Modern Buddy

Picked up a cheap Stella on craigslist last weekend. Cleaned the carb, added some fresh fuel and stabilizer and it ran well for about an hour. Now it only runs with choke and seems like the carb needs to be cleaned again. There is visible rust on the fuel cap and inner edge of the fuel tank.

How should I proceed? Is it worth cleaning the carb or will it just get refouled by the rust? Should I remove and attempt to clean the tank?

I just cleaned a fuel tank out on another vehicle last week with the same problem.

I used a product from Eastwood for sealing fuel tanks. It had to be shot-blasted, then pickled with hydrochloric acid, finally rinsed with acetone. It turned out fine, but that was half a day of work.

The cost of a new tank should be factored in. A replacement for mine was not easy to find, so that was the reason I had to clean it and seal it. New PX or LML 2T tanks are available. I saw some new ones on eBay, but they aren't exactly cheap.

I have taken a few to the local radiator rebuild shop. They hot tank them. Expect some paint loss.

This stuff works great. Go to Harbor freight and buy Vaporust. pour it into your tank along with a section of chain. Swirl it around and let it sit overnight. Swirl it around every few hours. Rinse out with gasoline and air blast the empty tank and your good to go.

Clean it. There’s plenty of advice on the web.

https://youtu.be/N7NDu3iQGF8

There is a filter in the top of the carburetor that is easy to check. And there is a filter in the tank. These two filters should stop particles of rust. The carb may need to be cleaned a couple of times to get in running right.