Rusty fuel tank problem(s)

[cranetruck]

About two years ago, I bought a used deuce fuel tank, which included a pump at a bargain price.
I spent a lot of time cleaning it because it had rust flakes on the inside and pinholes that needed repair.
Oh well, it was a fuel tank and I needed one for my heated tank project.
To make a long story short, I never got rid of all the rust on the inside, still find some stuck in the primary filter when it's changed.

That tank has been a liability since day one and now I discover that the most likely reason for the hydraulic head failure in Joplin was due to tiny dirt (=rust) particles that made it through all filters.
Scoring on the fuel plunger may have been the result and causing it to bind in its bore.

The tank is still on the deuce and I need to do something about it. Ultimately replace it, but in the meantime, perhaps a magnetic filter or a finer final filter (1 micron?).

The tank I'm using on the 8x8 is also a used steel tank, just not rusty, makes me wish I had found an original aluminum tank for it....

Question #1: What is the current final filter micron rating?
Question #2: Any suitable magnetic filters out there? Much of the rust in the tank seems to be magnetic.

PS. The present xm757 8x8 IP problem may also be dirt related since all the plumbing, the tank and two of the three filters are new installations.

 

[Stretch44875]

I had stored some fuel in a 55 gallon drum, and not checked it before I used. It was full of rust, and most of the rust ended up in the fuel tank. When the filters were changed, found rust in the primary and first secondary filter. The second secondary(say that 5 times fast...) filter didn't have any rust, so the final filters were working to keep the rust out. Don't know what the micron ratings are.

Dennis

 

[builder77]

Well Napa sells Wix filters. Wix list the primary 33511 (3511 Napa) as 10 micron. Wix lists the secondary 33512 (3512 Napa) also as 10 micron. Did you try a mixture of muriatic acid and water to eat the rust?

Also I don't know if you have covered this in another thread, but how are you dividing this new tank? I remember that you used fiberglass on the first one. I am thinking of following your lead on this as I have a spare tank and was thinking of welding in metal to divide the tank.

 

[jasonjc]

I think pro-15 make a tank seal kit.

 

[builder77]

If that pro-15 is like the motorcycle sealing kits...run. Those things are horrible with that white goop that never covers everything. Anyways we are talking about running diesel and WVO both should do a very good job of stopping rust. One because it is oil, and other because it is acidic

 

[WillWagner]

I forget, can we link directly to a site??? Oh well. Bjorn, this guy runs ad in MVM. If the coating is anything like "Kreem" It will last a very long time. When I worked for Kawasaki USA, we used Kreem on rusted motorcycle tanks. It worked great. Try this.
http://www.gastankrenu.com/

 

[ARMYMAN30YearsPlus]

I spoke personnally to the chemical engineer at Rustbullet and I was told that Rustbullet automotive $117.00 a gallon is fuel proof but they do not advertise it as a fuel tank coating because they said they don't thing most people would be able to get two coats of the paint covering every part of the tank and thus uncoated areas would bleed rust into the tank. I have gone through one gallon of their paint and it will be one of the first things I buy when I redeploy because I am going to cut open both of the M52 tanks and get them coated with the stuff after I clean them up.

http://www.rustbullet.com/?source=adwords&gclid=CKnArrv66Y0CFRAjhgod7SWIvw

 

[ida34]

When I worked at a radiator shop in the late 80's we did a procedure that lined the tank and had a lifetime warranty. It would seal all the pin holes and it would also seal the rust in. I would check with a good radiator shop and ask if they still do this.

 

[ARMYMAN30YearsPlus]

I looked into this option but it was quite expensive and I like to do a lot of things like that myself.

 

[RICE670]

I have used the Bill Hirsch tank sealer and it worked great.According to the can the only thing that will touch it is MEK.

 

[devilman96]

Finding a fuel filter under 10 micron is going to be near impossible as the are just not made... You can use a larger volume filter which will be far more efficient over the stock primary. The spin on I have installed on mine does a great job of catching the junk as my secondaries have been fairly spotless the two times I've checked them since the primary install...

