Fuel Tank cleaning

raj_7703 · 20th November 2008, 10:12

Hi,

It has been almost a week since i got the car's Petrol Tank cleaned. When we first refilled the petrol atfer the cleaning, i had put only 5 litres of petrol and since the car was not starting at that moment, the service person said it requires minimum 7 litres in the first fill. Anyways service people opened the tank from the back seat and did something and only then it started in petrol.

After one week, even today, car starts in less than 2 - 3 sec of cranking even in the early cold morning. Power is little less in the 3rd and 5th gear - its a little sluggish, means i have to press the accelerator a little hard to see the car taking the power. Smoothness has reduced a little bit (lack of proper tuning i guess?)
By the by, even now, i could feel the smell of petrol from the back seat. Any idea how to get rid of it?

otherwise everything seems to be fine. Mileage seems to have increase a little bit. My first tank of LPG is not yet over.

Raj

ghodlur · 22nd April 2010, 12:48

I was interested to know how many BHPians have got their vehicle fuel tank cleaned. Had a couple of queries in this regards also:
1) The fuel tank in vehicle - is it tapered or inclined so that the fuel lines are always flooded.
2) If so is there any sump arrangment in the tank where the dirt normally gets collected.
3) Is there some mechanism to get the dirt removed. Something similar to complete underground water tank clean up in housing societies?

How often do vehicle owners get their fuel tank cleaned? AFAIK mostly this is left to the workshops, how many of us have actually seen the fuel tank being cleaned.
The reason me raising this topic was when one of my building friend upon tank cleaning found sand like deposist which was clogging the fuel lines.

Sutripta · 22nd April 2010, 22:20

Every two years. Problem is usually water/ rust.

Regards
Sutripta

Jaggu · 22nd April 2010, 22:30

Depends on the tank, which car you have and what kind of tank (metal or fiber)? Older metal tanks and newer (esp mpfi cars) tanks are very different in construction.

If you tank up from good pumps, i don't see any need for regular tank clean up.

Sutripta · 22nd April 2010, 23:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jaggu

Depends on the tank, which car you have and what kind of tank (metal or fiber)? Older metal tanks and newer (esp mpfi cars) tanks are very different in construction.

If you tank up from good pumps, i don't see any need for regular tank clean up.

Water is normally the result of repeated diurnal change in temperature.

Regards
Sutripta

ghpk · 22nd April 2010, 23:04

i got it cleaned after 2 yrs of run, then changed the filling station and didn't needed it for last 1+ yr. now.

vigsom · 23rd April 2010, 07:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jaggu

Depends on the tank, which car you have and what kind of tank (metal or fiber)? Older metal tanks and newer (esp mpfi cars) tanks are very different in construction.

If you tank up from good pumps, i don't see any need for regular tank clean up.

+1 to that; there is really no need to clean tanks at any predetermined frequency ; it all depends on what goes in.

JustCause · 23rd April 2010, 09:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by vigsom

+1 to that; there is really no need to clean tanks at any predetermined frequency ; it all depends on what goes in.

Agreed, but also like to add that if you go for highway drives and fill up at questionable bunks (adulterated/grimy/dusty) or if its A DIESEL(even city bunks sell dubious diesel) I think Cleaning becomes necessary every 1-2 yrs depending on usage.

My office Innova recently got 'cleaned', will verify if its the fuel tank or its something else.

honeybee · 27th April 2010, 00:17

I had got this done on my old M800 a few weeks after I acquired it. I had switched from unleaded to premium back to unleaded and then again back to premium a few times, had not been regular in the pumps I filled at, and one fine day this idea just hit me. I went to the local MASS and asked him if it was at all possible that the fuel tank be cleaned up. He told me they would just disconnect and remove the fuel tank from the car, pour the fuel into a can, clean up the tank, reattach it and then refill it from the can. I wasn't there to see it happen personally and no irregularities or foreign deposits were reported (not to say they wouldn't be there, but I am not aware of it).

And that reminds me, I should probably get this done for my Santro as well.

ghodlur · 27th April 2010, 09:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by vigsom

+1 to that; there is really no need to clean tanks at any predetermined frequency ; it all depends on what goes in.

Agreed that lot depends on what goes in. How do we ensure that clean fuel always goes in. There are sure chance of some sediments going along with the fuel. I have seen a lot of fuel tankers rusted and ferrying the fuel and emptying in the petrol pump tanks. The fuel in such tankers will surely carry some rust which will finally end up in my cars fuel tank

.
Is not then advised that service workshops have a check of the tank also. I haven't heard anyone having a check in their check list.

honeybee · 27th April 2010, 09:24

I read somewhere on the internet (probably indiacar website but not sure), that you should never fill up at a pump when a tanker is emptying its contents into the underground vaults. Pouring out all that fuel into the underground tanks is going to disturb a lot of muck which may be sucked up and filled in your car.

