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Metal gas tank

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wshytle

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May 18, 2009
Messages
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Wayne Shytle
I came across a $100 deal for a Honda generator. It's a Honda EM3500SX and is 22 years old. I originally bought it for the engine for another application but I'm trying to give this generator a second life if possible. The gas tank was heavily crusted with varnish. I'm guessing it was full of fuel when parked for many years in a backyard shed. I've never seen anything worse. My question here is what is the shelf life of muriatic acid? I have a 50/50 solution I've had for a few years now and is still clear. I used it for a 30 minute soak and rinse and it seemed to do "okay". I'm thinking it should have dissolved this varnish layer at least but many "chunks" remained. It's really bizzar in that the metal looks good but I couldn't figure out how to get the varnish out. I dropped in 10 3/8x1" stove bolts and shook the heck out of it for quite a shake. I did this before the acid treatment too as well as afterward. I got it down to just a few "chunks" of varnish left.

Anyway, back to my original question, does muriatic acid have a short shelf life???

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It will last forever in a sealed container. If not, it will evaporate and turn hard.

Muriatic acid will not touch the varnish. Lacquer thinner on the other hand does wonders, especially if you heat the tank up first.
 
Kraig, that's what I said.
AFTER you mentioned it!
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Thanks Charlie-

I can just see youngsters around the tree this morning and I'm sitting here writing about a darn gas tank.

I guess I'm not finished with the clean up here. There isn't a lot of varnish left but what's there might cause issues eventually. After rinsing/draining the tank I brought it in and put it on the wood stove. Now my house smells like old gas/varnish. I will have to buy one of those fancy Honda petcocks that cost over $30 if I go OEM. I almost destroyed the one it had trying to clean it out and still can't even blow through it.

I'm not bothering with trying to clean the carb either. I can only imagine what it looks like inside. I haven't even removed it yet and a new one is under $50 so... My main concern is whether the generator still works or not.

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In would try carb cleaner on the varnish, including soaking the carburettor therein. It has worked for me.

Sorry Charlie but I certainly would not pour thinners into a heated tank for fear of an explosion.
 
Wayne,

Cleaning the carb is not all that hard to do.

Charlie,

Now you know darn well if you were to put a tank outside, it would be frozen solid in minutes!
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Marty-

This generator was apparently parked with a full tank of fuel and left to sit for 20 or so years. From the looks of the tank and the amount of varnish I removed I knew right away the carb wasn't going to be salvageable. I did open it when I removed it and I was right. Both of the shafts (throttle/choke) were frozen and you can only imagine the shape of the bowl. A new carb is suppose to arrive today...we'll see.

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