Manik Posted July 30, 2013 Share Posted July 30, 2013 Ok, here goes. I've got a 1995 Pathy, now, here's the story. This thing sat for over 5 years with about a half a tank of fuel (gas) waiting on engine replacement. The engine is in, after getting it to a point where it should be running, it won't. Now, I've got spark, the timing is close enough for it to run (will start with carb cleaner sprayed in the intake). I drained the tank, the fuel smelled horrible, put 5 gallons of fresh fuel in it and the fuel system still reeks of bad fuel. I pulled the fuel pump access door and pulled the fuel pump. The whole assembly was solid rust. The fuel lever sending unit is toast, but, it hasn't read right since I've owned the thing, so its going to get replaced. I have cleaned up the entire assembly with white vinegar, including the pump. It still pumps just fine, I think the good fuel hasn't made it to the injectors yet. Now for the big ???? inside the fuel tank looks actually pretty good. Only one rust spot that I can see in the tank, so, I guess I am looking for advise here, I'd rather not pull the tank, but, will if necessary. What I'd like to do is coat the inside of the tank with vinegar and cap it for a couple of days down here in the Texas heat. What are your thoughts on this, do you think the fumes in the tank will be enough to clean the rust? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Towncivilian Posted July 30, 2013 Share Posted July 30, 2013 Have you changed the fuel filter in the engine bay? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devonianwalk Posted July 30, 2013 Share Posted July 30, 2013 I just went through this with four year old varnished gas. The best way to clean the gunk out for me was to drop the tank and pour a gallon of Acetone in it. I then dropped a chain through the sending unit hole on top and shook the tank vigorously to loosen up the gel on the bottom. Unfortunately, I discovered a rusted out hole in my tank. I'm now waiting for the UPS man to bring me my new one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nismothunder Posted July 30, 2013 Share Posted July 30, 2013 Why not patch your tank D-bag? OP, I've never used vinegar. Nor have I heard of it. I just use old gas. The vinegar might f something up if you don't drain it all. If you could post pics I would have a better answer, but too me. I would just Clean it the best I could, blow the fuel likes out with air, change the filter and put some fresh non Oxy in it with some good cleaner. PS, on my 89 Ford it had sat for 10 years and still started and ran on gas that smelled like kerosene. But that's my luck I guess. Oh, and I've ran a 4 cylinder on nearly pure T Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manik Posted July 30, 2013 Author Share Posted July 30, 2013 Yes the filter under the hood has been changed, that was the first this that I swapped after replacing the engine, but, I didn't blow out the lines. By the way, the vinegar works great on rust. Nismo, never heard of vinegar? You've had pickles before? That is what cucumbers are soaked in to make pickles. Anyways, I'd planned on acetone or laquer thinner, probably acetone, but, from what I can find both will get the job done. As far as rust in the tank, I am going to try and look in the tank with a mirror and see how many spots there are that are rusty, I know there is one, but, don't know how many, if any at all more. As far as running 10 year old fuel, the fuel 10 years ago didn't have the concentration of alcohol/ethanol that todays fuel does. My pathy ran on fuel that had been in the tank for over 3 years, that's another story. With the ethanol/alcohol in the fuel today it doesn't last very long. The alcohol/ethanol bonds with water molecules and reeks havoc in a gasoline powered vehicle. Hopefully I will have it running and driving in the next couple of weeks, hopefully. We shall see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devonianwalk Posted July 31, 2013 Share Posted July 31, 2013 Good point, actually. I decided to purchase a 15 gallon steel tank off of Rockauto for under $100. To me, the headache and hassle to clean the 30+ year old tank was worth the coin. Why not patch your tank D-bag? Couldn't find anyone around to do it. This was suggested by one of my buddies but, he is a total D-bag. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manik Posted July 31, 2013 Author Share Posted July 31, 2013 Appreciate the advice... Well, now I'm trying to locate a fuel level sender for my truck and let me tell you, it's not a simple task. Nissan has the unit available at a cost of about $150. The sender is the only thing that is bad, now anyways. Going to start another thread for that issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now