1935 gas tank sender cleaning suggestions

flathead34

flathead34

Senior Member
We have the gas sender out of of our '35. We want to clean it out before reinstalling it. We were thinking of soaking it in a solvent. Any suggestions on how we we should go about cleaning it out? Thanks Mike
 
Very similar experience to Tubman only with Rust 911. First of all I use this product a lot to include soaking blocks in. Gas tank the tank on my very low mileage HD looked like something growing in it to include major rust all hoses destroyed factory coating coming off fuel pump gauge assembly junk. I poured out contents then delicately filled with Rust 911 mixture. Let it set overnight then drained out and pressure washed. Inside of tank was perfectly clean with zero rust or loose coating. I then threw the old fuel pump in the 911 It now works perfectly as a spare. It also cleaned my blocked injectors. It’s all I use for gas tank cleaner now.
 
Years ago I have used the Carb cleaner that NAPA sells or sold.It is the gallon can with the basket in it. I now use an Ultrasound machine bought off Amazon.Make sure you buy the correct solution.
 
'35 hydrostatic tank unit is made out of brass, copper, solder, etc; guessing acid stuff like Evaporust and similar products would not react well with it. Carb cleaner, lacquer thinner, or similar would be better.
 
I have used toilet bowl cleaner, paint it on and let it sit for just a few minutes and rinse or soak with water. The cleaner is strong acid so some gloves and glasses. Air hose can usually clean the insides of the tubes.
 
rich b said:
'35 hydrostatic tank unit is made out of brass, copper, solder, etc; guessing acid stuff like Evaporust and similar products would not react well with it. Carb cleaner, lacquer thinner, or similar would be better.
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Evaporust and Rust 911 are not acids and won’t harm copper brass solder etc. Infact Rusty 911 is Biodegradable and way more environmentally friendly than any highly toxic product like carb cleaner, lacquer thinner or similar product and will not get ever close to cleaning gas tanks as Rust 911. I personally have tried them all to include Muratic acid. Denatured alcohol would be my second choice.
 
rich b said:
'35 hydrostatic tank unit is made out of brass, copper, solder, etc; guessing acid stuff like Evaporust and similar products would not react well with it. Carb cleaner, lacquer thinner, or similar would be better.
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For the record, Evaporust is not an acid; it works by a process called chellation. In any event, you are correct in that it would not work in this case, as its primary use is to remove rust (hence the name) from ferrous metals.
 
Thank guys for your responses and suggestions. We are leaning towards soaking the gas tank sender in lacquer thinner , rinsing it off and blow it out with air. Do not want to damage the brass on sender with the Evaporust. Mike
 
flathead34 said:
Thank guys for your responses and suggestions. We are leaning towards soaking the gas tank sender in lacquer thinner , rinsing it off and blow it out with air. Do not want to damage the brass on sender with the Evaporust. Mike
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Mike. I have to ask. Did you not read my posts??? Or Tubmans?
 
Tubman, I did read your posts. The word acid draws a red flag to me. I want to be on the safe side when dealing with 80 year old parts. Thanks for your comments.
 
Just a bit of clarification needed...Is the part rusty or does it need old fuel residue removed? If the part needs to have varnish or residue from old rotten fuel removed, spray it down with ordinary oven cleaner and let it work for several hours. It works best if the part is warm. After giving it time to dissolve the gunk, just rinse it with water and it should look like new again. If the grime is heavy, it might take a couple of treatments. Follow the directions on the can.
 
The rule of thumb is to start out with the mildest solution that you think might work, and then go to more and more aggressive methods until you find something that barely works.
 
When I cleaned the tank Unit from my 34 last year I used lacquer thinner and a wire brush. It was mostly just a black buildup on the Unit, which is all brass. I used small brushes and wires to try to get what I could in the tubes. Then used compressed air to make sure the tubes and small openings were all clear. Here are before and after photos.
 

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JimG said:
When I cleaned the tank Unit from my 34 last year I used lacquer thinner and a wire brush. It was mostly just a black buildup on the Unit, which is all brass. I used small brushes and wires to try to get what I could in the tubes. Then used compressed air to make sure the tubes and small openings were all clear. Here are before and after photos.
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Before
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After
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Here after using an ultrasound machine and the correct solution.Then some 0000 steel wool to brighten them up.Brake clean might work also.
The 35 is on the left and 33,34 on the right.
 

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