StingrayL82 wrote:
Yesterday I pulled the fuel tank. While the gas in it was rancid, the inside of the 51-gallon tank is pristine, no rust whatsoever. The sender still works, so it's getting a new filter sock and gasket. The tank is getting a good scrubbing and some fresh paint, along with new ethanol friendly hoses, as the old ones crumbled in my fingers.
I'm attaching some pics along with a question. If you look at the picture of the fuel tank, you'll see that the inlet is at the bottom. Now, I'm just a dumb linguist and not an engineer, but how can the fuel tank stay properly filled and not spew fuel back up the inlet hose?
I'm not sure if your fuel tank would pass an inspection. Sometime between the '70s and today, laws or regulations were put into effect outlawing fuel tanks with openings below the top of the tank. I had to abandon the original tanks in my '73 RM350 because they had drain bungs/plugs in the bottom of the tank. Where your fill is located makes it questionable from a legal perspective.
As for your fill-up question, there are two vent fittings on top of the tank. These will prevent air pressure from causing back flow into the gas fill hose. (I'm assuming your gas fill fixture -- where you insert the gas pump nozzle -- is higher than the top of the tank.)
One question -- does one or both of the vent hoses connect to the gas fill fixture? If not, I'd put small air filters on the vent hoses, to prevent grit from entering the tank.
You may experience some difficulties with automatic gas pump shut-off. The nozzles on modern gas pump use air pressure to detect when to shut off. Because you're dealing with an older tank, that doesn't conform to modern standards, the pump may shut off before the tank is approaching full. Likewise, the pump/nozzle may not detect full and cause gas to be spilled on the ground. (Gas stations can, and will, ban you for creating a HAZMAT incident.)
If you decide to replace the tank, one place to look is marine 'permanent' gas tanks. There are also places on the internet that sell custom tanks with in-tank fuel pumps. (In-tank fuel pumps are preferable because it's easier to push liquids rather than pull.)
