NO3 question

[Wayne W.]

Re: NO3 question

With my old car tanks, they are metal, but that makes no difference, I will use something to clean out the scale and rust. Usually that is rocks and kerosene. I use a turning device to roll it over and over to get to every bit of the inside. After drying, I will then activate epoxy primer and pour it into the tank and roll it over and over. Then pour the epoxy out. Let that dry and repeat. The epoxy will seal it up. The commercial products sold by the specialist will also do a good job.

[Art A.]

Re: NO3 question

Mike I used aviation sloshing compound in my steel tank in 1982 and as of 2008 I had NO problems with it.

Just for comparison.

[Steven S.]

Re: NO3 question

I used U.S. standard fuel tank sealer on a steel tank recently, no long term experience with it and so I wouldn't want to experiment with an irreplaceable 36 gal. tank. Is the issue with the new fuels just the ethanol content? What if it was drained, allowed to dry out good and then just run ethanol free fuel??

[Mike M.]

Re: NO3 question

I used U.S. standard fuel tank sealer on a steel tank recently, no long term experience with it and so I wouldn't want to experiment with an irreplaceable 36 gal. tank. Is the issue with the new fuels just the ethanol content? What if it was drained, allowed to dry out good and then just run ethanol free fuel??

i spent the morning draining the fuel . found many more resin-like chips lodged in the brass T and brass elboe threaded into the bottom of the tank. threaded my boroscope into the tank but it wasn't very helpful. blew air into the tank but doubt it helped much. installed an aftermarket fuel filter downstream of the tank and will use non-ethanol gas from now on. since the tank's external surfaces show no signs of gas seeping thru the fiberglass tank, have decided not to remove and re-line the tank. time will tell. thanks for all the input on this problem.mike

[Mike E.]

Re: NO3 question

Yes, Mike Ernst did have a problem with the resin breaking down in the 37-gallon tank on the Gulf Oil 62 (in pre-ethanol days). Did attempt a miracle cure in which the cure was equal or surpassed the disease. The miracle cure was rated and advertised for fiberglass usage also. Ended up doing essentially what you are doing with your NO3 car.
Mike

[Ron S.]

Re: NO3 question

"I'll check my old emails; got one from an owner who had massive resin softening. Opened up his tank along the horizontal seam to inspect. The pics are pure N03 pornography".


That would be me! Mike, I had same problem with my tank, had to replace it since the resin was literally eaten away (we assume, from the ethanol). I sent Wayne some pics and I'll try to post here on forum tomorrow (at work now).

Just an FYI, I did find a company that makes fuel cells that could make a rubber "Bladder" to fit inside the tank. I didn't go this route since I was able to find a replacement. Let me know if you want the info.

Ron Still

[Ron S.]

Re: NO3 question

i spent the morning draining the fuel . found many more resin-like chips lodged in the brass T and brass elboe threaded into the bottom of the tank. threaded my boroscope into the tank but it wasn't very helpful. blew air into the tank but doubt it helped much. installed an aftermarket fuel filter downstream of the tank and will use non-ethanol gas from now on. since the tank's external surfaces show no signs of gas seeping thru the fiberglass tank, have decided not to remove and re-line the tank. time will tell. thanks for all the input on this problem.mike

Mike, you will continue to have more problems. Mine started like yours with the resin chipping and flaking off (and clogging the inlet valve in the fuel pump). Then, the more the resin was disolved, it gummed up the carb and made a real mess of things. I had to pull the intake and clean out the intake ports because they were just coated with the sticky resin. I thought I was going to have to pull the heads but was able to clean good enough without doing so. It's a bad problem for us tanker owners to have!

[Wayne M.]

Re: NO3 question

....That would be me! Mike, I had same problem with my tank, had to replace it since the resin was literally eaten away (we assume, from the ethanol). I sent Wayne some pics and I'll try to post here on forum tomorrow (at work now).....

Ron, Mike -- well, I installed a translucent filter, and when I removed the GF-90, I saw these two very small flakes (about a thou' thick --- that's a US penny beside) after unscrewing the inlet fitting to the filter -- flakes were on the inner threads, just before the hole into the filter body; couldn't see anything on the sintered filter media -- nice and shiny. Blew into the filter and seemed not to be blocked.

Just today, took the tanker around the block a few times and (fingers crossed) there didn't seem to be anything accumulating in the bowl of the plastic filter. Have a little under a 1/4 tank now (gasoline pretty stale after sitting 7 months ). I'll try and put some miles on it to get it down to under 1/8, then pump 5 fresh gallons into it [to stir up the flakes, if there are any] and drive some more; then I'll report back.