Gas tank question

[a752adz]

Before I replace the electric fuel pump on my 75 280z, I want to "flush" the gas tank out. The car has sat for the last 10-12 years. The previous owner drained the fuel tank while the car sat. The tank has a plug on the bottom and I removed it and stuck my finger in the hole and swiped the inside surface with a shop towel. No flakes or debris just a rust colored ash. The question is: Should I pour acetone in the tank to rinse the tank or use the fuel system cleaners at Walmart? There are no holes and the tank appears to be in good condition. I do not want to damage the new fuel pump. Any other ideas/tips would be appreciated. Thanks

[webdawg1]

You might want to do a search on "Gas Tank Renu" before you proceed with replacing the fuel pump or anything else fuel related. You will be amazed at what's inside these gas tanks after 10-12 years of sitting idle. That is....unless you want to change your fuel filter about every 4-5 miles from all the "Stuff"....Just a thought......

webdawg1

[240ZX]

As webdawg1 mentions, the use of a filter at the intake side of your fuel pump is a standard must do, no matter what condition your tank is in. For sure you will want to flush the tank numerous times to get ANY lingering stuff out! Regarding a better view to the inside of the tank, you can remove the round plate assembly that has the fuel level sender attached. You will have a better view of what the inside of your tank looks like. The sender plate assembly uses an O-ring to seal it. Get a new O-ring of proper size and lightly lube it with a silicone grease.....makes for easy reinstall and no leaks. One thing to remember, the pickup line in the bottom of the tank has no screen to stop derbis....so check and double check that all debris is out of the tank before putting it back in the car for use. Also, flush out all fuel lines going to carbs (or FI) and return lines going back to the tank, before attaching to the tank.

[Sweetpea]

May want to consider sealing the tank yourself with the POR-15 Fuel Tank Repair kit. Just did this on my 77, and was surprised at how easily it was. As long as you're dropping the tank and flushing, you might as well go the extra mile and take measures to ensure you won't have to do it for a long time.

Gas Tank Renu quoted me around $325 for a renew job. I got it done for around $50 with the POR kit, along with about 3 hours of flushing, prep, and coating. Wait-time for the POR coating to cure is 96 hours. Wait time I was quoted for the Gas Tank Renu was 2-3 weeks.

If you have access to compressed air, you won't have to worry about clogging your pickup & vent lines.

Good luck!!

[Bambikiller240]

Of course, Gas Tank Renu provides a lifetime warranty..........

[=Resurected280=]

Just one other suggestion to fixing your tank, some (not all) radiator shops will "boil" (kinda like a high pressure steam cleaning) your tank for you and will re-line/seal it as well. The only downside I found to this is that this process will probably take at least a week if the tank is very rusty and about another week after that if you wait for the liner to fully cure before you install the tank.

I had this done to the tank on my 280Z, which had sat for 17 years, and it took about 2 weeks to have it done but it only cost $75, and it has worked flawlessly ever since. And there was A LOT of rust in my tank.

Hope this helps!!!

[Bambikiller240]

Just one other suggestion to fixing your tank, some (not all) radiator shops will "boil" (kinda like a high pressure steam cleaning) your tank for you and will re-line/seal it as well. The only downside I found to this is that this process will probably take at least a week if the tank is very rusty and about another week after that if you wait for the liner to fully cure before you install the tank.

I had this done to the tank on my 280Z, which had sat for 17 years, and it took about 2 weeks to have it done but it only cost $75, and it has worked flawlessly ever since. And there was A LOT of rust in my tank.

Hope this helps!!!

I had this done on my rusty 72 240Z tank about 5 years ago. Dropped it off on Weds AM, by Thurs PM it had been boiled, opened, sandblasted, closed back up, sealed, and outside painted. Told me to wait until Friday PM before adding fuel (I waited until Sat AM). Cost $175 (Bay Area, CA price) 3 year warranty. No problems since.

There must be several sealants that are used by various shops around the country,