Oil & Fuel JD1070 Fuel Tank Rust - What can I do?

[davefr]

MY JD1070 seems to be plagued with fuel tank rust. (especially the filler neck and cap). My old cap had this issue and I replaced it not to long ago and look at the new one! The inside of the filler neck is also rusty but it hasn't rusted thru.

I take really good care of my 1070. I use fresh diesel, keep the tractor indoors and covered and try and keep the tank mostly full.

I can understand old vintage tractors having rusty tanks but this isn't exactly vintage. Why is this happening and what can I do about it? Anyone else plagued with this issue.

A new tank is around $700 and a huge replacement task because the roll bar needs to be removed.

There are two fuel filters (tank outlet and engine) but I'm still concerned about rust sediment. I thought diesel was oily and would protect metal vs corrode it.

 

[ruffdog]

Are the fuel stations letting sea water to get in the fuel supply?

 

[zzvyb6]

My 1070 tank looks good. Is it really 'rust' (as in steel corrosion from water vapor), or some other contaminant (like iron sulfide from your fuel source ? Meanwhile, there are 2 very good filters in the 1070 lines so I would just keep on truckin' with it while sloshing the tank and keeping it as full of fuel as possible. If it plugs up, a blast of air up thru the tank line may help.

Can you see to the bottom of the tank ? I would not expect it to be 'rusty'.

 

[davefr]

My 1070 tank looks good. Is it really 'rust' (as in steel corrosion from water vapor), or some other contaminant (like iron sulfide from your fuel source ? Meanwhile, there are 2 very good filters in the 1070 lines so I would just keep on truckin' with it while sloshing the tank and keeping it as full of fuel as possible. If it plugs up, a blast of air up thru the tank line may help.

Can you see to the bottom of the tank ? I would not expect it to be 'rusty'.

The inside of the filler pipe cleaned up pretty good with a towel. It looked worse then it really was. The cap is pretty rusty though so I'm going to soak it in Evaporust. (I have a spare to use).

I don't think I have to worry about rust inside the tank because the rust was only in the top 1/2 of the filler pipe. (maybe it was iron sulfide). Where it met the main tank was pretty clean.

I'm going to try wrapping a towel around the filler pipe to insulate it. Maybe it'll reduce condensation at least in the PNW rainy reason.

I've been reading some similar issues and it appears ULS Diesel might be to blame. Some guys recommend spiking the diesel with a little 2 cycle oil.

 

[Wagtail]

How far are you located from the ocean? Atomised 'sea air' will wreak havoc on exposed (non-painted/inhibited) metal surfaces.

 

[ruffdog]

Trucker's in GA wondering about rusty tanks:

Pursuing a Tank Rust Mystery - Maintenance - Trucking Info

 

[Industrial Toys]

Maybe it was made with that Chinese or Jap Steel that has the rust already built in from old scrap. I never thought that even possible! I would just smear a little axle grease on the untreated metal. It won't hurt the fuel system.

 

[TractorGuy]

Outside of the fuel system I use Ospho (phosphoric acid).

My backhoe had a rusty tank when I got it but it was obviously due to water as the rust was in the bottom. I cleaned it out with a pressure washer and soaked it with 50% water and vinegar. That seems to work similar to the acid in that it turned the surface black.

I suspect bio fuel in your case. My fuel supplier says 5% is the least they can get and they are not required to label it.

 

[beenthere]

What I'd like to see is that "rusty" cap soaked in a bleach solution to see if it is rust or some form of algae that is rusty color. The pics show up like it is slimy, not rusty. Bleach will kill it if it is slime of some kind, I think.

Either way, I suspect high moisture behind the cause.

 

[oldtimer 66]

I used a fuel tank repair kit on my old Honda Big Red. The fuel tank from the factory started to rust when brand new. It was a 1985 model now sold and I did the repair after about 15 years. Removed and emptied the tank. I put in a of hand full of .25 nuts and I put in the supplied phosphoric acid. Shook for some time to break loose the rust. Emptied the tank. I had to solder the tank after the cleaning because of pin hole leaks. I rinsed and coated the inside of the tank with the epoxy that comes in the kit. Solved the problem of plugging filters, plugging the carburetor. etc. My fuel cap looked just like your so I repeated the process just for the cap. Tank stayed clean after that repair. Later.