Rusty motorcycle gas tank

[Micscience]

Hey whats up?
I'm in a bit of a pickle or a cucumber. I have removed rust from my cbr 600 gas tank but the big problem I have is how the hell do you flush all that **** out?
I have been using a magnet but that takes for ever I have been using a water hose sloshing water every which way and I can't seem to get all of that stuff out. If anyone can help me with a few pointers please help I have given to many hours cleaning this tank already thanks.

 

[RVDan]

Yeah it's impossible.
I poured is a bunch of broken tempered glass pieces and shook it around fot hours to scrape and chip off all the rust scale and then spent hours shaking it all back out. I put a piece of copper tube on an air fitting and jammed it in at every angle whil suspending the tank upside down to try to get all the **** to blow out through the filler. It worked satisfactory and I sold the bike to avoid dealing with it ever again.

 

[LXCam]

Just getting in line to see what the best route is. I got a nasty one to deal with, the worst I've ever seen.

 

[gml1998]

get it as clean as you can then use this. https://www.dimecitycycles.com/red-kote-fuel-tank-sealer-liner.html

 

[Rst277]

This is one of those times when it is best left to the professionals. I had a rad shop steam clean my tank, braze up a crack and then line it with some kind of epoxy. Never troubled me again and cost less than $200.

 

[dusterdude]

The works toilet bowl cleaner works good too

Sent from my R1 HD using Tapatalk

 

[oldmxracer]

What has worked for Me for years now.

Have one I need to get done this week.

Remove petcock, blast what I can with a pressure washer several times, then a big hand full of various size nuts go in the tank along with a quart of acetone shake and turn well, repeat as needed, magnet gets all the nuts out !

Then use Red Kote tank sealer !

Never had a problem with the bikes after I was done.

Good Luck ! With Your tank what ever way You choose to go !

 

[icthruu74]

I’ve used works toilet cleaner with a short section of chain to clean them out. I took off the petcock and made a cover for the holes from some scrap wood and a piece of inner tube. Then flush with tons of water, holding it upside down so most of the rust and scale comes out the filler. Then used Kreem to seal it up. Make sure you don’t seal up the petcock

 

[Shawn S]

I used the por15 fuel tank stuff and it worked great. My tank was crusty, the fuel gauge sending unit looked it had been at the bottom of the ocean for 200 years. Of course I had to replace the sending unit, but the tank is working great. Haven't even had to replace the fuel filter sink I cleaned and sealed the tank.

 

[Micscience]

With the price of red kote I might be better off buying a used tank on ebay. The problem is a lot of them have rust.

 

[930dreamer]

I cleaned a Mercedes Benz tank using a large tote as my electrolysis tank, it worked well.

 

[LS6 Tommy]

Fill it up with Metal Rescue or Evapo Rust?

Tommy

 

[kelpaso1]

You guys are missing the whole point of his post. He probably can't just pour out the cleaner and rust because some gas tanks, the fill opening extends past the top of the tank. so you can't just turn it upside down and pour the **** out the fill hole.

Pain in the *** and I dealt with this last week. A lot of shaking and blowing air eventually got it all out.

 

[Micscience]

I guess I'll keep at for now and save some coin then braze the few holes created by the pressure washer. It really is a PIA.

 

[Old Man Roger]

Is it a rare tank? If not, get another one.

I've seen so many problems with the etch and coat kits. If it's rare, at least run an inline filter, in case the coating starts to fall off.

 

[oldmxracer]

With the price of red kote I might be better off buying a used tank on ebay. The problem is a lot of them have rust.

34.95 for a quart on eBay ?

Good clean tanks usually do not come cheap .

 

[wingrider02]

How bad is the rust in the tank? Guessing you still have a petcock on the tank? What have you actually put in the tank? I have used Muriatic Acid with good luck on old tanks.

 

[LS6 Tommy]

I guess I'll keep at for now and save some coin then braze the few holes created by the pressure washer. It really is a PIA.