Other wise clean (acid wash) the tank(s) as follows..

Use Hydrochloric (muriatic, pool) acid and water, start with a 50/50 mix... HS chemistry, ALWAYS ADD THE ACID TO THE BASE NOT THE BASE TO THE ACID...

Roll the tank around every 5 mins and keep checking it... Some tanks take more acid and time but usually an hour does it.
Rinse with sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) and water...
Force dry, air / heat...
OPTIONALLY... fog (high psi low volume) with ospho and allow 24 hours before reinstalling...

The inside will be like new if done correctly... If you end up with a pin hole in the process the tank was finished before you started, fix it or find a new one!!!

 

[ken]

Can you put a magnetic plug where the drain plug is? Or put a mag on the inside of the tank that you can reach when low on fuel. And then just remove and clean it?

 

[cranetruck]

Mike, the primary filter is the Racor 1000FG seen in the image behind the driver's seat. It's top loaded like the other fuel filters on this engine. I really like being able to take the "lid" off and simply drop another filter element in, beat the spin-ons hands down, don't loose any fuel and no spill.
Currently the primary is 30 microns, also available as 20 or 10.

Ken, a magnet of some kind will be added.

The problem with the 8x8 IP is probably dirt from the work done by me installing the new filters and the plumbing. The previous owner had only one filter installed and a fuel tank on the bed behind the cab, gravity fed. Some crud probably got loosened up when I finally got it running (see separated thread).

 

[m139h2otruck]

My son has used an professional aluminum wheel cleaner acid with great success for a number of older ROKON 2x2 steel tanks. Cleans the tanks to bare steel overnight. He then used a sealer (not sure which one) that completely sealed the entire inside of the tank right out to the neck. One tank has been in use for over a year with no problems. Just have to be sure that all acid is removed from the tank prior to coating.

 

[derby]

I have used this several times with good luck.It stays pliable,I have had that can for 5or6 years and the stuff on the lid is still pliable.I too got it from a radiator shop.

 

[Rattlehead]

How do you do a good job cleaning/prepping a deuce tank with 2 baffles in it? Obviously you can access the center section through the fuel pump hole, and very limited access through the filler hole, but the back section is not really accessible at all.

 

[maxim]

http://www.steelsoldiers.com/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&t=15351

 

[m-35tom]

xm757 fuel tanks can't be that hard to find can they? i know where at least one is i think. frank masoner in tulsa area. good deuce tanks should also be easy to find. $100 should buy a real clean one.

 

[tcody]

I recently cleaned up the 35 gal tank that was in my IR P250 compressor I got last month from GL. It didn't have any pin holes, but it sat for a long time and there was a lot of gunk and rust from sitting. There were two baffles in the tank, a hole for the sending unit a drain plug on the bottom and the filler. Here is the procedure I followed:

1. Take to local car wash and pressure wash several times until only clear water comes out.
2. Clean inside with Marine Clean (Por 15 kit). Repeat as needed.
3. Rinse with warm water (10 gallons).
4. Pressure wash again.
5. Pour 3 gallons of muratic acid in the tank and seal the holes. Rotate every 30 min so that all sides are covered and slosh around as much as you can. This is nasty stuff!
6. Pressure wash again.
7. Pour in the Por-15 phosphoric acid solution (metal etch I think it is called)
8. Inspect the tank for any rust and dry with hair dryer (important to get bone dry).
9. Put in the Por-15 paint - sealer and rotate so that all surfaces are coated (use two cans)
10. Let dry for 4 days. Then tap the holes and give her a try

For my application it worked well. I have a racor inline fuel - water separator that is 2 microns and the usual filters. Will let you know how it goes, but so far so good! Got the compressor up and running today. Hope this helps.
Thane

 

[garp]

All Caterpillar spin -on fuel filters are rated 2 micron absolute. have to do some replumbing with a new filter base to use these. The cartridge filters are still 10 micron