How to remove rust from a diesel fuel tank. How to clean a car tank

Hello comrades! But let's save the greetings for later. Absolutely SUDDENLY a friend of mine asked me to tell you how I cleaned the gas tank of a motorcycle with electrolysis. Somehow I happened to mention this and then it began to tell, yes, tell. It's like I'm some sort of expert at this.

While writing an email, I thought that the result was not bad. Maybe others will benefit from my experience. Although I am a drug addict and pretty krivoruk, but here, I was unexpectedly pleased with my attempts.

The first step is to apologize for the lack of photos of the entire process. Someone did not think that someone would ever be interested in it. I will partially compensate for them with the photos found on the net. Those that most accurately reflect the process. Well, I'll add my pictures too. It turned out that I was bored in winter, and nature was bored to freeze and New Year came out warm. Having exchanged the planing of the Olivier for disassembling the motorcycle, I wandered into the garage.

So, first of all, when someone says the word "electrolysis", my hair stands on end. And not only hair ... Secondly, this is a fun process, with bubbles, gases, iron nails and electric shock. And it all reminds me of my childhood.

Of course, in addition to electrolysis, there are many more ways to clean the tank. For example, it is advised to fill it with sand / iron shavings / pebbles / hedgehogs, pour kerosene and shake until the cancer whistles on the mountain. It is also advised to treat everything from the inside with a rust converter. But "clear posons" prefer electrolysis.

So. In winter, it's time to take care of servicing your motorcycle, and the new year is all the more time. Actually, I climbed to clean the carburetors. But it's such an addictive system.

I remember my moped UPPER there was 1 (one) cable going to the carburetor. Here are 5 of them. FIVE! I twisted them all, and when it was time to collect everything back, of course, I didn’t remember what and where to insert. As a result, I collected, as I thought, correctly. Yeah ... the throttle was not spinning at all. Collected the second time, the flaps began to open inverted. Then I guessed to print out the manual and with the blessing of Zeus, I assembled everything as it should. Even synced.

That's what I'm talking about ... I also removed the gas tank, drained the gasoline, there was nothing to do. I cocked it home and let's squash it.

He twisted the neck, smeared the lock with lard. Well, if there is no fat, then you can puff WD-40 there. It began to crawl softer.

Twisted the tubes leading directly to the tank. There are two of them: one from the reserve, one from the non-reserve. Both are fine mesh. Sprayed it with carb cleaner and set it aside.

Here it is worth saying a few flattering words towards the Japanese. Do internal organization a tank of a more unknown design is impossible. Even the dwarves of the realm of Moria would envy the tunnels and channels that entangle the gas tank from the inside.

By God. I tried to drain the gas for about 20 minutes. I twisted the gas tank, and shook it, and turned it over, and then shook it, and vice versa, and offered prayers to Odin. Everything is in vain. All the same, some gasoline (and in the future, electrolyte, and water, and epoxy) splashed treacherously.

OK. I drained the gas, dried the tank with a hairdryer, pointing it into the neck and leaving it for 10 minutes. Then I looked inside and saw something like this:

Well, I had less rye, of course, but still, I had no intention of retreating.

This electrolysis had to be tested on something. For, in the heat of the heat, I was somehow afraid to throw an unknown technology at once on a good gas tank. I didn’t find anything smarter than to take a rusty 16-kilogram weight, put it in a basin, fill it with electrolyte, stick an iron nail and turn on the current. It turned out this:

The photo shows that the lower part of the kettlebell has become cleaner and generally cute. But then I did not know what concentration of electrolyte to dilute and what current to apply. And I was more interested in bubbles.

Then I decided to have some fun and started pulling this weight. 8 times with the right hand and 6 times with the left. Yes, I'm still that drisch. I was puzzled why the right hand was stronger than the left, went to the mirror and saw that the right shoulder was lower than the left. Here's to you...

