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Clean gas tank

G

Gordy in Mn.

Member
Just a tip on how to clean a rusty gas tank. I have a "51 B John Deere that has been given me fits from rust in the gas tank. Removed it today and used a couple of two foot chains (3/8s) and boiling water and sloshed them around and it did the trick. Reached in to the tank with a wire coat hanger and hooked the chains out, beats tring to fish nuts and bolts. With using boiling water tank dried in no time. Worked for me. Now I have to seal it
 
Pour a 2-liter bottle of Coke in it and let it set for 1/2 a day before you put it back on. Then wash it out with warm soapy water. Rinse real good.
 
My hobby is motorcycle restorations. I've recovered a bunch of very nasty gas tanks. Leanred this trick a few years ago, works great. Home Depot or Lowes, purchase gallon bottles of muriatic acid.... its in the pool department. Mix 25% acid, 75% water put it in your tank. Depending on how nasty the tank is, tops 3 hours you will have a clean metal tank.

NOTE: No aluminuim! It will disolve it. Motorcycles sometimes have alum petcocks, have to remove them and plug. The solution is reusable, I store mine in a platic jug, and have reused many times.
 
Once you clean it with muratic acid or by chain blastng it, you want to coat it with phosphoric acid to stop the flash rusting. Highest concentration I've found is Behr concrete etcher #991. It reacts with the metal to form some type of barrier. Coke and Pepsi have phosphoric acid in them. That is what gives the tart cola taste. That is why coke works for getting rust off of stuff. However do not try to drink concrete etcher. It is much stronger stuff.
 
That is very good advice! It should be made easily available as there are many old tractors out there that are rescued and have been sitting for decades. Mine was no exception. I never thought of muriatic acid when I was trying to clean mine up but that would have worked wonders!
One note about using chains, in my Massey tank there is a divider or brace in it toward the front. I got a chain stuck in there and had a heck of a time getting it out.
 
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