I bought this RX7 several months ago and knew that it had set for a few years. Another member tried to tune it but he thought maybe the fuel tank was dirty and needed removal and cleaning....cleaning is an understatement!

At first glance, it looks like rust...



but after stirring it around with a really large screwdriver, it is something much worse...


Aside from trying to find a new (new to me, old to you) tank, is there actually something I can use to eat this slug and whisk it away? I felt the top of the tank, it is just rusted, but the bottom...O-M-G !!!

 

looks delicious..looks like fresh made brownies straight from the oven if its not to bad they sell stuff to clean and coat the inside of the tank,if its too far gone youll be forced to replace it though,i guess i need to check my 88 thats been sitting last 15 yrs??

 

It does kinda look like brownies....but damned if I'm gonna taste 'em.

I have heard there are solvents to clean out a tank, but this stuff is like 1/8" thick. On a good note, there is clean metal underneath.

 

Same Thing Happend To My Gas Tank & Gave It To T&R Racing In NYC. They Send It Out To A Place That Does Tanks & They Has Stripped The Rust And Put A Black Coating At The Bottom

 

^ Exactly. Removing that sludge is not a "do-it-yourself" job. Find a radiator shop that cleans tanks and have them clean and coat it.

 

Okie dokie. Besides, whatever solvent I could find to do the job would probably make me sleep for a couple hours or more.

BTW, I'll be in NY in July...just sayin.

 

Marine Clean with a couple of gallons of boiling water will dissolve the gunk. http://www.por15.com/MARINE-CLEAN/productinfo/MCG/

If you have holes this kit will reseal the tank.
http://www.por15.com/FUEL-TANK-REPAI...ductinfo/FTRK/

Eastwood and other companies sell a similar product. I have used POR 15 products to clean and/or reseal multiple tanks.

 

or go to home depot and get 2 gallons of acid and clean it that way make sure you put water in the tank before the acid if you reverse it it will spalsh it everywhere bad idea. It will take a few times to get it all good and clean but it works thats what i did to myne it was sitting for 8 years with gas in it.

 

Osborn Radiator in OKC. $80-$100 for dropping 'er in the vat overnight and boiling/dissolving the slug, $180 for boil, seal, and paint...lifetime guarantee to never have to mess with it again.

Droppin' it off in the morning.

 

So how did it come out? Is the fuel tank clean as a whistle?

I'm not surprised with anything I see in OK with fuel. When my '79 was young I had to regularly replace the fuel filter because of all the gunk in the OK fuel. I'd tear them apart and the filter pleats would be covered in a jelly like substance. I fondly remember a trip from OKC to Enid that took hours because I could only drive a few miles at a time and had to wait until the fuel settled to continue.

Now that my '79 has been sitting for years, getting the fuel tank cleaned would be a first step to getting it running--if only I had the time to do it. That roadblock is what stopped my restoration project dead in its tracks.

 

Yes, it was cleaned to perfect, then sealed. Of course, I never seem to have enough time to mess with it. My current roadblock is a fuel sending unit because mine didn't work when I took everything apart. I have since decided to just put it all back together and hope that the problem with the float is that it was stuck in the sludge and that that is the reason it wasn't working. Gas tank together, just need to put it in!

I really am IAIS, but I no longer use that account.