Wait a sec. If it's rotted so thin that a pressure washer made holes in it, you're better off replacing it.

Tommy

 

[maxpat82]

you need to remove the petcock and strainer before putting the coating.
If you don't good luck having any fuel flow(coating will completly coat the strainer), Ask one of my friend how I know.

To remove all the rust flake: tape a vacuum hose on the petcock opening while shaking.

 

[PWC Repair]

I've used a product called KREEM a couple times, works great. Also if you can fill the tank with water and add a cup of muriatic acid it will dissolve the rust overnight. Then a baking soda wash to neutralize, then blow dry and rinse with rubbing alcohol.

 

[driftpin]

Disclosure: I haven't used Creem.

After seeing multiple posts on the 'net about it, Creem seems to sometimes give problems. At my local independent shop, they don't use it. POR 15 seems like a good choice, but again, I cannot tell you, "I used it for a gas tank." I have friends who have used it for that, and I have used it for other rust-preventative reasons, and it has worked well.

 

[K13]

Wait a sec. If it's rotted so thin that a pressure washer made holes in it, you're better off replacing it.

Tommy

This!! If you blew holes in it with a pressure washer it needs to be replaced as the surrounding metal will be marginally thicker than that which blew out so you will either need to cut all of the metal in that area out and replace or just replace the tank.

 

[Micscience]

Its a 1989 CBR 600 Hurricane. There was a lot of rust but most of it is gone. I used simple white vinegar it took 3 days to fully remove most of the rust I left it in for a total of 4 days for good measure.

Like Kelpaso1 said it is really hard to remove all that loose rust once is comes off the surface. Its the rusty metal chips, I can hear them sloshing around the tank when I move it side to side with water in it. I feel like cutting the tank open at the bottom end where it sits on the frame then clean it out and solder it back together. Possibly use bondo to make it look right again.

 

[Old Man Roger]

F1 Tanks aren't that rare, I would think you could find one. Last thing you want is gas pouring all over your hot engine and headers.

 

[vtcat]

Caswell Plating has the best one going right now, according to the consensus on the 2 stroke Kawasaki forum. I have used it with excellent results. There are a couple of other good ones. And a lot of junk including Kreem, unless they have changed it.

 

[BADSIX]

put a couple hand fulls of nuts and bolts or sharp rocks in the tank, wrap it up in an old sleeping bag and throw it in the drier. set back and have a couple cold ones wile the tank is being cleaned.
Jay D.

 

[kelpaso1]

Geez, I guess reading comprehension is out of the realm of most people except me. The OP didn't ask about coatings or how to actually clean the tank. He asked about how to get the crud out of the tank. As I said in a previous post (that nobody actually read), he can't just simply turn the tank over and pour out the crud out the fill hole. On some tanks the fill hole or neck extends down into the tank (to prevent sloshing around the gas cap and leaking) making it darn near impossible to COMPLETELY drain the tank by turning it upside down.

 

[kelpaso1]

Micscience, I would stick a shop-vac hose into the bottom of the tank and try to **** everything out while sloshing it around. Might have to do this a few times, add cleaner, sloshing, and sucking it out with a wet/dry shop vac.

 

[oldmxracer]

Geez, I guess reading comprehension is out of the realm of most people except me. The OP didn't ask about coatings or how to actually clean the tank. He asked about how to get the crud out of the tank. As I said in a previous post (that nobody actually read), he can't just simply turn the tank over and pour out the crud out the fill hole. On some tanks the fill hole or neck extends down into the tank (to prevent sloshing around the gas cap and leaking) making it darn near impossible to COMPLETELY drain the tank by turning it upside down.

I have done many and Yes You are correct on the fill hole but it will get the big crude out first , the small stuff has to come out the petcock !

As I said in another post a big hand full of various size nuts go in the tank along with a quart of acetone shake and turn well, repeat as needed !

The tank WILL need to be lined with something in the end ! Just My opinion !