Rusty tank and pickup questions
5hp Briggs are very common. Salvaging a tank from a junked engine might be the best approach. Check the local mower shops for a junk pile. The down side is the tank is often the first part to go bad on these engines.
If you have to save this tank, you could degrease it with water and laundry soap, then soak it overnight in white vinegar ($2.00 a gallon at the grocery store). If the cleaned part looks good enough to use, you could do a final cleaning with this:
BEHR 1-Gallon Concrete and Masonry Cleaner and Etcher
The reason that you use the laundry soap and vinegar first is to try to keep the $20/gallon etcher clean for reuse. The reason that you would use the Behr etcher last is that parts derusted with vinegar are prone to flash rusting, but the etcher leaves some kind of surface that is less prone to rusting.
If you have to save this tank, you could degrease it with water and laundry soap, then soak it overnight in white vinegar ($2.00 a gallon at the grocery store). If the cleaned part looks good enough to use, you could do a final cleaning with this:
BEHR 1-Gallon Concrete and Masonry Cleaner and Etcher
The reason that you use the laundry soap and vinegar first is to try to keep the $20/gallon etcher clean for reuse. The reason that you would use the Behr etcher last is that parts derusted with vinegar are prone to flash rusting, but the etcher leaves some kind of surface that is less prone to rusting.
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If you've got a tank with a lot of rust, you can fill 1/3 with water and drop it some clean stones. Shake tank around to loosen rust. When you've got it clean enough, dump out water and let dry. If you have pin holes rusted through, you can clean with solvents and coat with a gas tank sealer like por 15.
