Any updates on de-rusting fuel tanks?

[praxis]

New to the forum and restoring 85 Goldwing.
I've found an article by MJSantos on cleaning gas tanks using electrolysis. Additional search on the web reveals similar, basic methods of fuel tank cleaning with very little deviation from Mr. Santos' article. The Goldwing I'm working on has been sitting in a garage for the last 6 years and I'm primarily concentrating on the fuel delivery system. Its stripped down, carbs off, and gas tank pulled out. However, before I begin to de-rust and clean the tank, I wanted to double check with the members of this forum in an effort to determine if this information is still current, and also determine if there might be other ways of cleaning the fuel tank. I have to add that while there might be more ways of doing this, tank cleaning, this method of using electrolysis has caught my eye. Just my opinion of course but know that I would welcome yours as well.

[SteveB123]

I've used the POR-15 http://www.canada-por15.com/merchant.mv ... ankSealers kit on a previous Suzuki, and was VERY pleased with the results. Cleans, etches, and seals the inner tank surface, so fuel never touches the steel again.

[Sidcar]

Hi,
I looked into the various ways of derusting the tank on my 1500, which had stood for 7 or more years, then I went and bought a used tank of ebay. Cost £40 inc postage problem solved............apart from the hassle of fitting it.

Sid

[praxis]

Reply to SteveB123-Thank you for the link and advise
Reply to Sidcar- Thank you for the time you've taken to reply

Both replies are possibilities. One of the reasons I wanted to try the electrolysis method is because its the cheapest method I've found. Can't say its the best of course. And the best method is probably the last one I will need to try. Yes, as SteveB pointed out, there are chemicals out there which might "do the trick" and around 50 dollars seems to be the price of several brands of chemicals. Also, as Sidcar pointed out, get a used one on e-bay and just be done with it. Both good ideas and I thank you for sharing your experiences.

[trike lady]

I had a gentleman tell me that he de-rusted the gas tank on his bike with a mixture of pea gravel and white vinegar, then a rinse with hot water and a coating of engine oil. He had good results with this method.
The rocks are the abrasive, the vinegar must etch the metal, the hot water to rinse away the residue and the oil to protect the metal.

[landisr]

I would think the first time fuel is put in the tank, the oil "protection" would disappear.. ??

Ron in MI

[dingdong]

I think that de-rusting without a sealant is a waste of time. The metal is now pitted and will rust over in a short time. Por-15 is what I used with excellent results. 8 years and still no rust.

[SteveB123]

The POR kit has pretty universal strong positive reviews.

NOT the case with Kreem.

[Viking]

The POR kit has pretty universal strong positive reviews.

NOT the case with Kreem.

Kreem has a tendency to soften, sag and peel if gasoline with ethanol is left in over the winter. Before ethanol, it was the only thing anyone used, but not anymore. I have used POR15 for other applications such as stopping rust on metal fenders and frames, and it really works well, so I would trust their fuel tank cleaner/coating. I have absolutely no knowledge of the electrolysis method.

[praxis]

Trike Lady- Thank you! I like the way you broke down the method. I've encountered other articles which describe a similar breakdown in the steps needing to be considered in de-rusting a tank. First is some method of using an abrasive, I've read of using sand, glass, assorted nuts and bolts, and ball bearings. Second consideration is usually some active agent like vinegar, or any other product with an acidic base. Next is some method used to neutralize the action of an acid, much like developing a photographic print where water is used to stop the continued process on silver. Lastly, some method of preventing flash rusting, or some type of sealant, or retardent, usually petroleum based which can emulsify in fuel. Thanks

[prc]

My '82 Interstate tank needs to be derusted soon, Im thinking of going the vinegar route.
It seems that letting it soak for 2 days and then rinsing with baking soda is a proven method.
The tank is going to stay on the bike for this procedure so Im wondering how to best rinse out the baking soda after it drys out?
Can I harm my petcock innards by doing this?
I have both compressed air and a wet/dry vac at the ready.
Thanks for any help.
Phil

[Fulcrum]

Two words.......Metal Rescue. its the simplest and most effective method out there. Anyone who has tried the stuff is amazed at how it works. It doesnt damage anything if you spill it, you dont have to shake it, you can leave it in there for a day or a week and it makes no difference, and you can just pour it out when its done working ,blow the tank out and fill er with gas. Done...

[prc]

Metal Rescue sounds good but I just looked at their instructions for motorcycle gas tanks and Step 1 says to remove the tank from the bike, something I would rather not do.
I have an injured right thumb so heavy work like removing the rear wheel to get to the tank is very time consuming and frustrating.
Besides that, I just put the wheel, brake caliper, master cylinder, and pipes back on 2-3 weeks ago!

Guess I shoulda checked the tank condition before I did that, oops.
If I have to pull the tank I will but trying to work around it, thank goodness I have another bike, dry days are rare around here and I want to make the most of the 12, 14 weeks of nice weather we have left in 2013.
Thanks for the tip.
Phil

[Fulcrum]

You don't have to remove the tank. If you buy 1 gallon and then insert something into the tank for ballast, like a trash bag and then fill it with air to displace the volume, a gallon can cover the entire tank and little effort on your part. Simple!

