Rust in gas tank

[Dan In Arkansas]

I have a 59 cub that has always ran good until this year and it would cut out and what I call spit and sputter and I noticed that the fuel bowl at the cut off on the bottom of gas tank was filled with rusty looking gas. I closed the value and let it settle and remove the bowl and it looked like a fine rust. I have done this several time and have the same results. My main question is there a way I can get the rust out of the tank short of removing the tank from the tractor. I know I got the rust from a container of gas that had the rust in it as the tank does not appear to be in bad/rusty shape. I have drained the tank thru the cut off value but it does not drain everything out. Thanks for any advice you may have.
Danny

[AL Farmall Boy]

*Moderators, this appears to be a Farmall Cub tractor not a Cub Cadet. Please move to the correct forum.

In your case you could try vaccuming it out or taking a shop rag attached to a wire and wipe through filler hole. Don't drop the rag though. One of those little grabber tools will come in handy here.

[Slim140]

*Moderators, this appears to be a Farmall Cub tractor not a Cub Cadet. Please move to the correct forum.

In your case you could try vaccuming it out or taking a shop rag attached to a wire and wipe through filler hole. Don't drop the rag though. One of those little grabber tools will come in handy here.

DON'T USE A VACUUM on a gas tank. The motor on the vacuum has sparks in it and the fumes from the gas exiting the vacuum will EXPLODE!!!

[AL Farmall Boy]

*Moderators, this appears to be a Farmall Cub tractor not a Cub Cadet. Please move to the correct forum.

In your case you could try vaccuming it out or taking a shop rag attached to a wire and wipe through filler hole. Don't drop the rag though. One of those little grabber tools will come in handy here.

DON'T USE A VACUUM on a gas tank. The motor on the vacuum has sparks in it and the fumes from the gas exiting the vacuum will EXPLODE!!!

That is a very good point! Never thought about that being an issue. If it is a shop vac with a long enough hose, would that be ok? Just curious. I had a radiator shop recommend I do that to a tank once before bringing to them to clean. Ha!!

[Slim140]

*Moderators, this appears to be a Farmall Cub tractor not a Cub Cadet. Please move to the correct forum.

In your case you could try vaccuming it out or taking a shop rag attached to a wire and wipe through filler hole. Don't drop the rag though. One of those little grabber tools will come in handy here.

DON'T USE A VACUUM on a gas tank. The motor on the vacuum has sparks in it and the fumes from the gas exiting the vacuum will EXPLODE!!!

That is a very good point! Never thought about that being an issue. If it is a shop vac with a long enough hose, would that be ok? Just curious. I had a radiator shop recommend I do that to a tank once before bringing to them to clean. Ha!!

No, it doesn't matter how long the hose is, the fumes are going to the vacuum and exiting the vent hole. Not a good idea!

[AL Farmall Boy]

[Urbish]

You'll have to remove the tank from the tractor to get the last little bit of rust out. I recommend a product like POR-15 to coat the inside of the tank and stave off future clogging problems. You'll need the tank off the tractor to do that anyways. I have used POR-15 on two of my other tractors with great results. My H was done about 10 years ago and its holding up great. Make sure you follow the directions and let it dry for a good long time before putting fuel back in.

[BigBill]

Add a inline stone filter too.

Remove the tank, rinse it out with water, add bb’s and water and shake it up. I often put my left over smokeless two stroke mix in the tank not much just a tad.

[Jamesk]

I've not had to do this but have thought about it a couple times. Why not place a magnet or two on the underside of the gas tank. Preferably directly under the filler opening. Then drain the tank and use the vacuum to clean all the sediment out of the tank. Being careful of course.

JK

[Slim140]

I've not had to do this but have thought about it a couple times. Why not place a magnet or two on the underside of the gas tank. Preferably directly under the filler opening. Then drain the tank and use the vacuum to clean all the sediment out of the tank. Being careful of course.

JK

Vacuums and gas don't mix. It's not the liquid you have to worry about, it's the fumes. It's why you don't smoke when you fill your vehicle up, the fumes coming out of the tank, etc.

[Crimson Tim]

I've not had to do this but have thought about it a couple times. Why not place a magnet or two on the underside of the gas tank. Preferably directly under the filler opening. Then drain the tank and use the vacuum to clean all the sediment out of the tank. Being careful of course.

JK

Black iron oxide, Fe3O4, is somewhat less responsive to a magnetic field than steel.
Red iron oxide, Fe2O3, is only weakly responsive to a magnetic field.
Mostly, the magnetic field will get distributed over a wider area by conduction through the bottom of the tank itself.
So you may succeed in pinning the rusty debris in place, but probably not in the highly localized way that would make removing it easier.

I think an inline filter will do a better job for you.
And keep your tank clean. Don’t let rust in there get out of hand, or you’ll get pinholes, too. Any gas leak is bad news, but even worse if you have an underslung exhaust!

And yes, do not use a vacuum anywhere near gas fumes.

[Dan In Arkansas]

Thanks for all the responses and I think I will try cleaning the tank first (no vacuum cleaner) and if I can't get it clean I will have to take the tank off. I am hoping I will not have to as I think the tank has not rusted but the gas that I poured in the tank was old and full of rust. The tractor will run smooth after it has set over night and the gas in the bowl will be clear but when it is driven over ruff terrain I start to see the fine red tint in the bowl. It appears to be less each day. So here is hoping I can get it clean out without taking the tank off. But I do appreciate the comments and suggestion as I will be using them.
Thanks
Dan

[Urbish]

Thanks for all the responses and I think I will try cleaning the tank first (no vacuum cleaner) and if I can't get it clean I will have to take the tank off. I am hoping I will not have to as I think the tank has not rusted but the gas that I poured in the tank was old and full of rust. The tractor will run smooth after it has set over night and the gas in the bowl will be clear but when it is driven over ruff terrain I start to see the fine red tint in the bowl. It appears to be less each day. So here is hoping I can get it clean out without taking the tank off. But I do appreciate the comments and suggestion as I will be using them.
Thanks
Dan

[Jeff Silvey]

I have to agree with Shane. Sparks & flammable fumes gases defiantly don't mix. Please DON'T do it.

[Gary Dotson]

Didn't someone post a link, a couple years ago, of a guy using a vacuum cleaner on a gas tank and the resulting explosion? I've seen it somewhere, probably one on u-tube.