Any "easy way" to clean fuel tank/lines???

[emmado22]

All,

lets say you got a M35a2 that runs fine, no problems, but you know the diesel in the tank is "old" but still burns.. Is there any "magic bullet formula" stuff you can dump into the tank and take a long drive to help clean out the lines, after draining the tank via the drain plug, and changing the filters and refilling the tank with fresh fuel?

 

[BFR]

bio diesel tends to brighten stuff, but I don't know how many tanks it would take

 

[doghead]

Diesel Service 911 in the silver bottle. The red bottle is good also(I prefer the silver). Try it ,you'll like it! You can get it at most car parts places or truckstops.

 

[cranetruck]

Mark, just running it on fresh fuel should do it. The in-tank fuel pump will circulate 20 gallons of fuel in 1/2 hour of driving. Anything left in the system at the time of change (from old to fresh) will be greatly dilluted. The diesel itself is a cleaning agent IMHO.

 

[emmado22]

So how many fule filters and tanks of B100 would I need to do a cleaning??? I basicallyt just want to get rid of the crud in the tank and lines..

 

[BFR]

I don't think the tank will be clean without having it boiled out.

 

[cranetruck]

I agree with Joel. Also biodiesel in the winter time means cutting it with regular diesel or kerosene to keep it from jelling.
Home made unwashed bio is more effective with its residue of methanol and you may not have access to it.

 

[Recovry4x4]

Drain it, fill it, run it, change the filters and forget it!

 

[emmado22]

ok, will do! Thanks 4x4

 

[Pinkie]

Re: RE: Any "easy way" to clean fuel tank/lines???

Home made unwashed bio is more effective with its residue of methanol and you may not have access to it.

If you are going to run homemade bio diesel never ever run unwashed fuel...bad things can happen.

 

[cranetruck]

RE: Re: RE: Any "easy way" to clean fuel tank/line

Hmmm...been running hundreds of gallons of unwashed bio in my deuce, also a diesel VW Rabbit and several Benzes over the last couple of years.
The only possible problem is one coked injector, because to much veggie oil (not biodiesel) at low op temps and rpm. My hydraulic head was swapped as a result, but it may not have been bad after all. The stalling problem may have been the fuel shut-off mechanism. The jury is still out on that one.
The residual methanol in the unwashed bio adds BTU value and also handle any water that may be present in the fuel. It is agood paint remover, I give you that.
Joshua Tickell ("From the fryer to the fuel tank") suggests that washing is not a necessary procedure. It doesn't meet ASTM standards, that's for sure, but I'm not selling the stuff.

Emmado, if your tank is dirty, have it cleaned, that's what I should have done a year ago. Tiny rust particles keep fouling my primary filter. I may take the tank off again and clean it once and for all.