# Metal fuel tank liner flaking



## mikeklaphake (Mar 19, 2018)

Hi everyone - newbie here. A few years back I purchased a brand spanking new Ariens 28 Deluxe from the local hardware store. I haven't used it as much as I figured I would thanks to minimal snow fall, but over the course of the past 4 winters, I've used it a handful of times each year. It's still shiny and looks brand new. Unfortunately, I have had to take it in to have the carbs cleaned every year because the Briggs metal gas tank appears to have a coating that is flaking off inside. I am considering purchasing a new replacement tank, but I am wondering if this is common. Do I just have a defective tank, or will this just happen again? Seems like a plastic tank would be better than a metal tank, but I can't find a plastic tank that would be a suitable replacement.

Any help or advice would be fantastic. Thanks in advance and I apologize if this has been covered on a previous thread.


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## JLawrence08648 (Jan 15, 2017)

Search eBay or Amazon for gas tank relining kits. Normally it's a 3 step process, cleaning, etching, lining. You pour the stuff in and swirl it around.


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

Just put in a clear in-line filter ,......


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## mikeklaphake (Mar 19, 2018)

I asked my small engines mechanic about the in line filter and he said because of the design, there's no room for one. Also the fuel flow is interrupted. Sounded reasonable when he explained it to me, but I haven't spent a lot of time investigating this option.


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## tlshawks (Feb 9, 2018)

oneacer said:


> Just put in a clear in-line filter ,......


I asked my Ariens dealer's repair guy about this (been working on Ariens since the 70's). He told me not to do it because once the tank gets to approximately half empty, a pumpless gravity-fed carb will starve for fuel. 

So, I started thinking of replacing the metal tank (early 70's Tecumseh H70), and the engine has a history (before I inherited it) of needing a carb cleaning - and in January it would start but not stay running YET AGAIN. I shopped plastic Tecumseh tanks, and $40 seems to me to be pretty steep - NOT including needing a shut off valve too. 

I then figured out that it had an old fuel line that was deteriorating internally, definitely had been using old gas for a long time (more on that later), and after I got it I was using a plastic gallon filler tank that most likely was 20 years old with floaters acquired through the years on the bottom as I looked down in it.

My brother was always using old fuel poured from a metal 5 gallon filler tank that was older than I was. I remembered using that can back in the early 70's when my father bought us kids a new flat bottom fishing boat. I bet once he ran that tank dry, he'd fill all 5 gallons and use it to fill all my dad's machines.

I bet that tank didn't empty for a couple years. It was always in my dad's garage...which was famous for seepage getting into it because of a bad roof (the floor was always wet). Of course, this is also where the blower sat - it was badly rusted when I got it in 2015.

In short, I knew I had other "zips in the wire". So, I investigated everything. I bought a brand new plastic 2 gallon tank for refills, then changed the fuel line, then rebuilt the carb. 

I then removed the H70's metal tank, swished new gas around for a good 5 minutes, then drained it thru a coffee filter. Not speck of rust came out. There were some floaters that looked like eroded rubber more than rust, and the gas was a tad yellowish compared to what I put in. So, I gave it another thorough gas rinsing which came out clean and clear, and put it back on.

From that point on, 3 tanks full of fresh fuel blowing snow in February - the engine ran better than it ever has in the 30 or so years my family owned it. I bet it probably ran more this February than it had the ENTIRE 10 years prior.


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## tdipaul (Jul 11, 2015)

JLawrence08648 said:


> Search eBay or Amazon for gas tank relining kits. Normally it's a 3 step process, cleaning, etching, lining. You pour the stuff in and swirl it around.


I have tried this on a few motorcycle tanks and its sketchy at best...a last resort when a new replacement is either no longer available or like $800 if you can find one (such is the case for a rare 1980 Honda CBX tank, for example)

Spend the $ (20?) for a new one and assume the original was defective. 

And drain it dry at the end of the season and spray the inside with wd-40 seafoam to protect it. 

Draining a snowblower tank through the carb is very easy.

.


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## mikeklaphake (Mar 19, 2018)

I'll look for a replacement. They run about $50 from what I am seeing


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## Dauntae (Nov 10, 2016)

Just had to deal with a tank that had the gas cap missing and was left outside..... Well inside of tank was mucky with rust and still some water so I cleaned it out and filled it to the top with vinegar and let it sit a few days, Emptied it out and rinsed it with isopropanol to remove all water left and the inside of the tank looked almost new again. Then coated the inside with a little 2 stroke oil until I get to reinstall it and the gas will dilute the oil and just smoke a little but no rust and no harm.


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## jrcjr (Sep 23, 2017)

tlshawks said:


> I asked my Ariens dealer's repair guy about this (been working on Ariens since the 70's). He told me not to do it because once the tank gets to approximately half empty, a pumpless gravity-fed carb will starve for fuel.


Then just mount the fuel tank twice as high to compensate. LOL

No, seriously! The distance from the bottom of the tank to the fuel inlet at the carburetor is the expected 'head pressure' the fuel system is supposed to run under. Head pressure being the pressure created at the bottom of a column of liquid by the force of gravity. If you raise the tank higher in relation to where that inlet is, you will increase the head pressure, and thereby compensate for the resistance of the fuel filter. Head pressures can also be negative, at which point you're talking about the amount of vacuum required to lift a column of liquid.


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## TSR7 (Sep 19, 2016)

I found shaving in my Deluxe 28 SHO too.  I think it's from the cap's locking tabs.

I put some magnets in the tank and swished the gas around to get the metal shavings out.


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

tlshawks said:


> I asked my Ariens dealer's repair guy about this (been working on Ariens since the 70's). He told me not to do it because once the tank gets to approximately half empty, a pumpless gravity-fed carb will starve for fuel.


I'm not doubting his experience, but I don't agree with him. 

Briggs sells a fuel filter for machines without fuel pumps, 298090S: 
https://www.amazon.com/Briggs-Stratton-Filter-Micron-5018K/dp/B00004RB1A/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1521998759&sr=8-2&keywords=298090S

To allow easier gas flow, it uses larger 150 micron openings in the screen. 

Briggs also sells a tighter filter (smaller, 75 micron openings), which is to be used with fuel pumps, part 394358S . 

But this one is meant for gravity-fed applications, it says for 7-15 hp lawn tractor applications. I added a filter (and shutoff) to my tractor, as well as to my blowers, none of which have fuel pumps, and they're still running fine. 

But, do note that there are suitable filters, like the one linked above, 298090S, and filters that are *not* appropriate for this job. From what I read, without a fuel pump, you cannot use the paper-element filters, which are sometimes the ones with a clear housing. The tight filtration of the paper is too much resistance for gravity-fed flow, and you'll starve the carb. 

So absolutely, add a filter, regardless of what you do to the gas tank. It's cheap insurance against having a machine that suddenly won't start when you need it, because a small piece of something made it to the carb. Just make sure that you buy the right type.


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