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resurrection20 
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 Topic: Fuel tank liner vs strainer threads?
Posted: 03 Apr 2024 at 11:54am |
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So I'm putting some fuel tank liner in a particularly nasty old tank. I usually skip the liner step and use a good filter and wing it, but this one's gnarly.
The fuel strainer threads are internal, which means the liner will go down into the threads while it drips out. I'm afraid it'll harden to the point those threads won't be usable anymore. What do you guys do to avoid that?
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jaybmiller
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Posted: 03 Apr 2024 at 12:04pm |
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after it hardens, run a tap to 'clean' the threads ??
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DrAllis
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Posted: 03 Apr 2024 at 12:14pm |
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Lightly sand blast from the top and bottom and power wash out a couple of times.
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resurrection20
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Posted: 03 Apr 2024 at 12:17pm |
 jaybmiller wrote:
after it hardens, run a tap to 'clean' the threads ??
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That's the kinda good idea I'm here for!
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Richardmo
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Posted: 03 Apr 2024 at 12:17pm |
Just run a tap after it dries is what i do.
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plummerscarin
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Posted: 03 Apr 2024 at 1:42pm |
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In the kit I used, it was suggested to coat the threads with oil. That really didn’t work. After it drained and cured I ran a pipe thread tap to clean them. Make sure to flush the debris after that.
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resurrection20
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Posted: 03 Apr 2024 at 2:00pm |
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That is interesting. I wonder if smearing some grease would do it?
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DanielW
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Posted: 03 Apr 2024 at 6:23pm |
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You'll have to plug it to pour and swirl the liner anyway. Use a brass pipe plug to plug, then unthread it when it's just started to harden. The threads will probably be clean from the plug being in them, but even if not you can chase the last few with a tap.
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Oldwrench
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Posted: 04 Apr 2024 at 6:46am |
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Why not just just screw in a short nipple? The liner could drain out the pipe a bit, then remove the nipple after things dry.
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Codger
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Posted: 04 Apr 2024 at 6:56am |
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I'm not a fan of the tank liner chemicals myself as seen failures from the product(s). However, keep the fuel tank full to preclude drawing condensate moisture until it is known fully cured. I would go months myself. Most failures I've seen over the years have been flakes or sheets coming loose from the corrosion and this is a direct result of the temperature differences between the interior, and exterior of the tank which is substantially lessened by the fluid medium contained.
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Gary
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Posted: 04 Apr 2024 at 7:27am |
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I'm with the short nipple idea. Put a cap on the nipple if you want to swirl it around.
G
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PaulB
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Posted: 04 Apr 2024 at 7:33am |
Codger wrote:
I'm not a fan of the tank liner chemicals myself as seen failures from the product(s). However, keep the fuel tank full to preclude drawing condensate moisture until it is known fully cured. I would go months myself. Most failures I've seen over the years have been flakes or sheets coming loose from the corrosion and this is a direct result of the temperature differences between the interior, and exterior of the tank which is substantially lessened by the fluid medium contained.
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I also am not a fan of the fuel tank liners. I've know of more that fail than those that do as advertised. When you get a carburetor or injection pump full of the GLUE you be looking at properly cleaning fuel tanks from that point on.
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DanielW
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Posted: 04 Apr 2024 at 9:38am |
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I also agree with Codger and PaulB. If your fuel tank's not leaking, you're far, far better off to avoid the liner and do a degreaser wash, acid wash, rust converter wash, then a final rinse with WD40 to replace any remaining moisture and wick its way into the seams for a rust-proofing. But if you have pinhole or seam leaks, then a liner might be your only option. Just make sure you do your prep work really, really well. A liner that starts to degrade (which many do) is a complete nightmare: All your fuel system components will be full of goop, and it's extremely hard to strip the remaining liner off the inside of the tank to start afresh. I have an old '73 Fiat spyder that I'm still running off a boat tank in the back seat because the PO did a crap-tacular job putting a liner in and has now started to degrade, and the liner that's left in the tank is proving impossible to strip.
