What I got done today… I had a gas!

Well, I figured that if I was ever going to get the carb strapped back on and the engine back in and the electrical done, I’d need to go through the fuel system… So, today, thanks to the good graces of LTGal, who took LTBabe shopping with her this morning, and my mum, who took LTbabe this afternoon AND fed us supper while LTGal was at work, I got back out into the garage for a big chunk… So, when last we looked at the fuel system…

and unfortunately, the 64 MEG RAM upgrade did NOT help the sediment bowl AT ALL
So, NOT a pretty sight….

First of all, pull the sediment bowl off the tank…

The tech manual says,
“Wash out sediment bowl and dry thoroughly whenever dirt particles are noted in the bowl”….. Hmmmmm…. MIGHT be just about time… So… How the heck do you get it OFF? Tech manual says,

“The sediment bowl is easily cleaned by closing the shut-off valve and loosening the thumb nut until the bowl can be removed…” 45 minutes, a pair of slip-joint pliers and a bunch of shots of WD-40 later… I have THIS,

and I have THIS,

So, the Tech manual talks about a strainer, but I can’t see one… Looking at the top of the sediment bowl, I see this:

Well! How the heck is this bloody thing supposed to WORK, with a big rubber flap where the strainer is supposed to be?!?!? Oh… Waitaminit….

A bit of prying reveals…

Hmmmmm…

And then I can see UNDER the screen/gum container!

Okay, out comes the scrub brushes, the scrapey knifey thing and the Simple Green!

The filter screen, after 20-30 minutes of scrubbing and scraping:

The bowl hangar, after some sanding and polishing with steel wool:

The sediment bowl top, after about an hour of scraping and scrubbing and picking with sharp implements:

The screen and top reassembled:

The whole unit back together:

And strapped back onto a scrubbed and sanded tank (sanded by hand, as there appeared to still be very small bits of gas… and LOTS of varnish… in the tank):

So, things I have to do… Find out whether the sediment bowl gasket and screen are still available and order new ones… I kept the old ones and put them back in for now (and in case they aren’t) but they aren’t the best… Also, while I don’t have a picture of it, there’s a schwack of varnish coating the bottom of the inside of the tank… What I’m TRYING right now is a mix of water, Simple Green and a handful of gravel. I’m going to let the detergent sit for a day or so, then violently agitate the tank to see if the gravel will take the varnish off… Wasn’t sure how else to do it, because I have no access to any acids or anything like that… Next step beyond that will be to prime and paint the tank… Then I buy some new gas line.

All in all, a good day’s work….