Hi everyone..I have an older case 580ck backhoe serial #8336576 (could be 1970"s) that has a lot of rust in the fuel tank which is clogging up my gas lines and carb, is there some way to remove the rust without removing the gas tank which looks to me to be a real big job.I have tried a shop vac, muriatic acid etc and the rust is still in there.. any solutions will be greatly appreciated. Thanks
I had this same issue on JD410 about 5 years ago. It had blockage and quite a bit of rust. I removed petcock at bottom of fuel tank. I had to poke thru the open hole at bottom of tank with a wire rod then stuff gushed out. Then I used small amount of diesel fuel to loosen the rust in bottom of tank then agitated it with a wire to keep the rust moving. Flushed this way 2 or 3 times. Then put small hose on shop vac. and tried to remove the rest. There should be a strainer on top of petcock and I replace that. Also replace fuel filter. You will never get it all out without removing the tank but this should keep you going for some time. Then use contaminated old diesel fuel for brush fires and such.
On my 575E I used a pressure washer to knock as much loose as possible. It has a pretty good size drain plug. I filled it with a 50% mix of water and cleaning vinegar and let it soak over night then repeated the pressure washer rinse. I dried it out with a heat gun. After all that I installed a small engine fuel filter in front of the water separator. It clogged a couple times within the next month and has remained free flowing since.
Hi Thanks for the reply.I tried pressure washing didn't help me..i first used muriatic acid let it sit for a day then I pressured wash it this was late 2019.. I put gas in it for the winter and now 2020 went to drain the gas and still so much rust particles. very stumped.thank you for your advice
Muriatic acid will remove the rust, but rust bad again. Not much you can do besides keep the tank full and fresh. Rinse the tank a couple times, then live with it. Unless you want to remove the tank, then there's lots of options.
When you cleaned it with muratic acid how strong did you mix it with water ? It has to be quiet strong. I prefer 50/50. Was the tank full of the solution to the top ? How long was it in the tank ? You may need to do it again. There should not be any particles coming loose for quite a while if it was done correctly. As Delmer said it will rust immediately, but it will only be slightly rusted on the surface. If it was/ is severely rusted it may start to leak before long.
Mine just had rust in the bottom so it wasn't too bad but it was bad enough to be clogging the lines and filters. Here are the before and after pics of using 50% cleaning vinegar.
I have used products like Kreem from Napa, something similar from JC Whitney and some other gas - fuel tank sealers. They always worked well but that tank has to be clean. Roll them around a lot after you put it in.
Back in the day we called that tank slosh. It does work, but you must be careful with the fuel pickup. Also, the tank must be removed from the machine and rolled or sloshed around quite a bit...not just a little...this is what coats the inside of the tank. It must be left to dry before being put back in service.
HI Thanks for replying Yes i used 50/50 right to the top left in for 2 days and drained then i pressure washed it let it drain of excess water then i put a hair dryer to iit to let the water dry up and then i shop vac'd it...and then i put gas in it to let it sit for the winter and when i went to drain the gas it was full of rust still. I cannot take the fuel tank off because i would have to disassemble half the machine and im not really mechanically inclined. Thank you
Hi.. Im not that mechanically inclined to remove all those parts of the back hoe looks complicated and the hoe is in a field stuck there since last year... Thanks for your advice
You should have a filter somewhere between the tank and the fuel pump or carb. That will save most of the hassle. Rust is not really a big deal for a gas engine, gas flows and filters much easier than diesel, and doesn't need to be as clean as diesel needs to be for the injection system. You could add a few ounces of oil every time you fill up with gas, that will give a slight oil film to the exposed parts of the tank, mostly for cosmetic reasons. Otherwise, you just need a filter, or a bigger filter. A 3/8" inline plastic filter would probably be plenty.
Hi thanks for the reply the bottom of the fuel tank has a glass bowl and from that a fuel line directly to the carb would i still add a filter after the glass bowl and also what grade of oil should i use. Thanks
That glass bowl originally had a fine mesh brass screen to keep out bugs and weeds, usually the brass screen is gone after so many years. I'd put it halfway to the carb in the middle of a section of rubber fuel line so it will be easy to remove and shake the water and rust out of it, if needed. or add a new 3/8" fuel line hanging low enough that you can put a clear inline fuel filter vertically going back up to the carb so the air goes into the carb, and the water and rust fall back out of the filter, that "trap" of water might be enough to stop the gas flow, just be aware of it, to me it's better to run out of gas, than to get that water into the carb. You could use two cycle oil, or whatever is handy, better not to use synthetic motor oil.
