Cleaning out a petrol tank

[danny69]

I have just made a couple of brazed repairs to a petrol tank that has been empty for some time.

Looking inside it looks quite clean but if I put my hand inside and wipe my finger around I pick up alot of black greay residue.

Any ideas on how to remove it? Pressure wash, paraffin, petrol or perhaps some kind of detergent?.

[SmokeEm]

I was always told parrafin but best get a 2nd opinion first mate

[Takeshi]

I'd go for degreaser then swill it out with petrol or paraffin

[danny69]

Cheers guys , anyone else with experience of this feel free to chip in.

[D4N]

I would go with petro, shake it about abit leave it then drain it out

[caprifan]

You could go for this, designed for the job, its what I'm going to use

 

http://www.frost.co.uk/item_Detail.asp?productID=8680&frostProductName=Marine+Clean+%283%2E78+litres%2C+US+Gallon%29&catID=25&subCatID=&FrostCat=Tanks&FrostSubcat=

[Stu_B]

I was gonna use that marine clean... but I can't remove it from the car

[oldbus]

Strap the tank to a mixer and throw in a handfull of gravel or nuts and bolts.......

 

 

it´ll be as good as new after a few hours and you don´t need to buy any chemicals, works for me every time but then my neighbours are about 300 yards away!

[danny69]

Thanks for the good ideas

 

I like the look of that Frost product, but it sounds like it is just caustic soda, so as I have a sackful of that at work I may try a solution of that.

I also like the idea of putting the solution in the tank and then doing the cement mixer trick, I have one of those too .

If anyone can think of a reason not to use caustic soda then please let me know.

Obviously I would have to rinse it out after with water and then dry it out before rinsing with a little petrol.

[Rick]

I would go with petro, shake it about abit leave it then drain it out

 

yep me too. and as long as you have a fuel filter in your brake line you will be fine

[Stu_B]

yep me too. and as long as you have a fuel filter in your brake line you will be fine

 

[Rick]

hahaha well not sure how that would work.... (i think il go back to bed)

[geoffersmasher]

id go with petrol thatsw how i did mine

[Stu_B]

Cos I can't get mine out to clean it I'm fitting an inline filter, what type would everyone recomend & where in my fuel line should I fit it?

 

 

 

 

(Oh & what is the purpose of the pot before the pump? Is it just a resevoir?)

[Rick]

ideally as close to he tank outlet as possible that way you arent gonna get and debris build up in your lines

[geoffersmasher]

Cos I can't get mine out to clean it I'm fitting an inline filter, what type would everyone recomend & where in my fuel line should I fit it?

 

 

 

 

(Oh & what is the purpose of the pot before the pump? Is it just a resevoir?)

 

i fitted mine just before the pump inlet which is in the boot but kept in the boot so i can still see it

 

its nowt fancy cost me a quid from down the road