Topic: Varnish in the tank

[Phylyn51]

Is there a good site were I can go to learn how to clean varnish out of my tank, petcock, and carbs. Or if there is a good thread that I missed on this site. Thanks.

[BobbyR]

Varnish will usually respond well to Acetone in the tank. But, watch the paint.  I would not use it for anything containing rubber. For those parts, Carb Cleaner and a brush should work fine. Spray clearer is handy to have around. If you think the jets are plugged, which they are, you may want to soak the whole carb and rod out the jets with a guitar string or wire. Check the carb FAQ. Good Luck

[eldar]

Well supposedly vinegar works among other things. Do you have rust in your tank also? If so, a por-15 kit would be a good option.

[Phylyn51]

No rust, just funky smelling varnish.

[csendker]

There's a bunch of threads on cleaning tanks.  I've used The Works from the local K-mart, phos. acid based and cheap.  Cleans good, but eats your petcock to death - my bad - and flash-rusts really fast, so have the acetone ready to wipe out any remaining water and then a light coat of diesel to protect if you don't refill right away.  I've also used molasses for lighter cleaning, more environmenally friendly.  No rust? I'd try molasses, search for threads on this for the complete run-down.

[BobbyR]

If you are just dealing with varnish and not rust. I would consider using Coleman fuel which is Naptha. Even Sipmple Green and a tooth bush claened out my float bowls. You really need the strong chemicals when you are getting into tight passages. The tank is a pretty open space.

[Phylyn51]

Im going to try the acetone and see what that does. The problem is that I cant get all the fluid out of the tank. it sounds like it still has about a 1/2 cup of fluid in there. Is there a trick to getting that last bit out or will the acetone take care of that?

[BobbyR]

Im going to try the acetone and see what that does. The problem is that I cant get all the fluid out of the tank. it sounds like it still has about a 1/2 cup of fluid in there. Is there a trick to getting that last bit out or will the acetone take care of that?

I would expect that when you unscrew the petcock you can remove any fluid that is in there. Denatured alchohol can dissoleve the varnish and be more paint firiendly.