaccessible. So what to do? I've read that diluted muriatic acid will clean it. Has anyone done this?
A couple vintage bike nuts I know recommended muriatic acid to me to clean some of the minor surface rust in my bike's tank. I have not personally tried it yet either so I can't attest to how well it works.
Thanks. I've read vinegar or muriatic will work. The baffles have me concerned. Was hoping someone had played this game before.
I have a ‘95 580SL that sat for a while. The tank was full but has some rust near the top and around the fill neck and cap. Not sure what’s at the bottom. Before I go to a drain and acid bath, I decided to add a clear inline filter before the factory inline so that I can see how much rust is being picked up. Changing it out as needed. I also worked a magnet on a nylon string to the bottom of the tank and see how much it catches. Tie the string off and close the fuel cap over it. Thinking of adding another pre filter/water separator with a clear bowl, something else I can monitor. NEW 500FG/FH DIESEL MARINE BOAT FUEL / WATER SEPARATOR FILTER | eBay TypeWATER SEPARETOR. Superseded Part Number500FG. Country/Region of ManufactureChina. Manufacturer Warranty1 Year. Other Part Number500FG. OE Spec or Performance/CustomOE Spec. Interchange Part Number500FH. www.ebay.com
I spent almost an hour this afternoon looking for a clear inline filter. I couldn't find anything to fit 1/2" hoses. Do you have a link?
This might not get the total effect you may need but we had pretty good luck with different fuel tanks on forklifts. Just knock some old ball bearings apart and place a handful in the tank with some enough kerosene to slosh. If a removable tank put in the balls and kerosene and hand maneuver the tank every position you can to loosen the caked rust. Drain and repeat until kerosene runs clear. Non removable as a Clark in frame tank, we put in the balls and two men just shook the overhead guard to rattle the balls. Slower and harder but worked. Most balls would rattle out of the drain outlet and some had to be fished with a telescopic magnet. Your baffles may present a problem of full coverage/or recovery, so consider before using. If usable, this will loosen all caked up rust leaving you with only residue the filter will catch. Again, worked for us, may not for you.
My 4T-390 turbo has 3/8” ID standard rubber fuel line from the tank pickup to the filter and lift pump. Not sure if it was changed from original. Those filters are fairly common. Maybe Summit Racing would have 1/2”.
The 1/2" seems to be a killer and I'm leery of restricting flow before the lift pump. I like the idea of the spin down filter you posted. I can buy replacement filters for less than $3 and maybe save some of those $16 inline cans. I'll see if I can work up a mounting arrangement tomorrow.
TD24 - how big was your tank? This is 31 gallons so i can take it off and shake it some but it's pretty bulky to get a proper rattle.
Cleaned out my NH tank with 50% Vinegar and water. I used cleaning vinegar from Walmart. Let it soak over night then pressure washed. Then I let the shop vac run in it a while and followed up with a heat gun to dry it all out.
Personally, I never use a pressure washer to clean a fuel tank. It might just be an opinion that I inherited from my step dad. We started my repair service together 20 years ago and he was a pretty epic mentor and teacher, I am sure that I have more than a couple of wrong ideas because of him. But, in my mind; using water to treat rust is just a no go. I always use compressed air and vacuum. Well, to be honest, I did once fill up a fuel tank with water and baking soda to try using electrolysis. But that was just because I always wanted to try it. Even then I boiled all of the moisture out of the tank before putting it back on. The ball bearing trick that TD24 mentioned is pretty intriguing. Bet it would work great if you could mount the tank on a vibrating table. It would be like using a needle gun. Or even just figure out a way to mount the tank to something so that it would rotate, kind of like an ag mill.
Great, now I am going to spend the weekend designing tools that I will never make.
Design it - I'll use it!!
I was thinking about using my trackhoe as a shaker
NH575E - did yours have baffles?
That seems like a good idea, just strap to the bucket and shake it like you are trying to break mud loose. Sounds like you just designed it.
1/2" fuel line? I've been working on machines for over 40 years and I've never seen an engine that is so fuel hungry that it requires 1/2" fuel supply line, what's up with that??? As for rust in tank, common on steel tanks holding diesel fuel. Why? Water. For some reason that I can't explain, water is far more prevalent in diesel fuel than gasoline. And of course, water being heavier than fuel it's always at the bottom of the tank. Result: steel bottom, then layer of water, H2O, oxygen being an oxidizer, there's where you get rust. That layer of water keeps diesel fuel from contact with bottom of tank, oxy in water is now free to cause rust. My point, regularly drain water from tank. The other thing water causes, bacterial infection. That slime flourishes in that water layer at the bottom of the tank, surviving off of the oxy in the water and feeding on the hydrocarbons of the fuel. Are you sure that's not what's clogging your filter? As for remedy, drain tank completely, look for evidence of bacteria slime. If you do have slime, get that crap out of there. But if it's just rust and rust flakes, remove that as best you can, but I wouldn't worry that much about it as those flakes are typically heavy and will stay at the bottom of the tank and the pick up line is typically a couple of inches higher. Yeah, ideally, would be perfect to have a spotless tank inside, but sometimes that just don't happen. Clean as best you can, make sure you remove bacteria slime, and always keep the tank full, especially when machine is not in use, half full tank leaves room for condensation inside tank, water. If you do have bacteria slime, use a bacteria kill additive in the tank after cleaning.
you can use rocks too.
