Lots of rust in fuel tank

[Shedendman]

Thought i was dreaming when i got a call from a good friend today asking me to take away a Honda ES5500 genny,i was round there like a shot
From what i was told its been sitting around unused for the pass 3 years,but had a service new oil and filter new fuel filter plus coolant and spark plugs.
Turns over fine after jumping it with a car battery(it didnt have one).
The worse thing and i can only assume this was stored outside as on checking the fuel tank apart from old petrol,sludge theres a hell of a lot of rust from what i gather was from water getting in.
Question i have is there any good way to get this out,i'd say theres about a good eggcup of it in there,and some bits are rather lumpy,theres no chance i can get it out from the neck with the indent,and the feed tube from the tank is rather small.

 

[Cobbler]

Could you fill it with rust remover such as Bilt Hambers de-ox & leave it to soak? I know it's normally used in a tub & bits soaked in it, but I can't see why it can't be used in this way.

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

http://www.frost.co.uk/search?q=tank repair

I have used that in the past and it does work, worth a shot.

 

[dobbslc]

Bung in some nuts and bolts and give it a good shake around, but remember to count them in and count them out!
There are some rust killers on the market that are good, try Caswell they have loads of tank cleaners and liners.

 

[Shedendman]

Yer never thought of that so worth a shot,i can see two bits in there about the size of the old half penny will this stuff break this down?

 

[Tinbasherdan]

I'd just make a new tank for what they are

 

[wristpin]

I use electrolysis - slowish but effective.

 

[julianf]

Fill it up with coke?

I've never had much.luck.with.coke actually - but I do have a load of phosphoric acid that does the job.

 

[captain-destructo]

to empty it out?
do you have access to a wet vacume/carpet cleaner they have whats called a bypass motor the air that is sucked up the pipe isnt used to cool the motor unlike a standard vacume cleaner where it is
DO NOT use a standard vacume cleaner they go Bang when the flamable fumes hit the motor

 

[Shedendman]

Some good options there guys thanks
But as for making a new tank that well out of my reach

 

[brightspark]

whats stopping u taking it off shot some parafin in it and some pebbles or steel nuts and give it a good shake then tip it out and refill

 

[Bill Edwards]

If you're able/brave enough, lately I've come to the conclusion that the truly effective way of cleaning out fuel tanks is to chop them in half, or take the entire top off (depending on shape and size of the tank), you can then get in to every bit with a wire brush. Then just weld the two pieces back together when you're done.

 

[Shedendman]

One genny with tank off

size of tank and shape,no way i wanna attempt cutting that up

one filler neck and the reason why putting anything solid in is going to be a PITA getting it back out,i've cleaned up most of the rust around that neck it was caked

view inside,thats nothing there tin worm poo rattling around inside stuck in the corners

it worse than that trust me
heres the feed to the fuel filter
So,something to dissolved the rust the best it can and flush it out,i'm not over worried about whats left surface wise which i know will be minimal,all this is to stop clogging the filter.

Did i not mention i'd like to sell this on,but in a good clean/working condition

 

[chunkolini]

Fill it with citric acid for 24 hours, you can buy it on fleabay cheaply, exactly the same as the Bilthamber stuff. To speed it up use an aquarium heater element.
It will come out clean as you like.

 

[the snooper]

Some good options there guys thanks
But as for making a new tank that well out of my reach

don't write yourself off so easily, it doesn't have to be the same as the original it only has to be functional and you can make it from 2 or 3 mm steel so it will be easy to weld

 

[Shedendman]

don't write yourself off so easily, it doesn't have to be the same as the original it only has to be functional and you can make it from 2 or 3 mm steel so it will be easy to weld

Thanks for the support,but this is not going to be living with me,a good clean up etc and it can go to a new home,but i dont want to sell it in a crap state

 

[the snooper]

Thanks for the support,but this is not going to be living with me,a good clean up etc and it can go to a new home,but i dont want to sell it in a crap state

your best bet as suggested would be electrolysis and easy all you do is wait

 

[arthur]

As said, but I use a handful of round small pebbles, citric acid is another good one again as said. Just add an inline filter if you wish to stop partials getting into float bowl.

 

[Shedendman]

£172 for the tank
Think i'll try the acid route 1st
Cheers chaps

 

[Paul99]

I have almost an annual job of sorting this very problem on a Rotavator. Caustic Soda and hot water followed by a shake certainly strips off all the rust in minutes whether it will dissolve large flakes I don't know though. I should sort it once and for all with a proper tank treatments / lining but its one of them jobs that gets forgotten about until half way through the garden the filter clogs up with fine rust and the caustic soda is the quickest fix to get it up and running again to get the job finished.