Fuel Tank - should this need immediate attention?

[marcmiller001]

Noticed some gooey residue on my tank when filling up today - and was not feeling great about the bits of paint and goo that could fall into the fuel.

Any idea of good ways to clean this without removing tank & emptying it?

I plan on having the tank off, emptied and sent out to get re-lined inside before painting, but in the short term... any thoughts on what this is and how it happened?

[Barry]

One possibility is the tank has already been re-painted and that the paint has been softened by the fuel.

2 pack paint is needed to be fuel proof.

[Bob_Roller]

That's a repaint on the tank, my '82 LS kinda looked the same when I first got it .

If you have the fine mesh screen over the fuel tap intake tubes, I wouldn't worry about it .

If you don't have that screen, the loose paint falling into the tank may cause a problem with clogging / restricting fuel flow .

Usually, if you have a Karcoma fuel tap, the fuel outlet on the tap is at the 3 o'clock position and has  barbed fitting where the fuel line goes on .

If you have a Germa fuel tap, it has a threaded fitting at the 6 o'clock position and has a small plastic mesh filter inside the barbed fitting .

The Germa fuel tap usually does not have the screen over the intake tubes .

But seeing as it's obvious someone has worked on this before, there is no way of telling what you have until you take it apart .

[marcmiller001]

So - that was both informative AND confusing Bob 

Definitely feel this is a repaint - the signs are definitely there. Are the fittings you speak of inside the tank?

That's a repaint on the tank, my '82 LS kinda looked the same when I first got it .

If you have the fine mesh screen over the fuel tap intake tubes, I wouldn't worry about it .

If you don't have that screen, the loose paint falling into the tank may cause a problem with clogging / restricting fuel flow .

Usually, if you have a Karcoma fuel tap, the fuel outlet on the tap is at the 3 o'clock position and has  barbed fitting where the fuel line goes on .

If you have a Germa fuel tap, it has a threaded fitting at the 6 o'clock position and has a small plastic mesh filter inside the barbed fitting .

The Germa fuel tap usually does not have the screen over the intake tubes .

But seeing as it's obvious someone has worked on this before, there is no way of telling what you have until you take it apart .

[Bob_Roller]

The filter screen over the intake tubes, is inside the fuel tank, not visible, until you remove the fuel tap, unless you get a mirror and light source inside the tank .

[marcmiller001]

got it - thanks Bob - I think this weekend - since the winter is settling in here in MI - I might drain it and take a closer look.

[Barry]

You can just about see the the straws on the fuel tap by looking through the filler hole but you need a narrow point source of light. I have an LED inspection light on the end of a narrow flexible extension. Obviously you have to be care full about the risk of sparks in the vicinity of an open fuel tank.

You should either see two straws which means there will be a small filter inserted into the fuel tap from below or you should see a mesh filter over the straws inside the tank.

[AJB]

Add an inline filter if you haven't got one already - that should take care of any loose paint pieces, regardless of mesh fitment.
Also, are you sure the gooey stuff isn't just Vaseline or similar that the PO may have put on to stop the cap seizing inside the tank when tightened?   The previous owner of mine had done a similar thing as he'd had issues in the past getting the cap off.

[Bob_Roller]

If you are thinking of relining the interior of the fuel tank, it's not difficult at all .

I've done two and 7 years later the lining has not showed any issues with coming off .

[marcmiller001]

I do have an inline filter - and plan on having a couple more on hand. I have yet to see any debris in the filter on inspection - so I'm guessing there is mesh in the intake tubes, but good to know the filter is in place anyways.

It doesn't seem like vaseline - it seems more like a silicone.

Add an inline filter if you haven't got one already - that should take care of any loose paint pieces, regardless of mesh fitment.
Also, are you sure the gooey stuff isn't just Vaseline or similar that the PO may have put on to stop the cap seizing inside the tank when tightened?   The previous owner of mine had done a similar thing as he'd had issues in the past getting the cap off.

[Justin B.]

Maybe the clear-coat softening up.  I have re-lined 5 tanks with various "stuff" and I believe the POR15 tank reline stuff is the best.  I've also used "Creme" and some stuff by Eastwood (looks like Creme) and was not very impressed.