Went to clean the carbs yesterday and found rust dust inside them. Looked in the tank and sure enough, the tank has rust spots. Anyone know the best way to get rid of the rust? I've heard phosphoric acid, muriatic acid, vinegar, electrolysis, and bb's with diesel all work but I am wondering the best way to do it. P.S. I plan on Kreeming the tank when I get the rust out.
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Tank rust cleaning
- Thread starter chris
- Start date
new kid on the brat
new kid on the brat
hmmmm... new church moto was supose to give us some feedback on a project but i don't remeber reading anything..... did i miss it?
Well, got around to dealing with the tank today. Worked out quite well. After emptying the gas, I gave it a thorough cleaning with bb's and dish soap (used dawn with micro scrubbers for that little bit extra). Tank came out degreased and varnish free and smelled pleasantly like apples but the surface rust remained. Rinsed the dish soap out and threw in a couple bottles of Evapo-rust. Let that soak in for a couple hours while turning the tank every half hour or so. That pretty much got rid of the rust but i wanted the extra insurance so i decided to line the tank. I was going to use Kreem but after some research, POR-15 seemed to be much better respected by the online community. So I picked up a motorcycle specific kit and put it to work. Followed the instructions to a T and it worked fine. Now we will see if it stands the test of time. Not sure if all this was overkill for a little surface rust in the tank but I was sick of cleaning the carbs out every week. Hopefully this info helps, alot of bikes are coming out of storage this time of year.
lhaolpa
XS400 Junkie
I used a cement mixer that I had from my former life as a contractor,filled the tank with 1/2 gallon paint thinner and diesel,with BBs and nuts and bolts.I then wrapped it up in an old blanket,wedged it in with some old pillows from camping,and started it up. After 16 hrs of turning,adjusting level for even cleaning,I emptied,rinsed,filled 1/2 way with soapy water,and turned again for about 1 hr. It was pretty clean,but had a little rust remaining,so I rinsed with muriatic acid.It is now clean afterward,I then coated the insides with oil,letting it drain later.....lha
I used purple power rust remover; it worked really well but leaves a "protective" residue that will sneak past fuel filters and gum up the carbs. After rinsing the tank out with fuel I did not have any problems. I used bbs and shook the take up by hand.
lhaolpa
XS400 Junkie
After the acid,2 parts acid 1 part water,there's nothing left but clean steel,used 2 cycle oil,as it's for a dirt bike.Yeah,I've been keeping the mixer for something,now I know why.It's almost new,and I hate to sell it for nothing,heck,it's Italian made!!!!lha
jomama
XS400 Enthusiast
If your in a bind and cant get to a store, try some diesel fuel or kero (not to much ) and a crosslink or 2 section from an old tire chain . I have cleaned many a tank this way.
OnePhate
XS400 Addict
I use metal rescue, its a green product, which means safe for the skin and safe for the environment. Did I mention its reusable?
jomama
XS400 Enthusiast
Where can this metal rescue be bought?
OnePhate
XS400 Addict
http://www.metalrescue.com/assets/pdf/Metal Rescue Participating Stores.pdf
a list of stores its carried in, and it can be bought from many websites. They also do booths at car shows and motorcycle shows, if you email them and ask if they are doing a show near you, let them know you'd like to buy some, they will most likely send some products for sale with the promotions team. I got mine when they were doing testing on derusting gas tanks, I sent them a tank i had laying around, and they sent it back rust free, with a bottle of metal rescue.
Its also safe for paint and rubber, unless of course there is rust under the paint.
a list of stores its carried in, and it can be bought from many websites. They also do booths at car shows and motorcycle shows, if you email them and ask if they are doing a show near you, let them know you'd like to buy some, they will most likely send some products for sale with the promotions team. I got mine when they were doing testing on derusting gas tanks, I sent them a tank i had laying around, and they sent it back rust free, with a bottle of metal rescue.
Its also safe for paint and rubber, unless of course there is rust under the paint.
jlearning1
XS400 Enthusiast
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Does vinegar actually works for all the rust. If yes what type of vinger ie White, apple cider? What kind of vinegar. How long do you let it sit in the tank for? Do you shake it around in the tank, or just let it sit?
Thanks
Thanks
It does...but it takes forever. Toilet bowl cleaner with muriatic (hydrochloric) works faster, but the problem with these (vinegar too) is that they can flash rust pretty quickly after. I like phosphoric acid such as Jasco Metal Prep and Etch. It leaves an iron phosphate coating that does not rust.
Pawl
Arctic chop & bob
I too! am a believer in the power of undiluted white vinegar over rust. For the price. . . . nothing can compete, you just have to let it soak about 4 days. Now I have a tank that has rust and old gas varnish . . . any ideas on what vinegar does for very - very old shellaced gas . . . I'm talkin' this bike was last plated for the road in '96, and the tank was half full of the oldest gas I had ever seen (or smelled) when I bought it. the gas was probably only like a buck a gallon when it was new though.
carreragt7
Noob to Motorcycles
I'm about to purchase some of the Por-15 tank cleaner. They have the standard kit and then they have the HD kit: which one have you folks used and would you recommend? The HD kit is identical to the regular besides also including a quart of their tank strip.
Local supplier only stocks the regular kit.
Local supplier only stocks the regular kit.
lhaolpa
XS400 Junkie
Hope it works for you,but I've seen liners peeling off and [I'm sure clogging]ending up in the carb
xs400neophite
XS400 Addict
OK so for the millionth time...what is the best way to clean a gas tank? Actually mine is rusty orange looking on the bottoms but no pitting. Also the petcock was frozen but when I finally turned it to 'PRI' it leaked like a sive for a second, from all over it seemed, then only drained from the connection tube.
OnePhate
XS400 Addict
The metal rescue worked great for me. After the tank sat for a while it did aquire some more rust though, I should have coated.