Thanks for the quick reply will have to wait till next week to go get some parts i live in a small town and being the weekend lots of out of town people coming here to get out of the big city from the this covid 19 that means stores are letting people in one at a time..STAY SAFE EVERYONE Thanks to all who replied i will post once i do this..
Add a small engine filter between the tank and the water separator bowl. Get the larger size small engine filter that is sized for your fuel line, not the torpedo shaped one. Keep a couple of filters on hand. Here is an example for a 5/16" fuel hose. They also make them for 1/4" or 3/8" hose so get the right one.
just like that one. Except I would not use one on diesel, even if it's the screen for diesel, diesel tanks should have a screen in the pickup, a water separator, and then the stock pump and filter setup. I think a fram G2 is a paper filter for gas, so that will be the first suspect if you have problems.
The filter like the one in the pic. is standard on my 580 SM only it's 1/2 " have to buy them from Case auto motive outlets didn't have 1/2 "
Thanks for the reply and advice
thank you will try this for sure
Thanks for the reply and photo great shot
I contacted WIX and asked why they did not recommend the paper element filter for diesel. Their response was the paper in the inline filter was not treated to repel water and may absorb water causing it to stop up. The larger filters for diesels are made with the same paper element material but the paper is treated to repel water and they are also used in conjunction with water separators. Sounded like a win to me so I have them on ALL my diesels and haven't had any problems. It gives early warning before you get trash in the more expensive filters and it it gets moisture in it and clogs all the better. The only thing that happens if it clogs is the engine shuts down. When that happens you know exactly where to look and 5 minutes later you are back running. BTW the one on my backhoe hasn't clogged in several years.
Old man showed me how to install a short standpipe above the sediment bulb in an oil farm tractor. That way it pulls gas in from above most of the trash in the tank. That keep the machine running that way. Another time he asked me what that long fitting was under a carb. I explain to him that is screwed in where they used to have a drain plug. The center of it is hollow is it collects the water and trash. Then you can unscrew it and dump it out. Keeps the carb clean. He replied " Hu, Just can't knock this modern technology " There are in line filters for diesels that are more like a screen which just catches the big stuff. I believe the JD 5425 and Lull 844-2 used ones for 5/16 hose. Sorry I do not recall the number. If you use a fine filter in that application it will be stopping up all the time doing the job of the main filter.
Now I see yours is 1/2 inch, thats different. Stand pipe must work pretty well as it's still running. Old Alaska model no doubt. Has the air intake pipe clamped on the exhaust manifold. I just run it with the hose off. It's a SA200.
Thanks for the reply tenwheeler, is this standpipe home made or can one purchase this. As you can see my bowl is under the tank how would i add a standpipe on mine thanks
The glass bowl originally had a screen in it, so the glass bowl served as the trap at the bottom. Personally, I like the water and dirt out of the tank, figure the water makes more rust, and the dirt just gets ground into smaller bits that will do more damage. You can take that whole fitting off the tank, clean it up good, and epoxy in a riser of 1-2" if you WANT to keep the dirt and water in the tank.
Hi iCan you explain further with the epoxy and exactly how i would do this...thanks again fo the quick replies
Do you have a screen in that glass bowl housing, it should stay above the glass when you remove the glass to dump the water and debris. That would be my first choice, easy enough to find online, it will come with a new rubber gasket which you should have anyway. To put a riser on that, unscrew the filter from the tank, and any fitting if there is a fitting in the tank also, find a piece of tubing that will fit inside the threads on the filter (or fitting whichever is larger). Cut a piece 2" long and epoxy the end inside. Another option is popular with diesels, put a screen inside the threads that go up into the tank, it will have to be a tiny screen, but it will work OK with gas. A paint sprayer filter, or field sprayer filter will have a close enough mesh.
This screen is similar to what Delmer is referring to. Fits several old tractor fuel systems early JD’s. I’m playing with an H now and at one time it had such a screen.
https://www.yesterdaystractors.com/...nXJomZkl8-1NVEwrDWVuIy_r95QYgYKRoC_nYQAvD_BwE here's what you should have, probably. This way, the water and rust build up in the bottom of the glass bowl, where you can see them and remove them easily enough.
Hello sorry for the late reply..wow thanks for the photos Bootheal shows me exactly what i need to do and what Delmer is talking about also thanks for the great photo and advice.
Thanks again Delmer great advice as usual