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Post by xl130 on Apr 9, 2020 7:09:35 GMT -5
I’m sure this question has likely been asked before (if not dozens) but I can’t seem to find a suitable solvent to safely dissolve the yellow crystallized residue in my fuel tank.
What is this stuff? Remnants of old fuel? How do you get it out? Would degreaser break it down.
I think I seen a recent post that suggested putting some nuts in the tank and shaking them around.
What have you guys done that worked?
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Post by onlyhomelites on Apr 9, 2020 9:51:35 GMT -5
Some of that crystallization is fuel, some of it seems to be white-death corrosion of the magnesium. Usually this indicates moisture has made it into the tank. The "nuts" trick does work...I like to put acetone into the tank and use that as a solvent. In my experience degreaser won't touch it.
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Post by charles on Apr 9, 2020 11:25:31 GMT -5
I have used the nuts-in-the-tank trick to remove residue from 3 different saws . Worked good , but I did remove each fuel tank from
the saws to be able to shake them vigorously . I have used lacquer thinner first to remove any oil residue . I would be careful on what
solvents I put in the tanks so you don't dissolve the factory sealant or gaskets .
Charles
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Post by sweepleader on Apr 9, 2020 14:07:05 GMT -5
I am with these guys ^. The yellow crud is from ethanol fuel and corrosion residue. In a steel tank I have seen it quite green. It appears like rock candy, hard, tough, translucent.
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Post by markprice on Apr 9, 2020 16:57:09 GMT -5
I have had really good luck with Berrymans Chem-Dip Carb and Parts Cleaner. Had a tank that was so bad the nuts just stuck in the tank!! Tried the Chem-dip and the tank came out like brand new, Make sure you rinse it out good after you dump out the Chem-Dip or it will keep working... Not good for the tank. I used saw gas to rinse worked great. Really cleans up carbs as well. You can get it at Auto Zone.
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Post by onlyhomelites on Apr 9, 2020 19:09:18 GMT -5
I bet that Chem-Dip in an ultrasonic cleaner would be top notch!
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Post by markprice on Apr 9, 2020 20:42:59 GMT -5
It is..... old grey Tillys come out looking bright and shinny. Just do not put brass in with steel screws, the brass changes color.  I leave them in about 15 to 30 min depending on how cruddy they are. I use a Ziploc brand hard container with a screw on top (to put the carb and Chem_Dip in) that just fits in the ultra sound bucket so I do not have to clean the ultra sound just dump the water out and dry it. works great.
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Post by sawnami on Apr 10, 2020 7:19:43 GMT -5
Berryman's performs as close as you can get to the old school carb cleaner solution.
Back in the day, we had a pair of air-powered agitor motors that mounted on top of 5-gallon pails of that type of solution. You put your parts in a perforated bucket that fit down into the pail and agitated the parts for around an hour, rinsed them with water and the carb looked like it just came off of the shelf. Safety-Kleen provided the service and changed out the pails monthly.
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