Tips To Clean Your Vehicle's Fuel Tank On Your Own

By Author: Stephens H Robertson
Total Articles: 21
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Fuel tank is an important part of a vehicle's fuel delivery system (FDS). It stores the fuel and provides the engine with the fuel when operating. Clean fuel tank is important for optimal performance of the fuel delivery system and the engine. So, it should be kept clean by removing contaminants and rust.

• Rust: The fuel tank is prone to rust because of the material it is made from. The moisture in the tank is responsible for rusting. The moisture might come with fuel while refueling at gas stations or due to running the car with low fuel level continuously for longer period. Moisture can also enter if you keep the vehicle at a place where water logging occurs. In such cases, water enters the tank and rusts it.

• Contamination: Contaminants are likely to enter fuel tank by diverse means. While refueling, it might get contaminated due to sediments in cheap fuel, dirt and other contaminants entering tank from outside. These contaminants may affect the parts throughout the FDS like fuel filters, fuel pump and so on.

Cleaning fuel tank
It is better to get the job of cleaning the fuel tank done by ...
... an expert professional, but this is quite an expensive option. If you are under financial constraints, then the way to do the job is to take it as a DIY project.

Following are a few useful tips to make the job of cleaning fuel tank easy and safe:

• Refer to owner's manual: Before starting the cleaning process, refer to the owner's manual to understand the connections to the fuel tank. Understand how each part connected to it works. Make sure to follow the precautions mentioned.

• Drain the tank completely: The first and foremost thing to is to make sure that there is no fuel in the tank. For this, you can drive the car to some distance, by which the fuel will be used up or keep the engine running until it exhausts all the fuel in the tank.

• Remove the tank: Separate the tank from the car. Refer to the vehicle manual. Make sure to remove the connections to the tank beforehand carefully.

• Add a fuel tank cleaner: Use the correct fuel tank cleaner. You might need to mix the cleaner with water and use the solution (refer to the user manual of the fuel tank cleaner).

• Allow it to sit for a few hours: Leave the tank still for a few hours (about five to six hours). This will make sure that the sludge, grunge, rust and other contaminants sticking to the inside surface of the tank will dissolve or get loose. This makes cleaning easy.

• Rinse properly: Drain the tank filled with the cleaner solution. Rinse the tank thoroughly. Make sure to repeat the process until you see the clear water.

• Dry the tank for 24 to 48 hours: Once cleaned, leave the tank 24 to 48 hours to dry. Make sure the tank is dry and no content is there before you fix it back to the car.

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