cleaning fuel tank with acetone, 78 SC

[exchans]

Hi folks,

I am new here an live in germany. I hope to get an answer in this great forum.

I have to clean the inside of the tank of my 78 SC. The car has been standing for 20 years. The petrol is gummy, looks like varnish. A good way to dissolve gummy petrol is acetone. Does anyone already have experience with this? Do I have to worry about the swirl pot, which is made of plastic, not that it is dissolved by the acetone. What material is the plastic made of? Any information is appreciated.

[47silver]

Hi there are many posts on cleaning tanks. Not sure what effect acetone will have on the swirl pot.

[hienz]

Originally Posted by 47silver

Hi there are many posts on cleaning tanks. Not sure what effect acetone will have on the swirl pot.

The swirl pot is made of plastic in my 75 911s tank. Acetone will destroying it. I did use acetone and hot water. I have to buy good used tank for my 75 911s.

[smadsen]

Has anyone on the board actually destroyed a swirl pot with acetone? Swirl pots are immersed in gasoline for 40-50 years with no apparent harm.

And the acetone, if you can find it in California, is of such poor quality (and lacquer & paint thinner) as to be almost worthless as solvents/cleaners. My guess is, and it's only a guess, you can probably rinse the tank with acetone for a few minutes and then rinse thoroughly with hot very water.

[RDM]

Originally Posted by exchans

Hi folks,

I am new here an live in germany. I hope to get an answer in this great forum.

I have to clean the inside of the tank of my 78 SC. The car has been standing for 20 years. The petrol is gummy, looks like varnish. A good way to dissolve gummy petrol is acetone. Does anyone already have experience with this? Do I have to worry about the swirl pot, which is made of plastic, not that it is dissolved by the acetone. What material is the plastic made of? Any information is appreciated.

I recently had a similar project with a Mercedes gas tank that had sat for ten years. After trying both Rosti and anode /cathode with a battery charger, I still had rust and gunk in the tank. I took it to my local gas tank / car dip professional (in Pirmasens, not sure where you are), and he did a great job for 60 Euro. The pros know how do do it without damage.

[exchans]

Thanks for the information. I would like to do the cleaning myself, I am a do-it-yourselfer. I know that acetone works very well. I would not have any concerns with a steel tank without plastic inserts. It is only the question of the compatibility of the plastic swirl plot. Would be helpful if someone knows the name or material of the plastic used.
In case of doubt, I would leave a rag soaked with acetone on the swirl pot for a long time and see whether any plastic debris remains on the rag.
By the way, I live in Karlsruhe

['78 SC]

I cleaned the tank of my 1978 911SC that had been in extended storage by pressure washing with water. Afterward, I swirled acetone through the tank to remove any trace of water (water and acetone are miscible), then dumped the tank. That was 30 years ago and I've had no ill effects. Note, the acetone did not sit in the tank for more than a few minutes.

Separate but related, I have used lacquer thinner to remove accumulation from the fuel tank level sender (particularly the resistance wires). It easily removed the gunky fuel deposits. Again, no prolonged exposure.

Remove and clean the screen located at the tank bottom. Also rod out the tank inlet and outlet connections and the passages around the base of the screen.

[dfhtrhjn]

I used diet coke and a steel towing chain the last time I cleaned a tank. Diet coke cuts through a lot of crap, and the chain breaks loose debris and rust. I takes a week, fill it 1/2 full or so, plug it, then shake it every morning.

[Mad Max]

WHITE VINEGAR FOR CLEANING GAS TANK???

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/white-vinegar-for-cleaning-gas-tank.268000/

[47silver]

to clean my 72 tank I used.
evapo rust with chain in tank.
apple cider vinegar with chain in tank.
and after i tried these mixtures i then went to
electrolysis.

combined i got it clean but it took a long time (a month).
if I had an old clothes dryer transmission i would hook up some type of shaker.

some people hook it up to a riding mower or tractor wheel. see youtube.