Alfa Pages

LDA · Alfa 33 Joined: 28 Nov 2004 Posts: 276 Location: France

hey all,

all of the 33's i've had (except this one... so far) have had rusty fuel tanks. is there a plastic one on the market? so i dont have to replace it again.

also i think mine might be going as i had the injectors cleaned out a few months ago (or my brother did) and there was loads of crud in there that looked like rust. needed the injectors cleaning and a new fuel filter. also the pump sounds like its had a hard life. i spose its hard work pumping rust up small pipes.

is there anyway of stopping the bloody thing rusting from the inside out? or is this just another problem i'll have to live with?

L.
_________________
A good workman allways blames his sh*t tools.

Ben_nz · Posted: Fri Dec 03, 2004 6:52 am Post subject:

Do a search of the archived posts on this forum.
I think you'll find there's no plastic tank available, you can't fix your existing one, you'll have to buy a new metal one, and the fuel pump is noisy because some breather valve or something has become blocked.
But don't take my word for it. Wink

gritsop · Posted: Fri Dec 03, 2004 7:51 am Post subject:

Hi,

LDA, you can take the word Ben told!!!

Rusty fuel tanks are common in 33s and 75s, so you have to live with it.

Read the following topic which had to do with my tank.

http://www.alfa-pages.co.uk/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=1375&start=0&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=

Regards,
_________________
Thanassis Gritsopoulos
1991 Alfa 33 1.4 IE
2001 Alfa 147 1.6 Distinctive

http://www.alfa-restoration.co.uk
Parts Shop: www.alfa-restoration.co.uk/shop

LDA · Alfa 33 Joined: 28 Nov 2004 Posts: 276 Location: France

first up, thanks very much for the link to the top and second.. shame on me for not searching first. Embarassed

took the tank out last night and had a look. there was about a cup full of rusty gunk in the bottom. washed it out with petrol and found 6 small holes in the bottom of the tank.

i sanded the bottom of the tank to get the plastic paint off to show the holes clearly and make sure there arent any more. found a few extra small holes.
cleaned it all up and plugged the holes with chemical metal and left it in my carbon oven to harden quickly.

cleaned the sender unit while i was at it and this had a great deal of rust around and in it.

put the tank back in this morning after a quick leak test and coat of paint on the bottom. i'm happy that the tank isnt full of rust now but i'm sure it wont be long before it leaks and rusts again.

ho hum new tank time. this hasnt stopped my pump making a funny noise. maybe its time to get a new one of them too.

seeing as i'm planning some mods to the car, are there any uprated flow rate pumps on the market for the perm 4?
i have a lovely pump spare that flows 250L/H but its an in tank pump and no good for the alfa.

L.
_________________
A good workman allways blames his sh*t tools.

RFlower · Posted: Fri Dec 03, 2004 12:57 pm Post subject:

Leaking built-in fuel tanks (i.e. GRP tanks forming part of the hull) in GRP boats can be fixed by "bagging" them. I'm sure Alfa tanks could be repaired this way. Not sure about the cost, but new tank is not cheap, even if available.

A synthetic flexible bag is made to approximately fit the tank, and put inside via the inspection cover (or though a hole cut in the top, glassed over aferwards, if no inspection cover).

I fitted flexible tanks/bags of about 15 gallons each into plywood boxes built under seats in a boat I had. They were available from several manufacturers. Probably still are (if still legal!).

The filler, breather and outlet fittings were supplied loose, and holes had to be cut for these as required. A bit nerve-racking, but I cut a slit in the centre of where the biggest hole was to be, and put a piece of plywood inside to cut against.

They don't have to be the same shape as the tank, they will take the tank's shape as they fill up. You could even put the filler at the top, instead of having that large fuel-filled pipe hanging on the side of the tank! It split on my Sprint, only 4 years old, and tank almost full. Not easily repairable at the roadside.

The only problem with mine was that they had no baffles, so sloshed about a bit when partly full. This is not such a problem in a boat as in a car. Maybe tanks with baffles are also available.

Another solution to water condensing in the tank is to fit a small drain plug on the bottom of a new tank, so that condensed water can be drained off periodically. This is normal with large storage tanks.

Don't weld or braze on a used tank unless you are expert at this - they tend to explode!
_________________
Dick Flower, Nr. Carcassonne. '94 Trofeo 1.4 ie (F), '93 Imola 1.3/1.4 ie (now for breaking) (F), '91 1.7 ie (GB)(spare car), '86 Sprint 1.5 QV (F). '87 VW Syncro camper (F), '73 NSU Ro80 (F), '99 Fiat Seicento (F)

ZeNiTh-PbArM · Posted: Sun Dec 05, 2004 9:48 pm Post subject:

hi,

there is a way to repair rusty tanks.
if the tank is not too badly damaged, you can apply a layer of special epoxy coating inside. it's very common for motorbike owners to repair old tanks like this.
I found a shop where you can get a tank repair kit :
http://www.alpdiffusion.com/cat_ex_traiter.htm

personally, i repaired a few tanks with the following method :
-put some old screws and nails along with soap and water in the tank and shake to grind the rust
-rinse and clean the tank
-take some automotive varnish, add 50% hardener, and put the mixture in the tank.
-shake vigorously to coat the inside of the tank
-let the paint in excess flow out of the tank
-allow a few days in a hot place for the paint to dry
it works very well and is very cheap.

regards,
zp