Gas Tank In Bad Shape

[jim-bob]

..Out of my 67..what metal are these tanks made of? The tag decal on truck shows 2000 so would the gas left in the tank for 15 yrs do this. I pushed these holes in with my thumb..Is this normal?

[GASoline71]

With ethanol in the fuel and it sitting (at what looks like a slight angle) for 15 years... I'd say yes. Ethanol attracts moisture. It looks like a definite rust line right where the level of the fuel in the tank was at. Right where the water would sit.

Gary

[special-K]

There wasn't ethanol in the fuel the last time this truck filled up at the station. Maybe it was filled by can with ethanol more recently. Gas from 15 years ago will stand a better chance of running that truck than ethanol from 5 months ago. I wonder if water got in the cap. Even still, I would think the tank should have held it just fine. Maybe not. Could just be condensation that runs down and lays on the surface. I know oil sits on top of water, though. Would the same be true for gas, or is it less dense than water? I've never had one rust out on me, but I have heard of them seeping, which I assume is caused by rust at the seem at the bottom.
Did you remove "fluid" from the tank? I would assume it was enough to fill the tank to that line and the truck sat leaning to the passenger side. I believe they are galvanized or some sort of zinc coating. It's almost like there was some sort of acid involved

[jim-bob]

Originally Posted by special-K

There wasn't ethanol in the fuel the last time this truck filled up at the station. Maybe it was filled by can with ethanol more recently. Gas from 15 years ago will stand a better chance of running that truck than ethanol from 5 months ago. I wonder if water got in the cap. Even still, I would think the tank should have held it just fine. Maybe not. Could just be condensation that runs down and lays on the surface. I know oil sits on top of water, though. Would the same be true for gas, or is it less dense than water? I've never had one rust out on me, but I have heard of them seeping, which I assume is caused by rust at the seem at the bottom.
Did you remove "fluid" from the tank? I would assume it was enough to fill the tank to that line and the truck sat leaning to the passenger side. I believe they are galvanized or some sort of zinc coating. It's almost like there was some sort of acid involved

..The neck inside is real rusty like powder rust..What liquid was in it poured out when I slid the tank out the passenger side into the graveled ground..I didn't see the holes til later..what I seen was like varnish..what's still inside the truck is a gooey varnish mess.
This is only the 2nd I've removed..I just thought that they wouldn't corrode this bad..Like you mentioned, it's like acid was in it..
I wonder what effect sugar mixed in the gas would do to the metal sitting for 15yrs..

[franken]

Originally Posted by special-K

There wasn't ethanol in the fuel the last time this truck filled up at the station.

They were putting crap in the gas back in the 80s and probably before. Google gasohol.

[special-K]

Originally Posted by franken

They were putting crap in the gas back in the 80s and probably before. Google gasohol.

No need to google, I was driving since '71 so I was there. It was a short-lived folly and no one I know ever used it. I never did, and I don't recall the kind of talk of all the issues it causes which makes me assume people steered away from it more than used it. I'd also assume that's why it didn't stick around long. It wasn't forced on us the was this E10 is now. As if this was anything worth discussing, this gas was probably about 15 years old, which puts it at around 2000. The fact that it varnished says it was good old regular gasoline. As you said, the issue with alcohol in gasoline is it attracted moisture. I doubt water ate through the galvanized like that, but that's only my opinion. I'm curious to know what might have done this, even if someone can confirm it was in fact water. I doubt it could be sugar in gas, but I'm no chemist. Whatever did it, it was something lighter than gas that skimmed the top

[70']

Water is heavier than fuel guys, so any water in the tank goes straight to the bottom. Try again.....

[GASoline71]

^^^ Not water sitting on top of the fuel... right where the condensation starts where the line in the tank is. The spot where the condensation sits at the fuel line on the tank walls.

Gary

[special-K]

Originally Posted by 70'

Water is heavier than fuel guys, so any water in the tank goes straight to the bottom. Try again.....

Thanks for confirming. I wasn't sure. Just double checked to be sure in case someone doesn't want to agree

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j...96783405,d.eXY

I found this statement (post #5/last sentence) interesting and hard to believe. But this was on a physics forum, so I assume these people know more than me bout such things:

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...96783405,d.eXY