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Message started by weracerc on 04/20/12 at 07:43:34

Title: clean out/restore gas tank?
Post by weracerc on 04/20/12 at 07:43:34

ok I need my Savage Rocket Scientist buddies to help me with a generic question for my Shadow - the tank is rusty inside (it was a Florida bike exposed to salt air) what do I do to clean & restore it?

Title: Re: clean out/restore gas tank?
Post by Dave on 04/20/12 at 07:54:34

I used a product in a friends MG tank that worked great. It does not hurt paint and does not etch the metal - it only loosens and removes rust. It is non caustic and you can dip your fingers in it......doesn't hurt a thing. Evidently the way it works is it removes the oxygen from the rust.....and the rust just falls off. I left it in the MG tanks for about a week - as the tank was badly rusted. It came out squeaky clean - then I used POR 15 fuel tank coating to prevent further rust caused by the wonderful new ethanol fuel.

Here is a ling to some products that are the same:

http://www.rustremover.biz/

http://www.evaporust.com/evaporust.html

http://www.theruststore.com/Evapo-Rust-Gallon-P1C1.aspx

When you rinse the tank out - use hot water and then a blow drier or air compressor to dry the tank as quickly as possible.

Title: Re: clean out/restore gas tank?
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 04/20/12 at 09:36:02

If its bad, do what he said, if its just a light coat, some Ospho, available @ Kelly-Moore paints for about $12.00 a quart, just enough to get the whole thing wet is all you need,you wouldnt need a 1/2 cup, It changes Iron Oxide into Iron Phosphate, it goes from red to black,,
I keep a quart around, its handy on lots of things.

Ospho wont work on rust that has developed layers, if its got scales that can be chipped off, it wont do it, but if its just rusty & has some light pitting that doesnt have beads of rust sitting in the bottom of pits, itll do it.

Title: Re: clean out/restore gas tank?
Post by youzguyz on 04/20/12 at 09:54:25

I used oxalic acid. Worked pretty good. The tank wasn't severely rusted, but still too nasty to use. A couple go rounds with the acid and it got rid of the rust.
Finding it locally can be a pain, but I got it online at flea bay

Title: Re: clean out/restore gas tank?
Post by weracerc on 04/23/12 at 06:10:21

http://www.wd40specialist.com/products/rust-remover

My chemist buddy found this - I have not found a local supplier - has anyone used this before?

Title: Re: clean out/restore gas tank?
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 04/23/12 at 07:40:35

Ive never even heard of it, but it looks promising.

Hey! Seems I went out with a girl like that once..

& now I cant remember if I was disappointed,,
Ohh well,, back to taking rust off,,
Looks like dumping some in & sloshing it, letting it sit a while, & doing it again if needed wouldnt be too tough, maybe layin the tank down on one side & let it soak,, then the other,,unless its cheap enough to fill the tank?
Ill bet its not cheap, tho,,

Hmmm,, 35 bux a gallon ,, online,, & a quart of Ospho was about 12 last time I needed some,, & wouldnt need more than a cup to do the tank, unless its not just a little rusted,

Just how bad Is that tank? Is it pitted & has scale inside? If it was something you could lay hands on, could you wire brush it off? I mean by hand, not a wire wheel on a drill,,,

Title: Re: clean out/restore gas tank?
Post by arteacher on 04/23/12 at 08:12:57

Put some small sharp edged stones in it and shake 'em around to get rid of rust flakes.

Title: Re: clean out/restore gas tank?
Post by WD on 04/23/12 at 16:06:06

If the inside of the tank is just lightly hazed over, ignore it. Add an inline fuel filter.

If it is crusty, evapo-rust or similar. Fill it to the top and cap with a plumber's test plug so you can turn the tank upside down or hang it by the rear mounts.

Look like somebody filled it with soggy Copenhagen? Fill halfway with kerosene, throw in some 3/8- crushed rock or a handful of brass nuts and shake it like you want to pop it. Then hit it with evaporust or such.

Easiest way? Find a real radiator shop to hot tank boil it out. They can solder any pinholes that crop up. And add a real lining (unlike that Kreem crap). Went this route on Lisa's 1971 CL100 tank. It was either that or throw the bike away, some parts just are not available anymore.

Title: Re: clean out/restore gas tank?
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 04/23/12 at 17:12:55

Yea, if its just a lite dustin,, somethin you could clean off with a hand held wire brush in just a few strokes, you could just run it, but Iron Oxide would be there & it wouldnt go away,, slosh some Os[ho in there & KILL the rust, It stops being Iron Oxide ( Rust) & becomes Iron Phosphate,,

Then put a filter on it & ride, That filter will tell you if you need to do more,l

Title: Re: clean out/restore gas tank?
Post by weracerc on 04/24/12 at 17:33:45

lite rust on the fill neck - heavier rust scale at the 1/3 full line - no wet nasty copenhagen looking stuff as far as I can see from the limited view from the fill neck - bike has a fuel filter on it - bought a new one to repolace the original one after i de-rustify the tank

Title: Re: clean out/restore gas tank?
Post by Bubba on 04/25/12 at 08:17:58

just did this on a moped I bought...yes, a moped (what the hey, it's fun!). I used white vineger (add 1 1/2 cup table salt per gallon) left it in the tank for 7 days...then add water with baking soda to neutralize the weak acid...then rinse a couple times with gas.

came out really nice and was only 4 bucks (ya probably gotta buy 2 gallons of vineger for our tank tho')!!!

If I had the dough though, I'd use the evaporust at harbor freight...then you don't have to wait a week...

Title: Re: clean out/restore gas tank?
Post by weracerc on 04/25/12 at 18:14:26

i am leaning heavily towards the evapo-rust - just wish a few have used it would hollar.....next rainy no riding day the tank will get soaked inside with that stuff - provided i dont hear some horror story about ti before then.

Title: Re: clean out/restore gas tank?
Post by verslagen1 on 04/25/12 at 19:23:59

i've used evapo rust many times on external surfaces.
only horror is the rust will come back if you don't paint the treated areas.

Title: Re: clean out/restore gas tank?
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 04/25/12 at 20:49:19

How much scale is in there?

Title: Re: clean out/restore gas tank?
Post by Dave on 04/26/12 at 04:02:29

18175240574046444F4210210 wrote:

My experience with Evaporust is good - it did the job well. My concern with the WD40 product is that is contains phosporic acid and salt - which sounds to me like it will affect even the steel that is not rusted. The Evaporust does not etch the steel.

The rusty tanks I did were then treated with POR15 tank sealer. I didn't want any more problems with rusty tanks - and with ethanol being prevalent in all pump gas I just went ahead and coated the tank.