How to clean fuel tank?

[Vital Velocity]

So my friends gts has had starting problems....the car sat for a while....narrowed it down to a fuel pressure issue....pulled the fuel filter today and it was totally clogged....got another one in htere and it started right up... 30 minutes later its having issues again ( will crank for 15 seconds before starting ) so im assuming its clogged again?

How do we clean the tank? Drop it? How do we drop it?

 

[plumcrazy]

its not gonna get dropped.

you can access it from the inside of the rear of the car. open back glass, pull the rug away from the shelf behind the drivers/passengers seat and you will see a round,gray port or access panel that needs to come off. then you will be able to see the fuel pump module. take it out and you are in the tank.

hardest part is reinstalling the rug when you're done....

 

[Dom426h]

here is a diagram of the tank & pump (not to scale)

 

[Dom426h]

the car sat for a while....

how long ?

 

[Joseph Dell]

RT/10 and GTS are different. RT/10 fuel tank removal is an absolute PITA. If you have one, i feel for you. If GTS, it is cake.

which is it?

 

[Vital Velocity]

Its a GTS...it sat outside for 2 years.


Once i get to it, how do i clean it properly?

 

[Tom F&L GoR]

Rinse with ethanol. It will absorb any water, loosen any rust (not that there should be inside a polymer tank,) mixes with gasoline, and any remaining can burn in the engine.

 

[Tom F&L GoR]

Home Depot. They will have quart cans (maybe larger) of denatured ethanol or denatured alcohol. "Denatured" means they added something so you don't drink it, but the concentration is low (5%-10%) and whatever they used is still fine for what you want to do.

 

[Vital Velocity]

So do i even need to go from the inside or do i just put it in with gas? How much would i use. Sorry for newb questions never done it before

 

[Tom F&L GoR]

I was assuming you had the fuel pump assembly out and could at least reach inside. If true, dump in a gallon of ethanol (whatever version you find) and with arm or stick, wipe a rag around as much of the tank bottom as you can. Don't worry too much about the top; water is heavier than gasoline, sediment is heavier, etc. I don't know this, but if there is a depression that the fuel pump assembly rests in, clean that. Think "mopping action" and you should do pretty well.

If the fuel system is reassembled, there's no way to know what junk or how much is left in the tank. You could add the ethanol, rock the car for a minute every 5 minutes for an hour, then hot wire the fuel pump and discharge before the fuel filter. I think it's as much work as re-removing the pump?

Having issues after two years is a little unusual for gasoline, so don't know how water comes into play or how much junk might have been in there before letting it sit.

 

[Vital Velocity]

Ok so once we remove the pump and do the washing of it, do we just fill it with gas or mop it out of there?


The car was not taken care of that well, its juts known that it sat for 2 years, could have been more?

 

[luc]

I thought that it was the opposite with the RT having a removable fuel tank closeout panel and the GTS requiring to cut a big opening and instaling a service closeout panel afterward?
But I also believe than on the RT you need to remove the tank to acess the fuel module where on the GTS there is only a fuel pump cover module that need to be removed to get to the pump

RT/10 and GTS are different. RT/10 fuel tank removal is an absolute PITA. If you have one, i feel for you. If GTS, it is cake.

which is it?

 

[Tom Sessions]

Luc you are correct. To remove the tank on a GTS you have to cut out the closeout panel in the trunk and get a replacement panel to put back in.But you can remove the pump with out removing the tank.In the RT you have to remove the tank to get the fuel pump out.It has A removeable panel that can be reinstalled after the repair.

 

[Tom F&L GoR]

Ok so once we remove the pump and do the washing of it, do we just fill it with gas or mop it out of there?


The car was not taken care of that well, its juts known that it sat for 2 years, could have been more?

Drain, siphon or mop what you can out before adding ethanol. If the pump/filter plugged then there should be jelly balls or unidentifiable slimy things in the tank. Add the alcohol and swirl, agitate, wipe. When you think there is only liquid or moderate slime, I think you're good.

It will smell bad and sticking your face in it won't be good for you. Take lots of breaks. Dishwashing gloves should be good to protect your hands for the time you'll be in there. The thin gloves for painting, etc, might dissolve. Strain the gasoline you **** out through a rag and you can add that to your other car.

Even if successful, the engine may run rough for a tank. Good luck and please report back how it goes.

 

[Vital Velocity]

When i get time i will get on it....thanks for all your help, looks like we have our work cut out for us

 

[Tom F&L GoR]

Yup. I just cleaned out my in-law's generator. The carb bowl was full of slime jello balls, luckily the fuel tank was just cloudy gasoline. Wiped out the jello and it started right up.

 

[Vital Velocity]

Used Tom, F&L GoR primer timer and fixed the starting issue. My buddy says thanks a million!!