Old Petrol

[Grasshopper]

Yesterday I continued with the removal of our Ferret fuel tank for cleaning purposes. Due to the dubious contents of the tank, the previous owner had drilled a hole through the armour and into a side bin, where a 1 gallon fuel can was the sole vehicle fuel supply. The vehicle was never going to get very far on that!

 

When I drained it, the initial "substance" was like black tar, but more rubbery, followed by an amount of water,then black petrol. A friend of mine commented that even a Gardener would struggle to run on that!

Edited August 4, 2015 by Grasshopper

[Topdog]

Too picky Vince, just back the timing off a bit and give it a go..................

[Tony B]

I wouldn't leave it alone! You never know what might crawl out of that stuff! :wow:

[ferretfixer]

I had exactly the same problem with the very first ferret I owned Privately.

 

There is no other way round this problem. Than to remove the tank & get it cleaned PROPERLY!...........

 

I tried removing all the pipes & soaked them in tricoetheline.= Didnt work!

I tried an agreesive brush restorer. = It didn't work!

I tried thinners. = it didn't work either!

 

I had partial success with the brush restorer. & a Flexi steel cable with a copper bristle brush.

BUT, you NEVER get the pipes completely clean of the gunk.

you THINK it's all up and running ok. BUT, as you drive the vehicle. Small particles of the gunk. Break away from the inner walls of the pipes. & like dust, slowly fill the bottom of the carb float bowl!

This makes it harder to rev & accelerate. As the dust is sucked up under the jets, & inhibits correct operation!

I cleaned my carb out quite a few times I can tell you! (I now know the 40 NNIP carb inside out!)

 

The ONLY solution was to remove the Tank & take it to a firm who repaired radiators, Relined brake shoes & Repaired petrol tanks. This was in Hove, East Sussex/

 

They HAD to completely kill ANY fumes in the tank. By washing it out with a special solution. They then cut a 'U' patch in each side of the tank. Peeled the sections back, so access by hand could be obtained.

The tank interior was scraped completely clean. It was then relined by 'Tinning', (Soft soldering all the interior)

The open sections pushed back & seam welded back to position. (Reheated after welding, in the areas where welding had taken place. To re run solder over those areas, where it had melted during welding.)

 

the tank was pressure tested to see if there were any leaks (None at all!) & resprayed in red lead primer.

I sprayed it silver over the red lead & refitted the tank in my ferret.

 

I had NO further Fuel issues during my ownership. (4 years plus)

 

Petrol over a long period of time, breaks down into it's natural state if left. IE: It reverts back to crude it would appear!

THIS is what blocks all the pipes & filter Etc.

 

I only had ONE side of the fuel pipe blocked. As it had only been left with the tap open over time. From the feed pipe of the left side of the Tank. (Looking forward from the rear) up to the filter it was blocked with the gunk.

The filter saved it from going from the filter pipe to the carb! & the RHS tank feed pipe was clear.

 

Just MY experience on this topic. Hope it might help you?........:undecided:

Edited August 4, 2015 by ferretfixer

[Starfire]

You can get a mild acid solution for cleaning out tanks and it works reasonably well, but you also really need an in-line fuel filter that you can clean or replace regularly, especially if the system was full of fuel that bad.

 

We've had a hell of a time getting our Dingo to be somewhat reliable after cleaning it up. The strainer in the fuel pump and the flood bowl keep filling up with gunk, even after the system was cleaned and flushed.

 

Cheers,

Terry

[Ashcollection]

You can get a mild acid solution for cleaning out tanks and it works reasonably well, but you also really need an in-line fuel filter that you can clean or replace regularly, especially if the system was full of fuel that bad.

 

We've had a hell of a time getting our Dingo to be somewhat reliable after cleaning it up. The strainer in the fuel pump and the flood bowl keep filling up with gunk, even after the system was cleaned and flushed.

 

Cheers,

Terry

We have had loads of "old Fuel" problems with our Martians and Stalwarts, we have given up using the fuel tank and have rigged auxiliaries, saves us hours getting things going and £££ in wasted fuel. its easier on big vehicles though, in a Ferret you are a bit limited for space.

[Grasshopper]

I guess this is why the previous owner was running it off a 1 gallon can! The fuel pipe to the lift pump looks to be caked internally, I may just run a new set of fuel lines in flexible fuel hose as I plan to install an electric fuel pump during this work. Too many vehicles I know of have had lift pump issues, even with Viton diaphragms. I'll also do the mod to extend the fuel banjo bolts upwards slightly, thus reducing the tendency to pick up debris from the bottom of the tank.

 

I may try something a bit caustic in the fuel tank and see what happens. If successful, I'll treat it to a Por15 treatment prior to refitting.

[Starfire]

If you're going to make new lines, always replace hard lines with other hard lines. If you don't have the tools and experience to work with Bundy tubing and flare it out, a local mechanic should be able to copy your old lines surprisingly quickly and cheaply.

 

Of course, check with the usual suppliers to see if you can get NOS first, and add in a universal plastic fuel filter or two.

 

When adding an electric pump, make sure that it's self-priming, low pressure and can run on 24v.

 

Cheers,

Terry

[tankdriver]

I used a 5 gallon portable outboard engine boat tank on a M20 as it had a bad 55 gallon tank. It has a quick disconnect, plus a primmer bulb, that makes it easy on the fuel pump when changing the tank. Plus you can drain it in to your car and leave the can empty, then you will also have fresh gas.