Re: Need tank cleaning advice

["deloreanfl" <ericp@xxxx>]

Thanks everyone, all of this was helpful. Since the crud was not 
nearly bad enough to warrant buying a new tank - Walter, I used your 
idea of acetone on a towel. That did the trick.

I didn't remove the tank, because it doesn't make the hole any bigger 
(laugh) and I can reach all of the corners. Actually this ranks among 
one of the easier jobs I've attempted on this car. I'm sure the 
payback exceeds the investment in time and money! If anyone is afraid 
to attempt it, I'd ask you to reconsider...it's really quite easy.

Thanks for your help group.

Eric
Dunedin, FL
VIN# 5557



--- In dmcnews@xxxx, "Walter Coe" <Whalt@xxxx> wrote:
> Eric,
> 
> There are several ways to clean the tank. Rob Grady suggested 
using acetone
> to dissolve the crud, so that is the method I used. Removing my 
tank wasn't
> necessary, but it made reaching all the inside corners easier. 
Unless you
> have some frame rust in the area to clean up, then it is less work 
to clean
> the tank without removing it. As an abrasive, I've found that shop 
rags
> from the local automotive stores work well (the non-terry cloth 
variety).
> Paper towels tend to be too slick and don't clean well. I wet the 
rags down
> with acetone and with a little elbow grease it cleaned the orange 
fuel
> stains off of all the parts.
> 
> There is a small capillary tube (it looks more like a wire) that 
vents an
> air pocket from the rear of the tank to the small vapor opening by 
the fill
> port. Be careful not to bend or kink it. I didn't like the way 
mine was
> banging around in the tank, so I sprung it a little to keep it near 
the top
> and put a gasoline resistant cork on the end it to stop it from 
scratching
> around in the tank.
> 
> There is a steel stud at the bottom of the tank that holds the fuel 
baffle.
> Mine looked a bit rusty but was good otherwise. Some people have 
had them
> rust and fall out. This part appears to me to be the same kind of 
stud that
> holds the trailing arm shields on. If it isn't too late, ask the 
vendor for
> a stainless steel nut to replace the original steel one that tends 
to rust.
> Stainless hardware in metric is hard to find locally.
> 
> When you put your fuel lines back on, don't try torquing them to 
spec IF you
> are replacing the OEM steel fittings with brass (like the ones I 
got from PJ
> Grady). The brass is much softer and will slip in your wrench if 
you try to
> torque it like a steel fitting.
> 
> So have you found a fuel distributor yet?
> 
> Walt