OOPS! Left gas in the tank!

[squatch]

For several years! This is a write up I did on a fishing forum. It's an outboard motor but it might help someone here.

I have this old 4hp outboard I used to use on a 12' jon boat. It's had very little use and I haven't used it in a while. Last time it was used fishing line got wrapped in the prop and cut the lower seal. So it's in need one of them. Recently I had to move the motor and a week later a canoe I've been wanting for this motor came up for sale. So I pulled out the motor to check it out.

To my horror I found that I had left fuel in the tank. Fortunately the petcock had been closed and the motor run dry. The damage was just the tank. I was not happy when I opened the tank.


When I got it the motor had been an unused kicker on a sailboat. It had a little salt corrosion on the leg so it was painted with what I had on hand. I added the Mac's River Runner.


Not to bad for an '85!

[squatch]

Not sure if this will show up. But the entire tank was rusted up inside.


I tried something I had read about but never tried. I washed the tank out with soap and water. Then filled it with vinegar and dropped in a handful of 1/4" nuts. Every evening for 2 weeks I shook it in every possible direction and then poured the stuff into a big bucket. Out came gunk. I poured the good vinegar back in and put the nuts back in and I topped off the tank with more vinegar and closed the cap. The waste I just poured on some invasive weeds I didn't want. I did this for 2 weeks and about every 3rd day replaced the vinegar with new. After 2 weeks the tank was clean of rust.




I thought the cap was toast when I 1st took it off. The vinegar cleaned that too!


I did some web research and read nothing but good stuff about Red-Kote fuel tank liner. So following the directions I lined the cleaned tank with 1 coat.
http://damonq.com/red-kote.html





I haven't put fuel in the tank yet but so far I'm impressed with the liner. And the vinegar!!!!!!!!! After the vinegar I neutralized the tank by filling it with baking soda and water overnight. Then I washed out the tank again. Then a last clean out with acetone before the liner.

I have a carb kit, new fuel fittings and petcock for the tank, a water pump and lower seal kit. So soon this should be like a new motor again.

This was a timely experiment. I have the gas tank out of my pickup right now and will probably do the same to it!

[Diz Jr.]

Great info squatch
Thanks for sharing