Rust in the Gas Tank

[Magnum Magna]

The string idea is great.  We did discuss the removal but never followed that line other then it was going to be a difficult pain

[silveradocowboy]

But last night he has read a different way to brake the chemical bond of the rust and the metal tank.  Fill the tank with distilled water use a battery charger has a power supply

I remembered I had something similar to that, I"ll upload it to Yahoo for a couple weeks before I delete it.
http://www.geocities.com/silverado_cowboy_2000/tankrust/tankrust.html

That string idea is great!

[arent_we_sarcastic]

I was going to suggest using a length of chain for easy removal but the nuts and bolts on a string works well too

[trapper]

I have seen the chain idea in a couple of places on the internet.

Since its raining AGAIN today, I may try  to get the tank off for a little closer inspection.

[trapper]

So this is how I handled the rust problem.

I took the tank off on Friday the 27th and gave it a thorough looking at.  Definitely lots of scaling and pitting in the tank.  The outlet was partially clogged with rust debris.  I talked with a local sandblaster who said he could blast the inside of the tank, but he couldn't be sure he'd get all the rust.  So Wednesday last week, when there is no footballl practice, I stopped by the Wally World and bought a 1500 count tube of BB's.  I poured them in the tank, taped all of the openings shut, wrapped it in a comforter, packed it in the dryer with lots of blankets and pillows so the tank itself wouldn't bounce around, and ran the dryer for an hour.  When I took the tank out and looked inside, the rust was pulverized.  It was dust...!  After about a half hour of shaking and bouncing and standing on my head, I got all the BB's out.  I blew much of the dust out with my air compressor, and yesterday flushed it 4 times with gasoline.  After that, I rinsed the inside of the tank with acetone, drained it and blew it dry and sealed it with Red-Kote which I had to drive to Killeen to get.  I'm completely thrilled with the results and believe I will have a totally rust free fuel tank after its finished curing out...

[Curtis_Valk]

You are a lucky man trapper, I thought only us single guys could tumble tanks in the dryer, cure paint in the oven and wash parts in the dishwasher without getting KILLED!!!      

Curtis

[trapper]

Well...

I don't know if it's luck, but

my wife's very tolerant, and for some reason loves me.    I must be like a kid...you know, no matter what they do, you still love 'em...  

[trapper]

From Tina:

Hey, guys....love has nothing to do with it!  Secretly, I was hoping the dryer would break so Trapper would be forced to buy me a new one!  

[RV8guy]

As I fire up the way back machine I can hear "Hey honey, why don't take some time for yourself a do a little shopping today. Buy yourself something nice. Take your time, a couple of hours ought to do."

Meanwhile...a plan is afoot.

[TLRam1]

Another option;

I have done a couple of tanks.

This stuff works well but you do need to take the tank to a car wash and thourghly remove gas and oil or it will reduce the effectiveness.

It is called EVAPO-RUST and safe on the paint and reusable. It is available from O'REILLY and AUTOZONE A galllon is about 20 dollars.

http://www.evapo-rust.com/

http://www.evaporust.com/

I have never used but have read about 3 tank liners I think live up to there claim better. Kreem is not one of them. Por-15 is, I think Red Kote is another and would have to research what the other is.

But when and if it starts to peel and how to get it out.......I would recommend if possible, to clean and use an in-line filter unless you must coat.

I am currently working on a GT750 and GT380 which the EVAPO-RUST cleaning method has worked well. Once you remove the solution I washed again at the car wash than dumped a quart of alcohol in the tank, slosh, drain and let dry. Don't forget to install a in-line filter.

Terry

[silveradocowboy]

From Tina:

Hey, guys....love has nothing to do with it!  Secretly, I was hoping the dryer would break so Trapper would be forced to buy me a new one!  

After reading this to Deb I got the OK to use the dryer also!    Not sure if that is good or bad news.

[magnagregcan]

If you put a gas tank in the dryer, your crazier than hell! That's my take on it; you'll never get ALL the rust out, and what remains will spread no matter what.
A plastic liner is good, but must cover ALL the inside of the tank; miss a spot and your toast!
Everything lasts for a while, some longer, but nothing is forever. Remember that when you're trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear!
lol
This forum is really good; no BS mostly. I like that.
Greg

[Ed Mackessy]

I have cleaned out many old gas tanks with a bottle of BB's. You can buy a bottle with 6000 BB's for about 7 bucks. Pull the petcock and pour in the bb's, then shake the you know what out of it. You can pour out the bb's and use a magnet to get the last few out. Next, I blow out the tank with compressed air.( wear a dust mask because this creates one hell of a "rust cloud") Put in a quart of gas and rinse out the remaining rust.

When I find rust in the tank I also clean the carbs.

This method worked great on a 1976 Yamaha XS 360 that had been left outside for 14 years. I got about 3 cups of solid rust dust out of the tank before I used the compressed air.

Hope this helps.

[Greg Cothern]

You can also wash out with Alcohol after you do the shake it all about, the alcohol will evaporate and help dry it..

[trapper]

A lot of great comments and some very good experiences.  Seems as if I didn't do too bad restoring the tank.  I'll get around to reinstalling it on the bike after I hook up Tina's new dryer....