Oil & Fuel Rust in fuel tank

[Spyro]

I have a 3016 that started bogging down during operation. I figured out it was a fuel delivery problem. Turns out that if you don't keep the tank topped off completely, condensation causes it to rust inside. Rust had apparently accumulated at the outlet and was blocking the flow. Blowing back through the fuel line clears it up temporarily, but it still fails periodically.
I don't want to disassemble the entire cowel in order to take out the tank. Any suggestions on how to clean it out without removing it?

Thanks.

 

[lagolan]

Yep, it says something about this in your operator's manual, page 49

To prevent condensation in the fuel tank and water entering the fuel system, fill the fuel tank after each operating day.

You'll almost certainly have to remove the fuel tank if you want to fully clean it out. Barring that, you can try filling the tank to the top, let it soak for a few days, drain it all out, filter the diesel that came out of it and put it back in. Rinse and repeat a few times. And keep a couple spare fuel filters around.

Are you certain it's rust? Does it stick to a magnet? It very possibly could be microbe growth and you can solve your problems by draining/filtering and adding a little diesel biocide.

 

[Roadworthy]

If you're sure it's rust you can try draining the tank completely. Use a shop vac to get out the last of the diesel. It should also pick up any loose rust. I suspect the problem is more biological than rust, though. Is there any sort of filter screen at the output from your tank? If so you'll likely have to come up with a way to remove it or put a hole in it.

 

[Cycledude]

How old is your Mahindra ? I thought most tractors these days had some form of plastic tank that can’t rust.

 

[Have tractor did travel]

logoian - Being magnetic or not, does not prove it's rust

Rust (a collection of some iron oxides: ) is virtually non-magnetic, unlike plain iron or most types of steel. If the sheet metal on your car has really rusted through, there will be almost no magnetic force between it and the magnetized screwdriver.Oct 22, 2007

Q & A: Rusty metal and magnetism - Physics Van​

 

[hayboy48]

I had a problem with fuel flow with my 4025.
After about maybe 10/15hrs working on it, including removing the tank, new flex lines and filter, found the problem was the hole in the cut off petcock was too small from the factory. Tractor has 250 hrs. Drilled the hole to a larger size, running great now. Sometimes the simple is hidden and when you almost ready to give up, it hits you in the face.

 

[Spyro]

Yep, it says something about this in your operator's manual, page 49


You'll almost certainly have to remove the fuel tank if you want to fully clean it out. Barring that, you can try filling the tank to the top, let it soak for a few days, drain it all out, filter the diesel that came out of it and put it back in. Rinse and repeat a few times. And keep a couple spare fuel filters around.

Are you certain it's rust? Does it stick to a magnet? It very possibly could be microbe growth and you can solve your problems by draining/filtering and adding a little diesel biocide.

I drained the tank, poured in 3 gallons of straight vinegar and let it sit for 48 hours. I drained that, flushed the tank, and refilled it. It worked for a few hours and then had the same issue again. I'll try the biocide. Thanks.

 

[Spyro]

How old is your Mahindra ? I thought most tractors these days had some form of plastic tank that can’t rust.

Mine is about six years old. It has a metal tank with no liner.

 

[jaxs]

I can't tell you off the cuff what ail's it,noone can. I can give you advice from years experience that might help you find this and future problems. Instead of throwing solutions at it before knowing what's wrong,do some testing to narrow the problem down first. As always on diesels,we assume filters have already been changed. In this case,if you were able to drain the tank without flow stopping are slowing,the problem might be farther downstream. If stream falter's while draining,remove and inspect outlet/fuel stop valve and screen while tank is empty. If that look's ok and tank drain's uninterupted,move to the fuel lift pump intake line to see if it flow's free. If so,disconnect pump outlet,attach a liength of hose,stick hose in a container,turn key on to see if pump continue's pumping without geeting hot and slowing/stopping. Before replacing pump,find psi specs if possible. The pump is rinky dink in-line but dealers get $200 for it. You can buy a 3-10 psi universal pump for less than $20 and higher psi for less than $60.