Ford Tractor Fuel Issues.

[mscher]

My 67' Ford 4500 gas Backhoe, runs well but still has a lot of rust in fuel, from the tank (it sat for 10 years). It now has two sediment cups and a filter, but a screen in the first cup will accumulate enought rust to clog. Is there a good way clean the rust out the tank fully and recoat? I'm on the fence about spending $170 for a new Chinese replacement tank.

Also.

In 1967, the was no ethanol and good old lead, in the gasoline, that seemed to get the job done, in this big-piston 3 cylinder. Now in 2011, to preserve the engine, should I be adding anything to the gasoline, other than fuel stabilizer, to protect the valve seats, or increase octane? Should any variations be made with the timing, spark plugs or anything else?

fortunately, the "beast" runs great, so I'd like learn to keep it that way.

 

[rbh]

Re: Ford Tractor Fuel Issues.

Old tanks are a beast, drain, remove, strip down any internal componets IE petcock/breather tubes.

Fill with 1/8 crushed gravel and shake, and shake and shake, you get the picture. (sorta sand blasting but not really)

just removing the rust scales from the tank.
Now the fun part, remove the gravel (takes awhile but thats all part of the fun)
Rinse with water and ensure all gravels out, let dry.
add a few cups of 80/90 and coat inside (let sit in the hot sun) empty remainder, add a half gallon of gas and shake to clear excess.
Thats it, but you may want to add some 2 stroke oil ocasionally to your gas when filling once in a while just to add to the protection.

 

[mla2ofus]

Re: Ford Tractor Fuel Issues.

A couple of handfuls of 3/8 or 1/2 inch nuts along w/ a gallon of diesel work as well and are easier to remove. If you don't want to go thru all that, go to napa and buy a spinon fuel filter mount and a couple of filters. If possible, plumb the tank directly to the new filter setup. Don't even use the valve/sediment bowl on the bottom of the tank if it's threaded in the tank. It takes a lot of crud to plug the quart size filters( that's why you buy two initially).
Mike

 

[Bamaman1]

Re: Ford Tractor Fuel Issues.

The Ford 4500 was once the standard in tractor/loader/backhoes, and a gas version is a rare animal. I assume it's not a torque converter drive? Over the years, the rebuilding of hydraulic systems has made some of the diesel 4500's incredible digging machines--as can be told by the amount of welds on the steel backhoe boom. Last time I ran a torque converter drive 4500, I couldn't tell when I was in neutral or forward--no shift gates. I loaded the hoe on a trailer, and the front end pulled a wheelie while I steered with the rear brakes. Then, I realized that loading a 4500 requires the operator to drop the rear boom and place the hoebucket at an angle that skids--to keep the front end on the ramps steering.

If you're going to use the hoe regularly, just spend the $ and buy the new tank. Screwing up somewhat rare carbs is just not worth the risk of a couple of hundred bucks.

 

[bassman284]

Re: Ford Tractor Fuel Issues.

Old tanks are a beast, drain, remove, strip down any internal componets IE petcock/breather tubes.

Fill with 1/8 crushed gravel and shake, and shake and shake, you get the picture. (sorta sand blasting but not really)

just removing the rust scales from the tank.
Now the fun part, remove the gravel (takes awhile but thats all part of the fun)
Rinse with water and ensure all gravels out, let dry.
add a few cups of 80/90 and coat inside (let sit in the hot sun) empty remainder, add a half gallon of gas and shake to clear excess.
Thats it, but you may want to add some 2 stroke oil ocasionally to your gas when filling once in a while just to add to the protection.

Kind of makes that $170 tank sound like a bargain.

 

[CatTwentyTwo]

Re: Ford Tractor Fuel Issues.

Haven't used it, but: http://www.kbs-coatings.com/tank-sealers.html

I used this to clean and coat my tank 2 years ago, I don't know how it will hold up in the long run but so far it has worked very well. I used a piece of chain to knock some of the rust and scale loose, I don't know if it works as good as gravel but it was a lot easier to get out of the tank.

 

[rbh]

Re: Ford Tractor Fuel Issues.

Kind of makes that $170 tank sound like a bargain.

YUP, lucky he can still find a tank.

 

[Bamaman1]

Re: Ford Tractor Fuel Issues.

The 4500 TLB (and other TLB's of the time) were bastardized versions of farm tractors. This is the same fuel tank used in Ford 3000-4000 farm tractors. Parts are still available since they were the best selling (and best quality) farm tractors ever built. Most of them are still running.