Could we get some kind of a filter to ensure at least solid particles are not entering the fuel tank? But then I guess the chances of this happening would also be pretty rare.

PraveenM · 27th April 2010, 12:27

About a year ago I had to get my Getz's fuel tank cleant. During a weekend trip to Bangalore, one of the injectors clogged severly causing one of the cylinders to not fire properly. They discovered large pieces of rust in the fuel tank. This is despite filling only at reputed bunks like the Balakrishna bunk at St Mary's road!

The unburnt fuel-air mixture over heated the cat-con and also potentially damaged it. I'm wondering if it will pass a pollution test now, which needs to be done soon for hypothecation removal.

thedreamcatcher · 27th April 2010, 13:48

I got it cleaned fro my Santro, where the mechanic removed the tank, emptied the fuel,dont know what he cleaned it with. Left it to dry overnight.

This was needed as I adulterated fuel had gone in and started resulting in jerks. It was a long process of trial and error to determine the cause. Replaced fuel injector, cleaned it, cleaned tank twice, so on.

But, at the end it worked.

If you constantly fill up fuel from small petrol bunks or like IBP, badly maintained HP pumps etc, you may want to clean it say every 5000 or 10000 KMs to clear the deposits, which can be quite a lot

JustCause · 28th April 2010, 10:59

Had a talk with my driver, his answer left me amazed. They found concrete debris,rusted metal filings(from the fuel vending pipes), an oily waxy substance and what not. He showed me a gooey pile of filth, I didn't take a pic as it was too disgusting, and it smelled like diesel mixed with coal tar

arsenal.arun · 17th October 2012, 10:33

During my regular service of Chevrolet Spark (25k kms interval), the Service Centre suggested me to do Fuel System cleaning, which is done using some special chemicals and costed me Rs 1100. Agreeing to his suggestion, I did the same in Jul-2012.

Now in Oct-2012, I have given my car again for service, since 2 free services were pending which were going to lapse in Dec-2012, the Service Centre is again recommending the Fuel System Cleaning.

When I said I have done it just 3 months back, the service guy insisted that it is recommended with every oil change.

When I started questioning him what will they do and how can I ensure that the cleaning is done, the service guy hesitantly said that it is not required since you have done the same just 2 months ago.

I took the matter to his senior and asked him to justify how the fuel system cleaning was done in Jul-2012 and how can I be assured that the cleaning was done. The guy has ensured he will respond to me after checking with his people.

Now my basic question is what do they do in the Fuel System cleaning and how can I ensure the service centre has done it?

20th November 2008, 10:12	#16
raj_7703 BHPian Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 27 Thanked: 2 Times	1 week after tank cleaning Hi, It has been almost a week since i got the car's Petrol Tank cleaned. When we first refilled the petrol atfer the cleaning, i had put only 5 litres of petrol and since the car was not starting at that moment, the service person said it requires minimum 7 litres in the first fill. Anyways service people opened the tank from the back seat and did something and only then it started in petrol. After one week, even today, car starts in less than 2 - 3 sec of cranking even in the early cold morning. Power is little less in the 3rd and 5th gear - its a little sluggish, means i have to press the accelerator a little hard to see the car taking the power. Smoothness has reduced a little bit (lack of proper tuning i guess?) By the by, even now, i could feel the smell of petrol from the back seat. Any idea how to get rid of it? otherwise everything seems to be fine. Mileage seems to have increase a little bit. My first tank of LPG is not yet over. Raj
	() Thanks

22nd April 2010, 12:48	#17
ghodlur Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 6,254 Thanked: 4,789 Times View My Garage	Has any BHPian got their vehicle fuel tank cleaned I was interested to know how many BHPians have got their vehicle fuel tank cleaned. Had a couple of queries in this regards also: 1) The fuel tank in vehicle - is it tapered or inclined so that the fuel lines are always flooded. 2) If so is there any sump arrangment in the tank where the dirt normally gets collected. 3) Is there some mechanism to get the dirt removed. Something similar to complete underground water tank clean up in housing societies? How often do vehicle owners get their fuel tank cleaned? AFAIK mostly this is left to the workshops, how many of us have actually seen the fuel tank being cleaned. The reason me raising this topic was when one of my building friend upon tank cleaning found sand like deposist which was clogging the fuel lines.
	() Thanks

22nd April 2010, 22:20	#18
Sutripta Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Calcutta Posts: 4,665 Thanked: 6,234 Times	Every two years. Problem is usually water/ rust. Regards Sutripta
	() Thanks

