[T3] Gas tank cleaning

Jim Adney jadney at vwtype3.org
Mon Nov 5 19:31:26 PST 2012


On 5 Nov 2012 at 4:08, Maximilian Bukszpan wrote:

> Hallo,this is exactly what I am interested in too!!My 66 Fastback had
> a plugged gas outlet, so I had to take out the tank and we found a lot
> of gum and rust inside the tank!!

For the non-FI tanks, it's seldom necessary to take the tank out, 
unless there is lots of loose rust in there. Just unscrew the nut 
around the outlet, then remove and clean the filter screen.

> My mechanic said, the old style to
> clean the tank inside was to take a lot of round little stones and
> shake the stones inside the tank until all the rust is gone

The better technique is to use a length of chain, so you can be sure 
of getting it all out again. Small enough to get into the corners, 
large enough to have some weight behind it.

> then flush with, hmmmmm, I dont know with what to prevent rust again,
> and then coat after everything is clean with POR 15, several stages of
> coating / sealing!!! 

A tank filled with gasoline, and not a lot of water, will not rust 
inside. Never store your car with the tank empty. Always fill it as 
full as possible to minimize the amount of air there, where water can 
condense (like dew, or frost) and cause rust.

I'm very skeptical about coatings of any kind, especially something 
like POR 15, which was not made to work with gasoline. If it starts 
to flake off, you'll never get it clean again. Keep in mind that VW 
didn't coat the tanks inside, and they stay fine for decades unless 
they are left to sit with water in them.

-- 
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Jim Adney, jadney at vwtype3.org
Madison, Wisconsin, USA
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