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Evapo-Rust Fuel Tank Treatment

8K views 14 replies 5 participants last post by  Irish78 
#1 ·
I decided to go the Evapo-Rust route for taking care of some light surface rust in the inside of my fuel tank rather than go the liner route. Just wondering if anyone has used this product before and how long you let it soak in the tank for best results. Label on the bottle says a couple hours is sufficient but I've read other reports to let it soak in one spot for a whole day.

Also, how should I treat the top portion of the tank so it doesn't leak out through the fuel cap? Thanks!
 
#2 ·
I have used it on 4 barn find bikes. The product is amazing. Go to the hardware store and find a plumbers plug that fits your gas tank. Insert it and twist the wing nut until it's water tight. That way when you rotate it like you're supposed to it won't leak. I soak mine all day rotating it at 60 minute increments. When you're done you can even reuse the liquid for tools etc. it's also biodegradable and environmentally safe. You can dump it down the drain if I remember correctly. Read to make sure


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#3 ·
I had to have my tank acid scrubbed and coated a couple years ago (lovely Florida humidity, moisture gets sucked into the tank with every mile you drive), and I've been paranoid about it recurring so this would be interesting to see if it's any good. I took the liberty of downloading the info available from their website; Evapo-Rust Rust Remover - Evapo-Rust Super Safe Rust Remover
See attached.
I'm no chemist, but maybe someone else here is?
 

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#5 ·
Irish;
1. Because I believe in the scientific method, and 2. Because testimonials only go so far.
The very definition of YMMV should be; this worked for one person; as this wasn't proven to work for every set of variables in every situation, proceed with caution and knowing it may not work!

But thanks, I do appreciate your input, opinions DO matter.
 
#7 · (Edited)
OP. Here are some verifiable results on a moderately rusted tank. This was the third tank I used it on. There were rust flakes on the bottom of the tank. Use bolts in the tank to get those to break free before you use your evaporust.





Don't forget to plug up the petcock hole. I took seran wrap then duck tape, and then pinched it off by wrapping .32 safety wire.

This is what the pipe plug looks like :

$10-20


<$5



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#8 ·
My fuel tank doesn't have a petcock hole, it uses a fuel sending unit inside the tank which regulates the fuel pump. It doesn't work anyway so I'm going to leave it installed.

I have two fuel lines that exit the tank. Wouldn't a couple of rubber caps be sufficient to prevent leaks? What about preventing leaks around the gas cap or shouldn't I worry about tipping the tank fully upside down?
 
#9 ·
My fuel tank doesn't have a petcock hole, it uses a fuel sending unit inside the tank which regulates the fuel pump. It doesn't work anyway so I'm going to leave it installed.



I have two fuel lines that exit the tank. Wouldn't a couple of rubber caps be sufficient to prevent leaks? What about preventing leaks around the gas cap or shouldn't I worry about tipping the tank fully upside down?

The plugs I posted above are used by plumbers and are made to stop liquid. The plugs expand to fill the fuel neck so there won't be any leaks there. Provided you get the right size of course lol. If you get the You'll need to rotate it completely upside down in order for the solution to clean the top of the tank anyway. Plug any lines that you leave intact. Use plugs instead of caps. Caps couple onto the line on the outside of the line and can pop off. Whereas a properly sized plug shouldn't. Edit: I have used the Gripper brand with great success. Yes they cost a little more but they're a good tool to have if you ever paint your bike or something like that.

Line plugs like these :


Stop up the line really well.


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#11 ·
Wow you guys need to relax. And to be fair, BNTFAM's comment didn't come off as D-Bagish , a little anal yes, but not aggressive.

OP use it as you would like, just be careful with these types of chemicals.

I'm a wrought iron fabricator, I've spent a lot of time dealing with anti rust compounds.. Fact is you can fight all day forever, rust will win, you can't beat nature.

The chem your talking about is a light acid that dissolves surface rust , but it also dissolves the steel (etch it), a small amount i'll agree, but it is still dissolving.

The biggest issue will be to neutralize it after your done, Steel is porous and the chemical will infiltrate into the steel so, any amount left in the tank will continue to work at slowly eating the tank.

Baking soda will work to a degree. Once you've finished with the acid, i'd rinse it with distilled water and baking soda, then dry it. Hair dryer or blow gun, as long as air is moving you'll be fine, do it in the sun on a warm day and throw a new rags in for good measure.


I'm against 100% using the liner, it just coats the rust, what you end up with is a poorly formed bladder around a rusting tank. I had one on my nighthawk the last owner did, the bottom of the tank was completely gone and you could see the pink liner, also they didn't empty the remaining liquid so it pooled at the bottom of the tank and took up about 3/4 liter of volume.. I had to cut the tank open and set it on fire to clean the garbage out, then rebuilt it.
 
#12 ·
Wow you guys need to relax. And to be fair, BNTFAM's comment didn't come off as D-Bagish , a little anal yes, but not aggressive.



OP use it as you would like, just be careful with these types of chemicals.



I'm a wrought iron fabricator, I've spent a lot of time dealing with anti rust compounds.. Fact is you can fight all day forever, rust will win, you can't beat nature.



The chem your talking about is a light acid that dissolves surface rust , but it also dissolves the steel (etch it), a small amount i'll agree, but it is still dissolving.



The biggest issue will be to neutralize it after your done, Steel is porous and the chemical will infiltrate into the steel so, any amount left in the tank will continue to work at slowly eating the tank.



Baking soda will work to a degree. Once you've finished with the acid, i'd rinse it with distilled water and baking soda, then dry it. Hair dryer or blow gun, as long as air is moving you'll be fine, do it in the sun on a warm day and throw a new rags in for good measure.





I'm against 100% using the liner, it just coats the rust, what you end up with is a poorly formed bladder around a rusting tank. I had one on my nighthawk the last owner did, the bottom of the tank was completely gone and you could see the pink liner, also they didn't empty the remaining liquid so it pooled at the bottom of the tank and took up about 3/4 liter of volume.. I had to cut the tank open and set it on fire to clean the garbage out, then rebuilt it.

Agreed. Liners are bad news.
 
#14 ·
Mission accomplished! I ended up using a pipe plug to seal off the fuel cap hole and rubber caps for all of the other inlets/outlets, worked great with no leakage. Really glad I did this as the fuel filter was orange from years of rust accumulation, probably was the original filter! Used a hair dryer and air compressor to get both tanks (also treated the reserve which is under the seat) dry after rinsing out with water. Thanks again for the help!
 
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