[Mgs] Gas tank woes

[Max Heim]

BTW, I have two fuel tanks from 1966 MGBs stacked in my carport right now.

One is from my daily driver of 30 years. Original tank, 230K miles, when removed I found the top was very rusty from a leaky trunk, but the inside is pristine when viewed through the sender hole. Drained fuel was clear — I poured it right into the filler of my other classic.

The other is from my low-mile, "good body" project. 59K on odometer, parked indoors since 1978 with approx. 4 gallons of gas in it (probably evaporated down from 6-8). Fuel smelled like a skunk, pink and foamy, didn’t seem like it would even ignite. Emptied and let dry out. Poured in a half gallon of fresh gas and swished it around — poured out a half gallon of brown sludge (like Mississippi mud or chocolate sauce). Decided to use the other tank.

I think the lesson is, keep fresh gas circulating. If you park it for a long period, drain it.

--
Max Heim
'66 MGB


> On Sep 26, 2017, at 1:46 PM, Max Heim <mvheim at sonic.net> wrote:
> 
> You are going to have to remove the tank, so forget about fast & easy.
> 
> Pull the sender unit. Drain everything you can get. Let dry thoroughly. Drop in a couple feet of heavy link chain and shake every which way but loose. Shake debris out both openings (filler and sender). Repeat. When it stops dumping debris, remove the chain and slosh in some water and detergent, shake some more, drain. When you are happy with the color of the runoff, drain and let dry thoroughly (I would set it out in the sun). Then you might consider a fuel tank coating, although some people have reported problems with these (flaking off and clogging filters).
> 
> Considering the effort, a new tank might look like an attractive option.
> 
> --
> Max Heim
> '66 MGB 

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