OK. Now let's figure out how to start this very electrolysis. We go to Wikipedia and read:

Electrolysis is a physical and chemical process consisting of secretions

Then I laughed furiously and closed this Wikipedia.

In short, we need an alkaline electrolyte, an iron stake, and a current source. We pour the electrolyte into the tank, put an iron stake in the same place, hook "+" to it, and "-" to the tank body. We rejoice at the bubbles and how they cheerfully tear out the rust from the walls of the gas tank and cockroach it on the iron stake.

You can also accurately measure the volume of the tank and the volume of the reserve. For Suzuki Desperado, the exact volume of the gas tank is exactly 13 liters, 3 of which are reserves.

And I once again made sure that liter cans are by no means liter.

A little more, perhaps. We will make the electrolyte from soda ash. It is sold in hardware stores and costs 20 rubles. I still show photoresist with such soda, but that’s not the point. I took this one:

We take a liter jar of jam or pickled mushrooms, pour warm water and pour 10 tablespoons of soda into it. Stir until everything is dissolved.

After that, we masterfully seal the holes in the gas tank with adhesive tape, where the tubes leading to the gas tap were inserted. Pour the resulting slurry into the tank, add water from the tap to the neck.

Now we need to find some iron bar/nail. It will be our anode and we will connect "+" from the current source to it. But there is an important moment here. My gas tank is shaped like a dolphin's brain. Inside, it is divided into two halves and we need to put a bar into each. Yes, so that it does not touch the walls of the tank, otherwise there will be a short circuit and we will get "Benzobakus exterminatus".

I remember that there were no short circuits, I put pieces of isolon on the iron anodes, so as to exclude any short circuit. But you need to make sure that as much of the anode as possible is exposed, so the rust will get closer to its habitats.

Everything, the liquid was poured, the stakes were inserted, now it is necessary to apply current. I took this car battery charger. It was also made by my grandfather from shit and paper of radio components from a landfill, cardboard, clothesline and music from the Manowar band.

There's an ammeter in there, so it's damn convenient to monitor the process. We take, therefore, a positive wire from the charger and hook it to the iron stakes. We take a negative wire, somewhere with inside gas tank with sandpaper, we clean the paint to bare metal and connect the wire there.

DO NOT CONFUSE, My friend, + TO STAGS, - TO BAKU. Otherwise, the inside of the tank will become 57 times rustier than it was, and the iron stake will become as thick as a hair.

Let's turn it on! First, the current must be set smaller, let's say 1 ampere. To check if there are any shorts. If the fireworks did not happen, then we increase the current to 5 amperes and observe BUBBLES! Everything, the process has begun.

Oh yeah, don't make a fire nearby. Explosive gases are released there. Hydrogen in particular.

I left the whole thing overnight with a current of 2 amps. In the morning I saw some kind of hellish rust foam sticking out 20 centimeters from the neck. He drained the electrolyte, which became a disgusting color of early childhood.

We look in the tank. Saint Bartholomew!!! No rust. He rubbed it with his finger, and some kind of byaka remained on it. Toli dust, toli sediment. I didn't like this arrangement. I washed the tank 3 times with water, 1 time I dissolved several sachets there citric acid to neutralize the alkali. And dried again with a hair dryer.

Here it is advisable to immediately fill the tank with gasoline to the throat so that rust does not reappear. But we are not looking for easy ways. Will do protective layer from epoxy so that rust does not appear until the end of time.

We take, then, a real orthodox two-part epoxy. In a nearby garage near Petrovich, we shoot a jar of acetone. We knead the resin with a hardener and dilute this matter with acetone to a liquid state. We look at the ratio of resin and hardener on the label, but the proportion to acetone is not known to me. Add it to taste until you get a liquid. I diluted half a litre.

Now we will cover the inside of the tank with this composition. We seal the neck with tape, and insert some wires into the holes for the fuel hoses so that the epoxy does not fill the holes and harden.