[prc]

That is a good, simple solution to getting the cleaner of choice to contact all of the interior tank surface, I will remember that.
For the last few days I have been prepping my KLR to ride it to Calif for a Classic Japanese MC show at the end of this month.
So every time I go out to the garage to take care of something on the Kawi, my attention is distracted by the Goldwing and what it would take to get the rear wheel, final drive, etc off to get to that tank.....hmmmm
Thanks for your input
Phil

[prc]

Just checked out the Metal Rescue website, basic instructions for gas tanks look EASY.
Fill the tank with Metal Rescue, wait X amount of hours and then drain the tank..and fill with gas?
No sealant required?
Thats it?
Sounds too good to be true (but I may be receptive to miracles at this time) and far easier than pulling the tank out.
I am concerned about the petcock seal and looked at prices for a new one, the fiche shows the petcock and seal sold as one unit.
At $32.99 from BikeBandit I guess its not too bad but my petcock seems fine so Id rather only replace the seal.
Thanks for the info
Phil

[Fulcrum]

It actually is that simple. I used a gallon on my tank, but I did remove it and then rotated the tank every 8 hours for 2 days for complete coverage. If you go to my thread Scotts 1982 Gl1100 rebuild I took some pics of it working on my gas cap and sending unit. I swear by this stuff cause it is soo easy and does such a great job. Just wish I knew about it sooner.

[prc]

I finally decided to just go ahead and pull the fuel tank out of the bike.
Next I took it to the car wash and blasted it with the pressure washer, through in some tub n shower cleaner (The Works) rinsed it out again and it looked really good in there. I didnt want to get ahead of myself and put the tank back in without a second opinion so...
Well.. lets just say that I did not get as much out as I thought I did and its at the local independent shop getting a muriatic acid bath in the next few days. When he removed the sending unit I got a good look at what I missed, looks like really nasty burnt pizza cheese to me.
Alot of work trying to get 2 bikes prepped for a N.W. riding season (June 27th-Aug 19th) in one week but Im glad I buckled and pulled the tank.
A thorough job is worth the hassle and a few $20 bills knowing the fuel system is clean and I can move on to the other 149 items on the "to do" list on this bike.
Thanks for your input
PC

[Jimsfirstwing]

I just finished removing my tank, (fun times!) and I am preparing to etch, rinse and seal it with a kit I bought from a auto parts store. How do I keep the intake screens from getting coated with the sealant, other than blowing air into the tubes while rotating the gel around. Maybe I am over-thinking this. (I tend to do that) Or since they are brass, is this not an issue? I am ready to start this, but I need to have some questions answered before I start.
Can you guys shed some light on this for me? Thank you in advance.
Jim

[spiralout]

How do I keep the intake screens from getting coated with the sealant, other than blowing air into the tubes while rotating the gel around.
Jim

I've never coated or had a tank coated but my guess would be that'd be the best way.

[rudolphwolven]

***
Derusted my 31 year old tank with:
1) Main derusting:........... Pure cleaning vinegar (containing 8% acetic acid conform European Norm....Table vinegar is different and has 4%).........approx. 20 x 1 ltr. treating the tank's inside for a couple of weeks.......
2) Second derusting for remaining rust spots:..........Fertan 22220 Water Based Rust Converter Spray 250ml Non-Toxic Made in Germany poured into the tank and rinsed thoroughly in all directions....(I did not use the spray pistol of course)
3) Rinse the perfect derusted tank (now has a blanc grey metal inside wall) with a lot of clear water and dry it with some (hair)dryer.......
4) Mix the Tapox (415 gram) with TX-10 (125 gram) , forming a 2-component coating, pour it in the tank (all openings closed) and move tank thoroughly in any possible horizontal, vertical, 360 degr. direction to cover / coat the inner side of the tank..........pour out the remaining liquid......
After drying a beautiful red-brown inner coating of the tank is realised.
5) Advise: ..........I did a new rattle-can ground- and finish coating for the outside of the tank
REMARK: do not forget to let the cleaning vinegar and coating treatments enter the two fuel lines inside the tank......

LINKS WHERE TO BUY>>>>>>>>>>

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fertan-22220-Wa ... 67&vxp=mtr

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fertan-Tapox-Ta ... SwA3dYjpxb

[hossross]

My experience is with a 1500 Goldwing that had set for 5 years. The fuel pump was frozen, and when I pulled the pump/sender unit I noticed the inside of the tank was rusted. I bought a gallon of fuel tank cleaner (don't recall the brand now but from AutoZone) and since the hole in the tank was big enough for my hand access, I used a steel brush and cleaned the bottom, the scrapping alone didn't do a very good job of cleaning the sides, but using the cleaner and brushing, the bottom was shinny and clean. Being too cheap to buy 6 gallon of cleaner, I got out my garage carpets and laid the bike over on left side and scrubbed that side wall, up=righted and laid bike down on right side and scrubbed that wall. Siphoned out the cleaner, used rags to wipe out and off the residue. Don't know if a sealer was in the cleaner I used or not, but it was about $13 and some personal time/labor. so even if you use the recommended cleaner/sealer in the other post, I would use this method to clean and remove the contaminates and corrosion in the tank. this was only possible because of the large tank fuel pump access and easily laying the bike over. I was able to splash cleaner on "roof" of tank too so all sides were cleaned. The inside was not rusted as much as it had a coarse yellow coating on everything, but was stuck to the sides and was adhered enough it froze the fuel pump armature and wouldn't wipe off the tank walls without the cleaner. The carbs had been drained so they didn't have the same issue, but I didn't know that and pulled the carbs to take apart and clean. I don't think they needed it, and certainly not for the effort to R &R the carbs.
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[rorke]

I have had excellent results with electrolysis. Have used this process to clean other parts to bare metal. Requires a battery and a battery charger. No mixing of coating product, no shaking or turning, tank stays in place, safe(tank is full of water solution) and is cheap. The internet provides adequate info. This only works with iron. Not aluminum.

[MikeB]

Thank you. I learned something today. I had never thought of using electrolysis. I entered this in my search engine and got several hits for You Tube, "removing rust with electrolysis from a motorcycle gas tank".

I do not have a rust problem but this is good information to store away for later use.

[wingdings]

saw this so passing it on -

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hope this may help you there !!