Fuel Diamond. Really?

[DMT]

Ethanol?

[Philip Wardle]

My old tank was plated with hydrated ferric oxide, Fe2O3 x H2O ( rust !)

[MikeParker]

Interesting, I too never knew that the inside of the tank was plated, please will you let us know the plating material.

Are you saying that Stag tanks are not plated? Happy to be corrected if I got that wrong.

As far as I was aware the normal coating for petrol tanks is some kind of tin alloy (as per baked beans etc). I just presumed it was a bit thin on the Stag tank, hence all the reports of rust. I have not looked in my tank for many years, but no sign of significant rust when I last did to repair the level sensor.

[richardthestag]

Also, who would want a stone bouncing around in their tank? Not sure that would do much good to the thin plating on the inside of the tank.

Bear with me on this,

When I was a whole lot younger my friends and I used to play pranks on each other, all designed to cause the utmost distress and something that could be used to taunt the poor beleaguered chap at the pub.

I will not go into all that occurred, it started with a stone behind a metal hub cap and evolved from there. I can confirm that the handful of pebbles that I dropped into Dave's Rover P6 fuel tank had absolutely no effect whatsoever. I am guessing that the weight of the stone and the resistance created by the liquid around them cause them to more very slowly indeed. I honestly cannot be bothered but maybe drop a fuel diamond into a washing up bowl of water and slosh it around. I wager that you will get wet before it moves.

Anyone remember Bombay Duck? that was fun when in someone elses heater vents in the dash.

[marshman]

Interesting, I too never knew that the inside of the tank was plated, please will you let us know the plating material.

Everyday a school day eh!

I concur with Mike. Pretty sure fuel tanks and other similar items in the auomotive (and other) industries were made from steel with a thin tin/lead coating. Certainly all the tanks on old British cars I have ever dealt with seem to have been made with some sort of plated steel - not very thick plating - easily scratched and the steel quality once we get into the 1960's is dubious - hence why they eventually rust out (or in!). I have a couple of "spare" tanks for my 1950's Standard 8/10's and they are definitely plated, as were the tanks on my old Vanguards and more recently the one I replaced on my Landy 110 (1985 vintage) - shame that one rotted out along the seams, but then it is rather exposed underneath at the back with a nice mounting "cradle" underneath to trap dirt and moisture.

[dasadrew]

Probably the fuel in the tank does a lot to keep the rust at bay. Just another reason I guess to keep the tank topped up. I know that some like to run it pretty dry every so often to check the volume of fuel going in accurately or to make sure the level sensor actually shows empty when the tank is really empty. Each to his own; no laws against either way.

[mike@thenook]

Yes, I've sent a brief note to Simon

Glad it worked Philip, well done