Pour the solution into the tank and shake even more violently. Drain and put the tank in a warm place to polymerize. I did this 3 times and now the inner surface of the tank feels the same as my mobile phone.

In total, six months later, I do not observe new pockets of rust in the tank, the epoxy did not dissolve with gasoline, the sun is shining, the birds are singing, the beard is growing, everything is hurt!

I hope I've made it clear and not too addictive.

Stay healthy, friends.

The road will never end.

P.S. Thanks for the warm comments. It's unrealistically nice.

The quality of gasoline that can be poured into Russian gas stations, far from ideal, which can lead to various problems in the operation of the car. Often, the fuel contains dirt particles that enter the gas tank and settle to the bottom, and then risk causing rust or getting into the engine. To prevent this from happening, from time to time it is required to clean the gas tank of the car. There are many ways to clean the gas tank of a car from accumulated dirt, and in this article we will consider them.

Table of contents:

How to flush the gas tank without removing it from the car

A full flush of the car's gas tank is a rather time-consuming, but effective procedure. If there is no time to complete it, but you need to clean the gas tank of accumulated contaminants, you can perform an express cleaning without removal, which is much less effective. You can clean the gas tank without removing it from the car as follows:

How to flush the gas tank inside after removing it from the car

In order to qualitatively clean the deposits inside the gas tank, it must first be removed from the car. On almost any car, this is easy to do, and in a book on technical operation machine must be described in detail how the this procedure. There are several ways to flush the gas tank inside, we will consider the most popular below.

Cleaning the gas tank with soda

Soda's cleansing powers are legendary, and they're not based on nothing. Indeed, soda can remove rust, including that formed inside the gas tank.

The method of cleaning a gas tank with soda is quite expensive in terms of costs, but it is considered very effective and simple. Cleaning is performed as follows:

Remember to rinse the gas tank well before pouring gasoline so that there are no traces of a sweet drink left in it.

Electrolysis method of washing the gas tank

Extremely effective method cleaning the gas tank, which allows not only to remove the formed rust, but also to restore the metal layer. It is based on the chemical reaction of electrolysis, as a result of which hydrogen and gases will be formed, so it is extremely dangerous to carry out the procedure in a closed room.

The electrolysis washing of the gas tank is performed as follows:

When the cleaning of the gas tank is completed, drain the electrolysis, rinse and dry the tank, only then fill in gasoline.

Cleaning the gas tank with phosphoric acid

A fairly simple and effective way to get rid of rust inside a gas tank. For cleaning, you will have to purchase orthophosphoric acid (if the acid is of a strong concentration, it is better to dilute it) in order to get several liters of rust converter. WITH ama cleaning is extremely simple:

When the work is completed, clean the gas tank with water and soda, then rinse everything again plain water. It is important to completely remove the remaining acid from the gas tank. After flushing, dry the tank and you can use it.

Cleaning the gas tank with nuts

This method can be called "old-fashioned", and it should be used only as a last resort, when the entire tank is covered with rust inside.

Meaning this method cleaning is that various potentially sharp objects are poured into the tank - nuts, bolts, granite stones, and so on. When they are inside the tank, it is necessary to shake it so that the rusty particles fly off from collisions with sharp objects. After that, empty everything from the tank. Then dry coarse sand is poured inside and the gas tank is shaken up again. The procedure ends with washing the gas tank with gasoline and drying it.

How to clean the tank on a moped from fine dust and dirt that flies during operation.

Consequences of dirt in the tank:

1. Clogged fuel line.
2. Power fluctuations depending on the amount of gasoline in the tank.
3. Fast clogging carburetor.
4. Burnt out fuel pump.
5. Clogged injector nozzle.