22nd April 2010, 22:30	#19
Jaggu Team-BHP Support Join Date: May 2004 Location: Bangalore Posts: 20,380 Thanked: 17,323 Times	Depends on the tank, which car you have and what kind of tank (metal or fiber)? Older metal tanks and newer (esp mpfi cars) tanks are very different in construction. If you tank up from good pumps, i don't see any need for regular tank clean up.
	() Thanks

22nd April 2010, 23:04	#21
ghpk BHPian Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Ghaziabad Posts: 872 Thanked: 213 Times	i got it cleaned after 2 yrs of run, then changed the filling station and didn't needed it for last 1+ yr. now.
	() Thanks

27th April 2010, 00:17	#24
honeybee Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Dombivli Posts: 3,055 Thanked: 2,144 Times View My Garage	I had got this done on my old M800 a few weeks after I acquired it. I had switched from unleaded to premium back to unleaded and then again back to premium a few times, had not been regular in the pumps I filled at, and one fine day this idea just hit me. I went to the local MASS and asked him if it was at all possible that the fuel tank be cleaned up. He told me they would just disconnect and remove the fuel tank from the car, pour the fuel into a can, clean up the tank, reattach it and then refill it from the can. I wasn't there to see it happen personally and no irregularities or foreign deposits were reported (not to say they wouldn't be there, but I am not aware of it). And that reminds me, I should probably get this done for my Santro as well.
	() Thanks

27th April 2010, 09:24	#26
honeybee Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Dombivli Posts: 3,055 Thanked: 2,144 Times View My Garage	I read somewhere on the internet (probably indiacar website but not sure), that you should never fill up at a pump when a tanker is emptying its contents into the underground vaults. Pouring out all that fuel into the underground tanks is going to disturb a lot of muck which may be sucked up and filled in your car. Could we get some kind of a filter to ensure at least solid particles are not entering the fuel tank? But then I guess the chances of this happening would also be pretty rare.
	() Thanks

27th April 2010, 12:27	#27
PraveenM BHPian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Chennai Posts: 125 Thanked: 32 Times	About a year ago I had to get my Getz's fuel tank cleant. During a weekend trip to Bangalore, one of the injectors clogged severly causing one of the cylinders to not fire properly. They discovered large pieces of rust in the fuel tank. This is despite filling only at reputed bunks like the Balakrishna bunk at St Mary's road! The unburnt fuel-air mixture over heated the cat-con and also potentially damaged it. I'm wondering if it will pass a pollution test now, which needs to be done soon for hypothecation removal.
	() Thanks

27th April 2010, 13:48	#28
thedreamcatcher Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Dubai Posts: 1,204 Thanked: 67 Times View My Garage	I got it cleaned fro my Santro, where the mechanic removed the tank, emptied the fuel,dont know what he cleaned it with. Left it to dry overnight. This was needed as I adulterated fuel had gone in and started resulting in jerks. It was a long process of trial and error to determine the cause. Replaced fuel injector, cleaned it, cleaned tank twice, so on. But, at the end it worked. If you constantly fill up fuel from small petrol bunks or like IBP, badly maintained HP pumps etc, you may want to clean it say every 5000 or 10000 KMs to clear the deposits, which can be quite a lot
	() Thanks

28th April 2010, 10:59	#29
JustCause BHPian Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Currently, New Delhi Posts: 422 Thanked: 100 Times View My Garage	Had a talk with my driver, his answer left me amazed. They found concrete debris,rusted metal filings(from the fuel vending pipes), an oily waxy substance and what not. He showed me a gooey pile of filth, I didn't take a pic as it was too disgusting, and it smelled like diesel mixed with coal tar
	() Thanks

17th October 2012, 10:33	#30
arsenal.arun BHPian Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Gurgaon Posts: 29 Thanked: 20 Times	Fuel System cleaning During my regular service of Chevrolet Spark (25k kms interval), the Service Centre suggested me to do Fuel System cleaning, which is done using some special chemicals and costed me Rs 1100. Agreeing to his suggestion, I did the same in Jul-2012. Now in Oct-2012, I have given my car again for service, since 2 free services were pending which were going to lapse in Dec-2012, the Service Centre is again recommending the Fuel System Cleaning. When I said I have done it just 3 months back, the service guy insisted that it is recommended with every oil change. When I started questioning him what will they do and how can I ensure that the cleaning is done, the service guy hesitantly said that it is not required since you have done the same just 2 months ago. I took the matter to his senior and asked him to justify how the fuel system cleaning was done in Jul-2012 and how can I be assured that the cleaning was done. The guy has ensured he will respond to me after checking with his people. Now my basic question is what do they do in the Fuel System cleaning and how can I ensure the service centre has done it?
	() Thanks