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Lead in tank

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baja burley Officially Full-On Dubber

325 posts · joined Sep 2008 ·

#704431
g'day guys

Im aware that old VW's take leaded fuel but is it literally 'leaded' i thought it was a lead based adiitive. Any way the previous owner of my dub has put big chunks of roofing lead in my petrol tank and i cant get em out. Good or bad?? just wondering if im up for a new tank.

cheers
luke
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volumex Officially Full-On Dubber

389 posts · joined Jul 2005 ·

#704456
How have you tried to get them out?
Probably a good idea to get them out, not because of the chemical effects but because if you are unlucky enough for one of the chunks to hit the inlet tubes it could cause problems. Slim chance, but Murphys law states it will happen on a cold wet Sunday night 1000 miles from the nearest help.

colonel mustard Son of Jim - Creator of Good

2,829 posts · joined Feb 2009 ·

#704460
It could rust out the tank.. In theory...
Be best to yank it out and give it a clean up and clean out. Fun times.

Phil74Camper Head in the Clouds

2,703 posts · joined Aug 2002 ·

#704480
The previous owner must have thought that the pieces of lead would dissolve into the fuel - like a Berocca or something. Not going to work! Drain the fuel and remove the tank. That way you can upend it and shake out the pieces, or al least grab them with long neck pliers.

Lead was never added to petrol as a raw metal. The chemical compund tetra ethyl lead (CH3 Ch2)4 Pb was, usually around 1 part TEL with about 1,250 parts petrol. It was originally added for its anti-knock properties - to prevent pre-ignition and allow running higher compression ratios without pre-ignition.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetra-ethyl_lead

RISKYBUG Seriously Crusin Dubber

187 posts · joined Mar 2008 ·

#704553
omg never heard of this before!
i try to take them out if not find another tank

baja burley Officially Full-On Dubber

325 posts · joined Sep 2008 ·

#704598
i thought it would be some lead based hydrocarbon...

i have taken the tank out and given it a descent shake, and only a few bits came out... so i guess i'll have to employ the longnose pliers

anyway, good to see its no massive drama.

cheers guys
luke
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Joel Now containing 100\% E-Wang

9,368 posts · joined Feb 2006 ·

#704601
god damn ppl do some whacked things

Luke if the tanks out of the car and empty take the fuel gauge sender out and turn it upside down and they should fall out the hole

baja burley Officially Full-On Dubber

325 posts · joined Sep 2008 ·

#704610
they are too big for the filler hole so yer will give it a go.. is there a specific technique to taken these out?
There are three types of people in this world - people who can count and people who can't....

Joel Now containing 100\% E-Wang

9,368 posts · joined Feb 2006 ·

#704615
yours is an SBug right?

the senders just rotate anticlockwise abit to disengage the lugs that hold them in place
i find multi grips work well in the cutouts around the edges

then the trick part is getting the float arms up out of the hole

they tend to get caught up in the internal baffles

donn Wolfsburg Elder

3,515 posts · joined Nov 2005 ·

#704638
Some things I read on here (not just this thread) make me wonder if it's just a gee up, but then I always have been a bit of a doubting Thomas (just how is "sinic" realy spelt) So why dont you try one of those long retractable claw thingies, they are like a long flexable arm with 3 small claws on one end and a spring loaded button on the other end, push the button in and the claws come out the other end and open up, get it onto the item you want to retreve, let the button go and the claws retract and close onto the item, I have one and find it's great for retreaving things from awkward places.
I dream of a day when a chicken can cross a road without being asked for it's motive!

68AutoBug Beetle Restorer - Experience over 138\% - YIKES --

11,654 posts · joined Aug 2002 ·

#704751
I wouldn't worry about it...
a bit of lead would help...
but I'm sure that lead doesn;t break down in petrol..

LEE
- Helping keep Air Cooled VWs on the road - location: SCONE in the Upper Hunter Valley - Northern NSW 320 kms NNW of SYDNEY---

baja burley Officially Full-On Dubber

325 posts · joined Sep 2008 ·

#704802
yeah im not worried about the chemical side of things so much now. just what volumex said about it blocking the fuel lines (long shot but could happen).

ive got one of them grabby things and didnt think of that but will give it a go. cheers!
There are three types of people in this world - people who can count and people who can't....

Phil74Camper Head in the Clouds

2,703 posts · joined Aug 2002 ·

#704812
Lead metal might dissolve in acid, or maybe in Coca Cola? But it won't dissolve in petrol any more than steel will. It would sit in the tank forever and do absolutely nothing to the petrol - it wouldn't 'help' at all. You might as well throw coins into the petrol tank.

DirkHedde Slammed & Awesome Dubber

91 posts · joined Oct 2008 ·

#704819
wouldnt the bottom of the tank rust out because of this?

pod i`ve got to finish this thing one day

4,980 posts · joined Dec 2003 ·

#704837
donn wrote:Some things I read on here (not just this thread) make me wonder if it's just a gee up, but then I always have been a bit of a doubting Thomas (just how is "sinic" realy spelt) So why dont you try one of those long retractable claw thingies, they are like a long flexable arm with 3 small claws on one end and a spring loaded button on the other end, push the button in and the claws come out the other end and open up, get it onto the item you want to retreve, let the button go and the claws retract and close onto the item, I have one and find it's great for retreaving things from awkward places.
its spelt cynic,yer forums are good for some of the wackiest of things 😂🤪
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Gracey Wolfsburg Wizard

511 posts · joined Feb 2003 ·

#705711
DirkHedde wrote:wouldnt the bottom of the tank rust out because of this?
No, lead doesn't rust, under certain circumstances lead will corode but I doubt it would do anything inside a fuel tank.

donn Wolfsburg Elder

3,515 posts · joined Nov 2005 ·

#705718
Lead is not compatable with some metals ie, you shouldn't put lead flashings onto a colorbond roof as it sets up an electrolasis effect with the coating that is applied to the base material (steel) and corrosion gets going pretty damned fast, I don't think DirkHedde was saying the lead would rust though it can as rust is simply steel corrosion and lead will corrode, goes to a sort of white powder, can't see it forming any sort of electrolasis with the steel in the tank though.
I dream of a day when a chicken can cross a road without being asked for it's motive!

baja burley Officially Full-On Dubber

325 posts · joined Sep 2008 ·

#705894
Went in the with the 'claw' yesterday and pulled out a good 40 or 50 inch square chunks. God damn the creator of this shamozzle...
There are three types of people in this world - people who can count and people who can't....