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Post by Big-birds-ride on Aug 22, 2013 12:27:51 GMT -5
After doing alot of work on my Bradley after purchase, including brake cylinders, replacing seals and O-rings in the Corvair engine, rebuilding carbs, fixing cracked door plexiglass, adjusting the valves, etc I have been able to put a few miles on my toy and it sure is fun to drive around. I noticed recently that my fuel filter has a layer of burgandy colored haze collecting on the bottom and the filter element is showing the same coloration turning from tan to burgandy. My guess is that there might have been gas in the tank, which dried up and turned into varnish and hardened at the bottom of the tank, while the prior owner had it in storage. Now that I have had gas in the tank for about half a year and getting a few miles on it, the varnish which was probably hardened is starting to loosen up and is getting sucked into my fuel line. Anyone ever had this problem and know of a good solution? Online I see a few variations where people used acetone and marbles as scrubbers to try and loosen and extract the varnish. Some have taken the tank to a radiator shop to try and boil it out. None of these attempts had rave reviews by the posting person, simply that with great effort they got it done.
I could use some tried and true advise as to the best method of dealing with this problem. Perhaps just replace the tank? Anyone know of a reasonable priced replacement tank that fits nicely in a GT 1?
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Post by smyrnaguy on Aug 26, 2013 7:13:37 GMT -5
Fuels containing ethanol will break that crud loose. Best bet is to carry an extra filter with you just in case you run out of gas with fuel in the tank.
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Post by Dan MacMillan on Aug 27, 2013 8:35:31 GMT -5
Drain it, fill it with hot water and 3 cups of washing soda, Put it in the BBQ and boil it for a few hours. Worked well for me. IMPORTANT NOTE: Unless you have my wife {she suggested it}, don't let her know.
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Post by Big-birds-ride on Aug 29, 2013 11:39:23 GMT -5
Fuels containing ethanol will break that crud loose. That sounds like a simple method of breaking down the varnish. Can I run the ethanol fuel through my corvair carbs/engine without damaging anything? Or, should I add the ethanol fuel to the regular gas in the tank and it will do the same trick? Or, are you saying that I should drain the tank of gas, add the ethanol fuel and let it soak for a few days then drain the tank of the ethanol/dissolved varnish? I don't know much about that type of fuel. |
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stevevw
Full Member
Part VW part Porsche , all Bradley
Posts: 117
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Post by stevevw on Aug 29, 2013 22:04:47 GMT -5
I think any fuel you get now has some measure of ethanol in it.
At least out here in the west it does .
I would choos to remove the tank and clean it as Dan suggested .
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Post by Dan MacMillan on Aug 30, 2013 7:45:09 GMT -5
After cleaning you can go a step further and remove
any internal rust through electrolysis. It is very simple and effective
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Post by horen2tas on Aug 31, 2013 21:48:03 GMT -5
I've heard of getting rid of unwanted hair though electrolysis do you want to elaborate on getting rid of unwanted rust in the gas tank?
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Post by Dan MacMillan on Sept 1, 2013 8:15:36 GMT -5
Some tips on the tank.
Clean it with hot water and washing soda first. I stuck my ghia tank in the BBQ and boiled it with the washing soda mix. This gets rid of the sludge and varnish.
Build an electolysis cleaner to take out the rust. It is very simple. You need a 12v battery, a hd battery charger, booster cables and a piece of scrap steel that will fit into the sending unit hole without touching the tank. Square tubing or rebar works well. Arm and hammer washing soda {NOT BAKING SODA}.
Plug all tank openings except the sending unit hole.
Insulate one end of the scrap steel with rubber or bolt a piece of wood to the end that extends about an inch.
Place the scrap steel into the tank send unit hose so it reaches the bottom. Insulate around the opening so the scrap steel can never touch the tank.
Mix water and soda at a ratio of 5 gallons water to 1/3 to 1/2 cup laundry soda. Mix well so all soda is dissolved. Fill the tank with this all the way to the top.
Using the battery cables connect the neg battery post to the tank and the pos post to the scrap steel. This is most important or the process will reverse and you will transfer rust onto the tank. Also connect the charger to the battery.
It will shortly start producing bubbles. It may take a few days but when it is done it will be rust free and look black.
This is the stage when you can start with your tank sealing kit.. Should you choose not to seal the tank simply drain it, dry it, and coat the inside with a coat of oil. This will prevent any further rusting until the tank is filled with fuel. The residual oil will mix with the first tank of fuel but will not be a problem.
Safety
- Turn off the current before making adjustments to the setup. Just as a "spark" can cause a charging battery to explode in your face, this process produces similar gases because this process splits water into hydrogen gas (at the negative electrode) and oxygen at the positive electrode).
- Hydrogen will burn explosively if ignited. All flames, cigarettes, torches, etc. must be removed from the area, and sparks caused by touching the leads together must be avoided. The work should be performed outside or in a well ventilated area to remove these gases safely.
- Washing soda solutions are alkaline and will irritate the skin and eyes. Use eye protection and gloves. Immediately wash off any solution spilled or splashed onto your body.
The brown crap and water are safe to dispose of on your lawn or the wifes flower garden, just avoid her ornamental shrubs. They may not like iron rich alkaline water.
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