Can you strap it on the front of a cement mixer, and let it go round for 30 minutes or so ? i would simply toss in a hand full of hardware, nuts & bolts with some Kero or diesel fuel.
I've been obsessing over this and here's where I'm at. I think (not sure) that there are two baffles that create 3 chambers. I can get to 2 of them but not the third. Rocks, bolts, etc aren't going to move through the baffles very well and even if they do. there is still the problem of vacuuming out the loosened gunk. I just don't see a good way. So right now I'm thinking skip the rock tumbler and the acid bath and just cut the top off the tank. That'll give me full access to clean it any way I want and may easier and faster in the long run. I know it sounds heavy handed. The tank is nothing but a steel box held on by a few bolts. The only challenge I see is controlling the sheet metal warpage when I weld the top back together. I'll take my time and TIG it or use 023 on MIG. If this is a mistake please talk me out of it......
No. Mine has a large drain plug in the opposite corner of the fill. As far as cutting goes I have taken tanks to a radiator shop many years ago and they told me the only way to stop a fuel tank from woofing at you is to wash it out with Tide laundry detergent before you commence cutting.
Careful racks might crack and dissipate. I have used in lawnmower tanks OK.
I'd sa y 15 to 18. Maybe a foot square and 18/20 inches long.
Strap on fine. Nuts and bolts hard to recover of baffled.
Sounds like the OP is handy. Might consider building a new tank out of aluminum.
Radiator shop can dip it, if there's still a rad shop in your area. Joe H
In case anyone else ever runs into this..... I cut a large rectangular opening in the top. The tank does in fact have two baffles and the largest of the three chambers is completely inaccessible without cutting the tank. Now I can get to everything and get it all cleaned out. The material is thick enough to weld without distortion but my plan is to bolt a piece of tread plate over the hole. It'll make a nice step and allow me to get back in there if I need to.
Coaldust - New tanks are $8k. Had this one been too far gone I would have built one out of 3/16 steel like the original. It's just a box.
Glad u got it figured out..
I have used ball bearings, nuts, hardware and pea gravel. We line bike tanks, if it’s a really big tank, I will clamp a jig saw or a pneumatic vibrator to it and leave it for awhile. Muriatic Acid will take the rust off anything but beware, once the rust is off, you have to seal it with something very quickly or it will get slight surface rust immediately. If you have a jug of Muriatic Acid make sure the cap is on tight because for some reason, it will actually cause rust on everything in your shop, tools anything metal. Not sure why it does this but learned from experience. When I was trapping as a kid, we would clean the grease off new traps before sealing with Muriatic acid and when exposed to air, the traps would start to rust in minutes, which was what you wanted for a good coating. Problem was, any exposed metal in my dad’s shop, got an immediate coating of rust also. Since then, I have used Muriatic Acid to clean the rust off of stuff, just made sure the cap was on tight, when done with it. I have never worried about the rust in tanks too much, like was said, just put in a clear inline filter. They are getting harder and harder to find, had to put a clear glass gaudy chrome one in my skid steer, was all I could find but for 7 bucks, I was fine with it. Its made for bikes but works fine on the skid steer, don’t care for the chrome though, had to rough up the nipples for a better seal.
I have a friend that stored his pool chlorine in the same shed his motorcycle was in. BIG MISTAKE!
You could coat the tank with a sealer. I had an older Jaguar and the fuel tank had rust in it and a replacement was very expensive. I decided to try a tank sealer product that was recommended by a friend. He did his Triumph fuel tank in the 90s and it is still good. I did my fuel tank and had the car for over 10 years with no issues. I would think this would work for a backhoe fuel tank. My tank had rust in it and I cleaned it as best I could. I figured if it give me trouble I would coat it. Probably would take a couple kits. This is the brand my friend and I used.
For cleaning fuel tanks, find a radiator shop. Some will flush fuel tanks. The old school guy in my small town did mine when I first got it. Prior own used bio diesel and it had turned into goo and rust. Cleaned it to shiny new metal. To get the tank out you have to cut the filler neck. Installing pick up fuel line filler neck hose and to hose clamps. I even panted it well it was out.
“Rust in my Tank” would be a good title for a C&W song.