Something is eating my fuel tank on the inside and maybe yours too.

[Anonymous]

Had a jack blow a seal and slipped out from under the diff. The fuel tank took all the damage and was in need of a replacement. My first thought was to use the sump from the old tank since all I had to do was remove it and weld it on it's new home. Man what a surprise I got when I cut the tank open. I done this more as a safe way to work on the tank since it had gas in it just a short while ago. I filled it with soap and water and used a battery powered zip saw to cut open the tank. From what I can tell it appears that the galvanization on the inside of the tank is dissolving and you know it's gotta go somewhere. Not sure why it's doing this but I don't want that crap going to the engine or clogging up the filter. Any of you guys seen this happen before? Also the first sump I made was out of clean sheet metal. The outside was perfect but the inside had rusted pretty good. Rusting with gas on it all the time? On the new tank I am using galvanized to make the sump in hopes that this rust issue will not happen again. The tanks I bought were supposed to be the better tanks. Go figure.

 

[cmayna]

Rust from a car being stored or sitting with a partial filled tank. Always fill the tank before you store away the car.

 

[Jonk67]

I bet it's that wonderful ETHANOL, attracts water/ condensation. The water is heavier than the gas so it sits at the bottom and causes rust!
Jon

 

[Anonymous]

Rust from a car being stored or sitting with a partial filled tank. Always fill the tank before you store away the car.

Never sat empty. You can see the fill lines on the wall. What I'm concerned about is the inside plating being dissolved as this is clearly visible.. This could be why the E car's filter is stopping up every 500 to 1000 miles. It has a 40 pre and post 10 micron filter that is just a bit larger than a red blood cell which is pretty damn small. I'm afraid the injectors may be next or if this stuff is abrasive maybe causing a fuel pump to prematurely wear out. Last night I purchased some Red Coat tank sealer and will coat the tank this evening in hopes this will protect the inside of the tank. I can only assume it's the alcohol like Jonk67 mentioned or the water that anymore seems to be always present in the pump gas forced on us by big brother. I guess it may be a good idea to line the tank on all new tanks before they are ever installed. I think the Red Coat was like $28 bux and 7 or 8 bux for the acetone. It may be the best investment you can make for a new fuel system.

 

[Anonymous]

Here are a couple photos of the inside and outside of the tank. You can clearly see where the plating has been eaten off.

 

[Horseplay]

Stainless tank might be another option. Not sure on the quality stainless used by the different venders though.

 

[Anonymous]

I'm definitely going away from these crappy steel tanks. The ones that I've been using were "supposed" to be the better quality ones. I kinda wish I knew about the SS ones before I welded up the new sump and bought the liner. Maybe lining the tank will solve the problem.

 

[Anonymous]

I ended up using the tank from the 68 AWD Vert and welded in a sump similar to what the other tank had. Coated it with Red Coat that I thinned about 20% with acetone. From what I see it looks pretty darn good on the inside. I hope this stuff will last a while. I welded a couple tabs on the tank to attach the fuel line. I plan to make modify a piece of thin wall pipe with a couple studs that will fit these tabs. For tomorrows show it will get zip tied.

 

[65coupei6]

The tank looks good!