Therefore, for prevention, it is worth cleaning the tank.
To do this, you first need to remove the tank itself, disconnect all hoses and fuel sensor connectors from it, if you have one. Next, put the tank on some soft spot so that your tank is not scratched. Then you need to drain all the remaining fuel from the tank. After you drained all the fuel that you could. Then we close the tank, turn it over and close the holes in any way. Then we turn the tank over, open it and pour half a liter of kerosene inside. And we begin to shake, turn over, twist and turn the tank. You can also take a screwdriver or any other object with a rubber handle and start tapping on all sides of the tank, so it will be cleaned of dirt more. Still there is a peculiar working method. Take 2 speakers or a subwoofer and bring it to the tank or put the tank on the subwoofer and turn on the music louder, all the dirt that has stuck to the tank will instantly fall off from the vibrations.
Why kerosene? Because kerosene most effectively washes away all those dirt deposits that gasoline cannot corrode.
Then, as soon as you clean the tank, turn the tank over, take out all the plugs and drain everything from the tank. After that, the tank needs to be additionally rinsed, the fact is that if kerosene gets into your carburetor and, accordingly, nothing good will come of it into the engine. Therefore, you need to fill in about one and a half liters of ordinary gasoline, this must be done in order to wash out the kerosene from there. Just shake the tank a little and drain it.
After you have completely washed the tank, it needs to stand for 3-4 hours open lid, in order for the remnants of gasoline and kerosene to evaporate, this must be done on the street.

line flushing and fuel equipment it is recommended to carry out every 10 thousand km. During this period, the tank will have time to accumulate a large number of dirt and water.

From low-quality fuel the whole system suffers. Therefore, it is necessary to fill in only high-quality fuel and regularly clean the inside.

Water pressure

If you hold the event often, then you can not use detergents and acids. Enough gas tank inside strong water pressure.

This method will save fuel filters from fast production.

How to clean the gas tank:

1. Disconnect the tank. Before doing anything, you must disconnect it from the motorcycle or other equipment. Without disconnecting the tank, you will not be able to access it or clean it safely. Unfold the tank and unscrew the screws or bolts that secure it. For lawn mowers and similar items, the fuel line and spark plugs must be removed.
2. Close the fuel line. After detaching fuel line you need to block the access of gasoline. Dirt or other objects can enter the fuel line and cause problems. Take some kind of smooth clip and attach it to the line near the carburetor.
3. Empty the tank. Pour the remaining fuel into a gasoline-safe container. If you can't get everything out, use a suction hose or similar device to remove fuel from the tank. Let the tank dry completely. Without draining the remaining fuel, you will not be able to properly clean.
4. Examine the tank. Take the time to examine the tank, look for any problems that could undermine its integrity. Defects or other problems may represent a potential safety hazard or may endanger correct work engine.
5. Turn on the Karcher and spray water under high pressure into the tank. It is necessary to process all surfaces of the gas tank.

At the end of the procedure, it is necessary to dry the container and install it in place.

If you are doing the procedure for the first time, take a picture of the disassembly process to make it easier to assemble later.

soda

Carbonated drinks perfectly remove limescale and rust. Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Sprite and just sparkling water are suitable for this procedure.

It is better to use Coca-Cola. It contains phosphoric acid, which will clean the tank in minutes.

How to flush a gas tank:

1. The drink will need as much as it fits combustible mixture. You can use any carbonated drinks containing phosphoric acid.
2. The drink is poured into a container, which in which case it is not a pity to spoil it, and heated to 40 degrees. Warm Coca-Cola effectively removes rust.
3. While the drink is on the stove, remove the gas tank and put it in the sun, it should also be warm.
4. The heated liquid is poured into a container to the very brim.
5. Leave for 2-4 hours. The holding time depends on the degree of contamination. If the gas tank is cleaned once a year, then you can leave the drink in it all night.

At the end, drain the sweet drink, and rinse the tank.

Orthophosphoric acid is a potent chemical, it is recommended to use it outdoors, away from fire and heaters.

Such a converter is used in rubber gloves and goggles.

Phosphoric acid in its pure form is not recommended. If the proportions are not observed, irreparable damage can be done to the fuel tank.