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resurrection20
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Posted: 04 Apr 2024 at 2:11pm |
DanielW wrote:
I also agree with Codger and PaulB. If your fuel tank's not leaking, you're far, far better off to avoid the liner and do a degreaser wash, acid wash, rust converter wash, then a final rinse with WD40 to replace any remaining moisture... |
Could you describe the process here and what products you use? Aside from WD-40. The problem with my tank is the entire bottom has been fiberglass patched. The old tank bottom is still there, but there's a gap between the fiberglass and tank metal where fuel hangs out. Every time you pour in fresh gas, rust particles shoot up from the hidden pockets. And even if you pour super gently with a funnel and hose, if you bounce around in a field, chunks will come drifting up. Eventually you'll run out of chunks, but my carb is screaming for mercy. That being said, I've done quite a few 70's dirtbike tanks as well as an old Willys Jeep and never had a problem. Maybe people just get impatient. If it isn't 100 percent dry, it'll never dry once exposed to fuel. I'll let them dry for weeks unless it's really hot weather. Then a few days.
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DanielW
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Posted: 04 Apr 2024 at 2:16pm |
Hmm, if you have a fiberglass patch on there already, a liner might be your best option. Although liners can degrade over time if not installed/prep'd properly, chances are they'll degrade a lot slower than any fiberglass patch (the same is true of JB weld - lots of folks patch tanks with that, and after about a decade it starts to degrade). But if you're looking for a cleaning procedure, here's my method:
i) Clean with a degreasing agent: That Purple 'Super-Clean' stuff or the degreaser made by WD40 are good options. Several rinses with a small amount are better than one big rinse. Tumble it around well (some people strap it to a cement mixer), and throw some bolts/chain in there to help strip all the grime off. It's important to do this before step ii), because the rust removers won't work at all if there's grease/grime covering any rust. Rinse afterwards and blow dry as best you can.
ii) Clean with a good rust-removing solution. For light rust, the 'Evap-o-Rust' type products work ok. For heavy rust, I prefer phosphoric acid/naval jelly.. Tumble as per above.
iii) Rinse out with water and dry as best as you can with a blow gun.
iv) Rinse with methyl hydrate to displace any remaining water. Blow dry and let it evaporate out (methyl hydrate will bind to any remaining water and evaporate quickly).
v) Rinse with WD40, to coat the bare metal surfaces and wick its way into any seams to prevent future rust.
vi) Install back on tractor, and keep tank full over winter to prevent future condensation/rust. As long as you keep it full over winter and fill it up a couple of other times a year, there will be enough fuel residue on the tank's internal surface to prevent rusting - especially if it's diesel.
Edited by DanielW - 04 Apr 2024 at 2:18pm
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resurrection20
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Posted: 04 Apr 2024 at 2:32pm |
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DanielW, that's awesome, thanks. I don't like doing liners. They're expensive, they stink, they do take a long time.
This tractor has been laid up with problems since January. I'm not really in any hurry at all.
I got a 1972 Honda SL100 K2 that someone Red Koted. They didn't do the whole tank, basically just rolled around the bottom and sides. Lazy? Cheap? Because they didn't totally coat it to the top, the sides actually shrank and peeled back leaving a gap for fuel to sit in and turn to watery crap. I always keep that tank completely topped off with non-ethanol and throw in Sta-Bil because why not.
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IBWD MIke
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Posted: 05 Apr 2024 at 9:06am |
What model of tractor are we dealing with here? I would look for a good used tank. If it's a CA, might be hard to find one. You can 'modify' one from a C or a B to fit though.
I lined the tank on my CA-2 last summer. Didn't want to but was the only way I could get the pinholes to seal up. Used POR-15, (I think). Kind of a lengthy process but it doesn't leak anymore. My leaks were from damage, not rust though.
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resurrection20
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Posted: 05 Apr 2024 at 12:01pm |
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It's a-uh, Tractor Tractor. Don't worry about it.
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HudCo
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Posted: 05 Apr 2024 at 12:27pm |
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them tanks still have to be preped real good for tank liner to work good so their isnt a mess a few years down the road but it will work on a tank that probley should have the whole bottom replaced or a bad seam , if you are useing it to cover crud it will be a mess
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