cleaning gas tank

[fla.sailor]

Hey folks,

My new to me, '91 gemini cat has 2 gas tanks (not portable tanks) that over the years seem to have acquired some debris in them.

What is the best way to clean the tank (polish the fuel?) to prevent my carbs from plugging up - again? As of now, I'm already running a water seperating filter and the Honda inline filter under the cowling. ~thanks!

CHeeRS!
-dennis

[David M]

What kind of stuff is in there and is it doing anything negative?

Gas itself is a solvent and quite a good one so the chance of there being any sort of petroleum based gunk in there is pretty minimal. The water traps are an excellent idea and pretty much a required part of your fuel filtering system.

The reason your carbs are plugging up may not be related to the gasoline at all. Are you running your engine frequently or has it sat for a few months? Gasoline does varnish over causing the carb to gum up. A carburetor cleaner and a fuel stabilizer used right before putting the engine into storage will help.

Any rust in the bottom will be caught by the filter(s).

If your plugs are fouling it could be old gas, your air/fuel mixture or something else mechanical.

I don't know if cleaning the tank is really necessary unless it has lots of rust, in that case, something else is going on and it may be best to replace your fuel tanks before they rust through.

Be very careful when emptying a gas tank, at one point it goes between the LEL (Lower Explosive Limit), and the UEL (Upper Explosive Limit), meaning it is a bomb if there is any source of ignition. BTW, oil tankers use an inert gas system to displace any oxygen in the tanks when doing this.

[Chief Engineer]

I have never heard of anyone around here that "polishes" gasoline.

I would suppose that the static electric problem would be possible.

As well as the vapors, etc.

Replace the tanks

[Chief Engineer]

I was just curious as to how you made out?