Cleaning fuel tank with your own hands - step-by-step instruction converter applications:

1. First you need to dismantle the tank. Follow this algorithm: remove the terminals from the battery, drain the remaining fuel from your gas tank, turn off the fuel level sensor and disconnect the ventilation and fuel hoses. It remains only to unscrew the screws and carefully dismantle the container. Place the gas tank on a level surface.
2. At first hot water rinse the container from the inside. This will help remove large pieces of rust and dirt. Hot water is poured into the gas tank, closed and shaken vigorously. Dirty liquid is poured out and proceed to the next step.
3. Pour 500 ml of the converter into the container with phosphoric acid. The tank is closed and slowly rotated with it so that the liquid is distributed along the walls.
4. Cleaning the gas tank will take 1-2 hours. After 1 hour, you can drain the converter and perform a final flush. If there is a lot of rust, the procedure is repeated.
5. The final rinse involves filling the tank with water. 100 g of baking soda is also poured there at the rate of 10 liters of liquid.
6. It remains only to dry the tank. There should be no liquid left in the gas tank. Drying takes 3-4 hours.

The procedure will have to be devoted to almost the whole day in order to qualitatively clean the gas tanks from rust.

After the converter has washed all the dirt and the tank has been dried, you can install it in.

This method of washing will not leave any trace of corrosion. She won't show up for a long time.

Other Methods

Various acids can be used to clean the tank. Most often, for such a manipulation, motorists resort to the use of hydrochloric acid.

Phosphorous is also often used to flush out dirt from fuel tanks.

Can be used as a cleanser folk methods, which are no less effective in helping to cope with the problem that has arisen.

How to flush a gas tank without removing it?

This is possible, but the effectiveness of removing rust and dirt is reduced. In addition, acids and other chemical compounds can get into the engine and cause irreparable damage.Therefore, to clean the tank, it must be removed and not think about the question of how to wash it without removing it.

Put the removed parts in a separate container so as not to lose. For effective cleaning, you will need to empty the tank of fuel residues. Spent fuel contains sediment and other impurities.

Washing methods:

1. Acetone. For manipulation, buy 3 liters. Close all openings in the tank with screws. Pour about 1 liter of product into the container and shake the container well. Pour the dirty liquid into the bucket and repeat the procedure 2 more times.
2. White vinegar contains an acid that can dissolve rust from the inside of the tank. It is poured into a container to the very brim. Leave to act all night, it is possible for a day. The next morning, the remedy is poured out, but not all. Leave 1-2 liters and shake the tank vigorously. Then pour out the remaining liquid. Rinse the container.
3. A great way to clean your fuel tank is to use laundry detergent. A small amount of washing powder is mixed with enough hot liquid. The container is filled to the brim with water. leave washing powder work for several hours. Then pour out the liquid and rinse the tank with hot water. The procedure can be repeated if it was not possible to wash off all the dirt the first time.
4. Formic acid or phosphoric acid can also be used to clean the tank. These cleaners should be handled with care. Pour hot water into the tank, it should be half the capacity. Add about half a gallon of acid. Close the container, but not completely, leave a small gap. After 2-4 hours, carefully pour the product, rinse the container with clean water.

After washing, dry the container. To do this, you can use a hair dryer, since natural drying can take from 4 hours to a day.

After cleaning the tank, rinse it well with gasoline. Pour clean fuel in the amount of 2-3 liters. Close the reservoir and shake well. The fuel must be given some time if acid has been used.

This will help remove particles of the products that were used to wash the container from the farthest corners of the gas tank. Gasoline eliminates acids. It is impossible to install the tank immediately after flushing. All precipitation can fall into fuel system and through it to the engine.

After the end of the procedure, it remains only to put the tank in place and enjoy the work done.

Rust or impurities in the fuel can damage the gas tank over time. Therefore, sometimes it is necessary to clean the gas tank in a timely manner. If the vehicle is not used for a long time, the fuel tank must be cleaned before you start using the vehicle.

