Petrol tank sealant, necessary or not ?

[sidevalve44]

I am getting close to completing the re-build of the B&S 3HP engine on my Pegson Marlow Pump.

One of the things remaining is the petrol tank. When I got it, it was very rusty inside. A few handfuls of gravel and vigorous shaking removed the loose stuff followed by a can of Kurust that dealt with the rest.

Question: Do I need to treat the tank interior with a proprietary sealant to finish the job, and if so which one ?

Don’t want to spend too much. Petseal is one name that I know of but, I have heard bad reports regarding it reacting to E5 petrol.

[charlie]

If you are confident that you have removed all loose rust and there are no pin holes in the tank it might be worth trying it without sealing the inside. Any loose rust will find it’s way to the fuel pipe and eventually cause a blockage. Have a look on the Frost site, they list several kits and products for sealing fuel tanks. None of them are cheap but it is something you dont want to fail or need to do again. I have bought one of the motorbike tank kits to try on one of my machines which has a rusty tank. For information about ethanol and the problems it can cause have a look at the FBHVC site

[sidevalve44]

Thanks Charlie,

The inside looks fairly clear of loose rust. The main concern I have, is whether the petrol will react with the Kurust treated surface that the tank now has.

I suppose I could fit an inline fuel filter. Hitchcocks Motorcycles (A Royal Enfield specialist; I used to own one) sell two types (a cheap one and a dear one !). They also sell Caswell, an American made tank sealant.

I am tempted to fill the tank with petrol; check for leaks and see if the petrol reacts with the Kurust. I’m in no particular hurry and it might save me a few pounds. What do you think ?

What I have noticed is, these tank sealants come in a pack size suitable for tanks of 10 litres or more. Our little engines usually have a tank no more than 1 litre.

[sidevalve44]

Have just looked on the Frosts site and their basic POR15 looks good value @ £11.82 (don’t mind paying that) Cheaper than the Caswell I referred to above.

Might get some of that.

[vhgmcbuddy]

hi
be careful of that sealant you put inside the tank i used some of that on one of my bikes which had a rusty tank and it blocked the fuel line also it didn’t work that well either i had more luck with petro patch which is applied on the outside and like it’s name implies it is like a puncture repair
pete

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