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Expasion Tank Rust

Discussion in 'Technical Q&A' started by mike, Jan 17, 2006.

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  1. mike

    mike Formula Junior

    Nov 2, 2003
    721
    Colorado
    Full Name:
    Mike
    #1 mike, Jan 17, 2006
    Removed expansion tank, had it boiled out & when I bought it home it still had the brown gunk /rust inside. Power washed the expansion tank this weekend but still had surface rust on the bottom sides & top. No leaks but I was concerned enough to go to another radiator shop yesterday & get their opinion. Basically I asked how much (rust) is too much? The shop owner looked at it & told me to hook it back up & "run it". Basically he said that he could clean it out & make it "shiny" but because the metal inside is "exposed" once it starts to dry & is exposed to air it will begin to oxidize AGAIN!
    Anyway brought the expansion tank to a powder coating shop afterward and it should be done in about a week to week & 1/2, depending on when they do a run on the 60% gloss black I selected. So the tank is going to sit more.

    I am going to "rinse" the tank out with some antifreeze and some coolant "anti-rust"-(can't remember its exact name) when I get it back, & then bolt it back up. Hoping that will suffice, since the antifreeze has rust inhibitors, & so will the "anti rust" product. Then fill w/prestone & distilled water..not flushing entire system so no other brand to mix..will do the entire system when it gets into the shop..about a month.
    This kinda goes along with the water pump thread-but not exactly.

    Any thoughts on this? (how much is too much?) and any other recommendations on how I should proceed once I get it back from the powder coating shop?
     
  2. tatcat

    tatcat F1 World Champ
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    Sep 3, 2001
    11,013
    panama city beach FL
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    rick c
    #2 tatcat, Jan 17, 2006
    there is a product to coat it inside. you should be able to find it at a motorcycle shop or auto parts place. we used it to coat and seal the inside of gas tanks. don't recall its name.
     
  3. 4Webers

    4Webers Formula Junior

    Nov 12, 2003
    276
    Texas
    Full Name:
    Darrell
    #3 4Webers, Jan 17, 2006
    I treated my tank using the POR-15 motorcycle tank kit. I bought the small tank kit and it was more than enough to do the expansion tank. Worked great.

    www.por15.com
     
  4. Dale_K

    Dale_K Karting

    May 6, 2005
    73
    Arkansas
    #4 Dale_K, Jan 17, 2006
    Kreem?
     
  5. JTranfield

    JTranfield Formula Junior

    Dec 29, 2003
    665
    NYC, London
    Full Name:
    J Tranfield
    #5 JTranfield, Jan 17, 2006
    Superperformance sell an aluminum one which is a good solution.
     
  6. Jdubbya

    Jdubbya The $10 Trillion Man
    Silver Subscribed

    Dec 28, 2003
    43,621
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    John
    #6 Jdubbya, Jan 17, 2006
    Me too. Worked great!

    One word of caution about the SP aluminum one. Watch where the hose fittings are on yours compared to the new. They may not match.
     
  7. Mark 328

    Mark 328 Formula Junior

    Nov 6, 2003
    510
    Orange, Ca
    Full Name:
    Mark Foley
    #7 Mark 328, Jan 17, 2006
    Mike:
    To clean out the rust, you may want to put a length (about a foot piece of 1/4" chain) inside the tank and shake it all-around. Have used this method on gas tanks. You can even put some small rocks in with the chain and it will really clean it up.

    As far as anti-freeze, I would stay away from the Prestone--it has silicates which become corrosive after about a year. Both BMW and MBZ have a coolant that does not contain silicates and it is about $18/Gal. It is blue and it looks good too!

    Mark
     
  8. tomoshea

    tomoshea Formula Junior

    Dec 29, 2003
    541
    Ireland
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    Tom O'Shea
    #8 tomoshea, Jan 18, 2006
    Used POR15 on mine worked a treat I had pin holes in the bottom mine.

    Used a mig welder and POR 15 problem gone.
     
  9. 4Webers

    4Webers Formula Junior

    Nov 12, 2003
    276
    Texas
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    Darrell
    #9 4Webers, Jan 18, 2006
    Audi/VW coolant is a good choice also, silicate-free. Same coolant is also used/sold by Porsche. About the same price as BMW coolant, but a pink-orange color.
     
  10. mike

    mike Formula Junior

    Nov 2, 2003
    721
    Colorado
    Full Name:
    Mike
    #10 mike, Jan 18, 2006
    Thanks everyone!
    As far as the prestone, I'm not doing a complete flush so I will just replace with the prestone (which is what was in the car previously) AND distilled water. I plan on getting a complete flush/refill in about a month & at that time will use the non-silicate stuff & distilled water.
     
  11. JTranfield

    JTranfield Formula Junior

    Dec 29, 2003
    665
    NYC, London
    Full Name:
    J Tranfield
    #11 JTranfield, Jan 18, 2006
    Really did the fittings change dependant on 308 model year?
     
  12. don_xvi

    don_xvi F1 Rookie

    Nov 1, 2003
    2,934
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    Don the 16th
    #12 don_xvi, Jan 18, 2006
    The emissions (aka US 78-79, perhaps Australia) GTB/S had a different expansion tank than the other GTB/S models.
     
  13. 4Webers

    4Webers Formula Junior

    Nov 12, 2003
    276
    Texas
    Full Name:
    Darrell
    #13 4Webers, Jan 18, 2006
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017

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