Various acids can be used to clean the gas tank. One of the most commonly used acids is hydrochloric acid. In addition to it, phosphoric acid is also often used to clean the gas tank. However, when you use acids, you will need a lot of help. Other ingredients that can be used for this task include vinegar, detergents, hot water, and so on. It is recommended to carry out the cleaning procedure outdoors as the fumes can be hazardous. With all the primary precautions, let's start with the gas tank cleaning procedure.

Wash the contents

Drain the contents of the fuel tank. This is necessary because without emptying the tank, you will not be able to wash it. Make sure you drain the gasoline from all tank components, including rubber hoses, fittings, etc.

Clean out the gas tank

Use "fresh" gasoline and clean the tank thoroughly. It is important to use fresh gasoline, as old gasoline is likely to contain sediment and other impurities. This is part of the pre-cleaning process. You can also vigorously shake the gas tank inside. This solution will help to dislodge sediment particles in the most remote corners of the tank. Then empty the tank into a separate container.

Tank cleaning process

Remember, in order to clean the gas tank, you must get rid of the impurities left in the tank. Exist various ways that can be used for this job. The procedures are below:

Acetone: You will need from 2-3 liters of acetone for this work. Seal all openings in the container with drywall and screws. Pour about a liter of acetone into the tank and shake well. Take a break, drain off some acetone, and if you find any rust, get back to work. Drain the acetone and impurities into a bucket and repeat.

Vinegar: Vinegar contains acetic acid, which will help dissolve rust inside the tank. Pour vinegar into empty tank to the brim. Close the tank and leave it overnight. The next morning, pour some of the vinegar out of the tank and shake it thoroughly. Then empty the contents of the tank. Pour some baking soda into the tank and leave it alone for half an hour. Use water to rinse the gas tank.

Detergent: Another way to clean a gas tank involves washing powder combined with hot water. Leave the mixture in the tank for an hour or two. Then drain the mixture and rinse the gas tank with hot water. If you think the tank is not as clean as you would like, you can repeat the process.

Acid: Hydrochloric acid or phosphoric acid can be used for the same task. As with any acid, care must be taken when handling hydrochloric and phosphoric acid. When using hydrochloric acid, remember to wear thick rubber gloves for your hands and goggles to protect your eyes from the acid fumes. Fill the tank with hot water until it is half full. Add approximately 2.5 liters of acid to the water. Then add the remaining hot water to the tank. Close the fuel tank cap, but make sure not to use the tank cap. Leave the tank alone for 2 or 2 and a half hours. Allow all mixtures to settle in the tank. Thoroughly wash the impurities from the tank.

Now wash the gas tank with water. You can use a hand pump to spray water into the tank. The pressure of the hand pump is enough to reach all corners of the tank. Multiple passes may be required.

Gas tank drying

The next step is to dry the tank. You can use a hair dryer for this task. This will take time, but if you leave the tank to dry on its own it will take longer. The hair dryer has another advantage. Warm air from the hair dryer reaches any corners of the tank. This is a very important step before you add gasoline. Shortly after drying is complete:

Flushing with gasoline

After drying the tank, it must be rinsed well with gasoline. It is important that you use fresh gasoline for this purpose. It is better not to use decanted gasoline, as it may contain impurities, then they will return to the tank again and the cleaning will go down the drain. This is the last step in the gas tank cleaning process.

Fill the tank with gasoline

Reinstall the components removed earlier. Keep a small amount of gasoline ready so that the car's pump and fuel line get gasoline. Now, without wasting time, fill the tank with gasoline. It is important that you fill the gas tank right away, otherwise it may start to rust again.

Be careful using funds personal protection plays important role when cleaning the fuel tank. Make sure exposed skin is not exposed. Likewise, eye protection is also essential. Having baking soda on hand is recommended as hydrochloric acid and phosphoric acid can be neutralized by baking soda.