I Have a 1984 Ford 545A (Cream Puff) that has about 1/4″ of sludge in the bottom of the fuel tank. Any suggestions on removing the sludge? Wet dry vac..etc etc. It has probably been there for years.
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I’m not sure what would dissolve the sludge in there, but I would recommend NOT using a wet/dry vac. The fumes and sludge are definitely flammable. A wet dry vac will ignite them.
I feel your pain. I had to clean sediment out of an old Deere tank 2 years ago. This was a gasser, but same issue, there was crap and varnish on the bottom of the tank.
I don’t know how the tank setup is on your Ford, so this may or may not help, but I ended up doing it this way:
1. Drained and removed the tank. This was not too bad of a job on the Deere, the tank is on top of the engine and is held in place by 6 bolts, so removal was pretty easy.
2. Obviously, you have to be careful of flammable vapors, even with an empty tank. Use nothing that can cause sparks or ignition unless the tank has been made safe.
3. I plugged the tank petcock and put about 5 gallons of hot soapy water with Dawn dish detergent in the tank.
To this, I added 25 3/8 inch nuts and 25 bolts from my hardware bin to the tank. There’s a reason why I know the EXACT number of nuts and bolts! You want to count them when you’re done to make sure none are wedged somewhere and left in the tank. Obviously, before you do this step, assess your tank configuration and make sure you can get nuts/bolts out of thank before you put them in.
Then I put the tank across a sawhorse and with a helper, I rocked it back and forth using the nuts and bolts to scour the tank and loosen the crud. The nuts/bolts are pretty abrasive, so they did a nice job of loosening the crud.
I drained the water/soap and refilled it several times to rinse out the crud.
4. I then removed the fuel petcock so there was the biggest drain hole possible. I drained the soap/water a final time and added a strong solvent. Since I don’t want to engage in a debate with the Safety Police over my choice of solvents, I’m not going to name it, but obviously, if you have dried on fuel varnish, you need something to cut it. I left the solvent in the tank overnight.
5. Next day I carefully drained the solvent into a container and yes so the safety police know, I sent the solvent to a recycler. Then I removed and counted all the nuts/bolts to make sure all of them were removed. This was a PITA because the tank had a lip that prevented the nuts/bolts from just sliding out, but I got them all back eventually.
6. I blew out the tank with compressed air. Then I added 1 quart of alcohol. and sloshed it around the tank to try to bond as much water as possible with the alcohol to speed the drying time.
7. I left the tank open and in the sun for 2 days to dry it out. There was a way to position the tank so that almost all remaining water/solvent/whatever would run toward the (removed) petcock so I could be fairly sure the tank was completely dry.
8. Reassembly is the reverse of disassembly, etc, etc. But then I filled the tank absolutely full and added HEET to make sure any water that was left in the tank was captured. I also changed the fuel filter.
Not sure if this is the “right” way to do it, but it worked. Got all the crud out and stopped constantly plugging lines and filters.
Even being diesel…?
Thank You
Thank You Famous, I have the Shop Manual for the 545 will have to see what’s all involved to remove the tank…what are your thoughts about using a pressure washer? to clean the tank. I even have an oil extraction gig (for my boat oil changes) I like the nuts and bolt method…not going to be fun
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telescoping magnet to remove nutS and bolts?
Grouse pretty much nailed it, I will say I use a couple short lengths of chain instead of nuts and bolts, much easier to retrieve.
Being its diesel I would also treat the tank for bacteria/algae.
I have the Shop Manual for the 545 will have to see what’s all involved to remove the tank…what are your thoughts about using a pressure washer? to clean the tank.
I’m just not familiar with the layout of the 545. It looks similar to the old 3000, 4000, 5000 series Fords, but I just don’t know what the fuel tank layout is or how completely you could drain it after pressure washing. Also would a cold water pressure washer loosen the sludge enough or would it be oil and water not mixing? Don’t know.
Worst case I guess would be to try it and if it doesn’t work, take the tank off. But best know HOW to remove the tank first because once you drain/put water in the tank, you’re got a 3 ton paperweight on your hands until the tank is clean and free of water.
telescoping magnet to remove nutS and bolts?
Issue was getting the nuts/bolts in a position where I could even see them. Mechanics pickup worked too, but you have to get them in sight and not easy when the only access is the 2 inch wide filler cap in the middle of the tank.
Grouse pretty much nailed it, I will say I use a couple short lengths of chain instead of nuts and bolts, much easier to retrieve.
Sure! NOW you tell me.
Excellent tip Thank You
lol lol Thank You Famous its a 6 ton paperweight well put. I sprayed starting fluid at the air filter, and ran it for about 25 minutes So I am up and running…used Lucas upper cylinder lubricant (that been on my shelf for years) Last time I changed my fuel filter, I bled the injectors the old fashioned way, and after almost giving up…I told my wife one more try, if it does not start I am going to remove the air filter and spray diesel down her throat with a spray bottle (old farmers trick). She fired up…still what a hassle..lol Looks like it’s time for Tank Removal using the chain to clean with. I may take my Dremel and rough up the links a bit for a more aggressive sludge remover. will use everyone’s advice from alcohol to antibiotics (lol just kidding) to remove the sludge and the bacteria. Thank You all !!
They make a solution that you can pour in tanks and after letting it sit for a bit, you can swish it around and it will clean the tank down to bare metal. Just saw it the other day on an auto repair show the other day. When the camera zoomed in on the inside of the tank, it was quite impressive. Have to take the tank off though to do it. I would think a simple internet search should find it.
Thank you I will do a search.
Found this on Amazon, it worked perfectly. I could feel the texture on the bottom of the tank after I used it (inside the tank). I drained the mixture into a pail instead of running it by my fuel filter.
STAR BRITE Star Tron Tank Cleaner, 64 OZ – Removes Sludge, Varnish & Other Deposits – Concentrated Formula Works In Gas Tanks & Diesel Tanks (093664)
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Mr Jim Oliver. I am in love with your truck on the profile picture. My dad had a 97 when I was younger. Looked very similar to yours with a 8ft box
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