por-15 gas tank repair

[patEOD92]

I have bad rust in my gas tank so i bought por-15 repair kit and it was terrible. Still tons of rust in the tank. Now im going to try vinegar and chain to break it up and if that doesnt work im going to cut it in half, clean it and reweld it together.

[Mark Maras]

The PO of my car used crushed rock & solvent. He reportedly rolled the tank around the yard for a couple of hours to clean it. I don't know how well the chain will work but I peeked into my tank after he cleaned it & it is shiny now. Good luck

[siteunseen]

I used muratic acid to clean mine, as Blue did here, Z Tech Tips Ball and Socket Compression Rod (AtlanticZ.ca). Worked great. Then sealed it with Red Kote, $20 bucks for a quart. Put a glass fuel filter right before the fuel rail, no pinkish gas. Very pleased with that stuff.

[mlc240z]

Could also take it to any radiator repair shop and just pay to have them tank it and boil it out.

[Jeff G 78]

Gas tank cleaning isn't a simple procedure. I've done a few tanks and they each took about 20 man hours to do them right. There is nothing wrong with the POR-15 kit, but it can't do miracles. The tank must be 90% cleaned with other methods before using the kit.

I start with water. Rinse the tank out many, many times to flush the big stuff out. I then switch to a 1/2 gallon muriatic acid and 1/2 gallon water solution with a few lengths of chain and roll, shake, flip, and roll the tank. After 20 - 30 minutes of shaking, fill the tank with water to weaken the solution and pour the contents out. Rinse with water for another 15 minutes and start the acid wash process over again. It takes at least two gallons of acid (4 washes) to get the tank clean. This is a two man job and takes many hours of back breaking work to complete. Only after this cleaning is finished and the tank looks clean should you start the POR cleaning. The POR 15 directions MUST be followed to the letter. If you are not willing to take the time, don't start the job at all. You will waste time and money and ruin your tank. The POR process takes another few days to complete. I can't stress enough that the tank must be 100% free of moisture before you apply the sealer. Drying time varies by temperature and humidity, but figure 24 hours on average with hot air. I used compressed air followed by a heat gun and then switched to a fan blowing air into the tank overnight. The tank must be turned and rolled during the drying process too or moisture will be trapped. For areas that are hard to dry, you can use a 500W halogen lamp aimed at the area on the outside of the tank placed about 10" from the tank. The heat from the light will help dry the tank.

The first tank I cleaned was more typical of most tanks, but the second tank was probably worse than most people would ever attempt to clean. Both tanks came out like new and are still in use 10 and 5 years respectively after cleaning and sealing. The hardest part of the process is getting the sealer off the pickup screen. Use dry compressed air to blow through the fuel supply and return lines after the sealer is applied. There should be very little back pressure. If there is, the screen is likely clogged with sealer and will cause problems with fuel delivery.

280 tank before cleaning

280 tank after cleaning

280 tank after sealing

260 tank before cleaning

260 tank gunk that came out after water rinse

260 tank after muriatic acid cleaning

260 tank after POR cleaning

260 tank after POR sealing

Edited May 3, 2014 by Jeff G 78

[patEOD92]

I tried the radiator shops in town and they wouldnt do it. I gave up trying to repair the tank and put in a fuel cell till i can afford a new tank.

[rocketdog]

Read my thread as a reference "Remove/replace fuel tank" from last month. I used Performance Radiator, I think they are a national chain. $165 and they do a thorough job, even banged out a dent I had and repaint the outside. It was worth the two hour drive to their shop.

[240260280z]

dumb neck tattoo required

[madkaw]

Por-15 is a good product, but as Jeff stated, it still requires lot's of work. You shouldn't bash a product if you didn't take the effort to do it right. Just saying it was terrible says nothing.

[Jeff G 78]

I like the 3 wheeler method. Super redneck, but it sure would save time and reduce the back strain. I don't have a neck tattoo or a 3 wheeler, so I guess I have to keep doing it the hard way.

[Mark Maras]

Remove the bungies & use duct tape, Red Green comes to mind. You gotta admit, it would be fast & effective.

[Grim]

I love it! Now if I only had a three wheeler.