Whats best way to clean out a gas tank

I am about to or try to completely empty out my gas tank and clean it to the best of my ability. Problem i have is i can not get to my tank except through sending unit because it is until deck under my center console. Have a small 10 inch diameter whole under center console and then sending unit which is maybe 3 inch wide hole what is best way to do-it yourself as i dont have money to have it professionally done. (I have syphened out tank and dont think i am getting everything out.) Thanks for time and any response is wanted.

Re: Whats best way to clean out a gas tank

Try using a small shop vac. You could lower the trailer tung this would help by putting all the debris at the front of the tank.

Re: Whats best way to clean out a gas tank

i don't think i'd use a shop vac. suck up some fumes and a small amount of fuel, ya probably got a bomb just waiting for a spark from the shop vac. KABOOM...... that'd be a bummer....

certainly tilt the boat for the fuel to run towards the sender so ya can suck as much as ya can out. since ya can't remove it. maybe suck it all out best ya can. add a little fuel and slosh it around. if you can. and then suck that out.

i use a plastic hand siphon pump that i got at the autoparts store. i stick a long plastic oil siphon wand on the end of the hand siphon pump to direct where i want to be sucking the fuel at.....


good luck...

Re: Whats best way to clean out a gas tank

I picked up a cheap $15 universal electric fuel pump at the auto parts store, comes in handy for things like you are doing. I like Ziggy's idea of using a wand to get the fuel out of the corners of the tank.

Raise the trailer tongue and then jack up one wheel of the trailer, all the fuel should go to one corner of the tank.

Re: Whats best way to clean out a gas tank

Do the best you can to get the tank clean (your tank should be clean, but it does not need to be perfectly clean), then install a nice 10 micron water/fuel separating filter. You may need to change the filter a few times as the gunk is pumped into the filter. After a while your filtering system will self clean the tank. Along with adding the filter, you should also consider changing out all your fuel lines, rebuilding your fuel pump, and cleaning the carb. If you start with everything nice and clean, and you have a good filtering system, you should not have fuel problems.

Re: Whats best way to clean out a gas tank

I posted a similar question last weekend and I never got any replies. You must ask nicer than I do.

My situation is similar to yours. I have been running an electric pump that is sucking through the normal suction and inline water separating/fuel filter and then returning the fuel to the tank the past couple nights. The pump was $35 at Autozone. I basically bypassed the mechanical fuel pump and engine and have the fuel going into the tank fill port on the back of the boat. I have changed out the fuel filter a couple times while doing this. I guess I have had the tank recircing that way for about 6 or 7 hours total over the past couple nights.

To get the all the dirt suspended, I have lowered the jack wheel all the way, then just physically lifted the bow rapidly and then back down in rapid sucession 3 or 4 times. I was hoping that would slosh the fuel to the front and to the rear and get everything loose and suspended. I then return the bow to the highest position possible so the stuff should float towards the rear where my pickup is. I have also let a little air out of the tires and rocked the trailer side to side some.

I cannot say how well this is working to clean out my tank. I thought I would see the flow rate of fuel back into the tank drop to almost nothing, but I haven't seen the flow rate drop drastically. I assume it must work, since running the motor was sucking up enough junk to clog the fuel filter. This is pretty much the same thing, except the engine is not running (better on the engine) and the electric fuel pump is moving fuel faster than the attached mechanical pump would pump the fuel.

Obviously, my tank has some fuel in it, though. My tank is between 1/4 and 1/2 full right now.

I hope to put it in the water on Friday to see if it worked to clean my tank.

Re: Whats best way to clean out a gas tank

Mwp909 said:

Try using a small shop vac. You could lower the trailer tung this would help by putting all the debris at the front of the tank.

Click to expand...

Ayuh,....

A young fella did that last year over on Guffins Bay,....
Sucking out the gas tank on his Jet-Flea.....

Boom,......

The poor kid suffered along for 6 months before he finally passed away.....