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rust inside the gas tank

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8.1K views 23 replies 12 participants last post by  HOMERFROMLAWTON  
#1 ·
my 2006 honda shadow 600cc is been sitting because of my health issues. know i want to ride it again but i been planning to do a maintenance on it . i just discovered that there is rust inside the gas tank. i found some videos in youtube a video in how to clean it.

video #1

video #2

video #3

video #4

video #5

most of the videos say to use vinegar ... what do you suggest...
 
#2 ·
Vinegar is good as a mild acid for surface rust. Other methods are faster. Electrolysis works well too. Depends on how deep the rust is.
I cleaned mine and coated with RedKote which I am very happy with.


 
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#4 ·
Back in the day I took some gravel from the driveway and made my tank into a large maraca. It took 5 rounds to feel good about the results.
Now I'd do a single round mixed with Evaporust. Shake it, let it sit for a couple hours. Repeat a few times and let sit overnight. Rinse well.
 
#24 ·
Inferno said:
Back in the day I took some gravel from the driveway and made my tank into a large maraca. It took 5 rounds to feel good about the results.
Now I'd do a single round mixed with Evaporust. Shake it, let it sit for a couple hours. Repeat a few times and let sit overnight. Rinse well.
Click to expand...
I USED LEAD PELETS AS A SUGGESTION FROM A FRIEND. I NEVER COULD SHAKE ALL OF THEM OUT, SO I JUST SEALED THEM IN THE TANK WHEN I USED THE EPOXY. NEXT TANK I SEAL I WILL USE METAL SCREWS TO SHAKE AROUND. THEN I JUST HAVE TO USE A MAGNET TO PULL THEM OUT OF THE TANK.
 
P
#5 ·
Evaporust and vinegar both work well with a hand full of metal nuts as scrubbers. Fill tank about 1/3 to 1/2 full drop nuts in and shake let sit for an hour shake a few more times and drain into a bucket. Big stuff will sink to bottom when it settles. If tank needs it use the clean fluid on the top to go back in and do it again until you are stratified. If you keep clean fuel in the tank sealing the tank isnt really needed as the fuel protects the metal. If going to put a sealer in the tank take your time and do it right follow the directions or you will end up with chunks of sealer floating in your tank and clogging your pet **** and filter
 
#6 ·
I've been using a dilute solution of phosphoric acid since I first tried it decades ago, because it converts iron oxide to iron phosphate, which is more inert and less reactive than bare steel. This is the "black oxide" finish that is used on industrial fasteners and hardware.

I've been using Rustoleum clean and etch 108, diluted about 65/35 with water. https://www.rustoleum.com/en/produc...trial-brands/concrete-saver/prep-patch-and-repair/108-cleaning-etching-solution

This stuff is not marketed for this purpose, but works well. If I find a cheaper source of phosphoric acid, I'll go with that. This method is less likely to re-rust than other chemical treatments, including Evaporust, in my opinion.

I don't care for creaming or surface coatings, and would only take that route if there was no alternative. I've seen coatings fail, break down and flake off on several older tanks. I hadn't done the coating job, so the quality of the prep. could well have been, and likely was, the fatal flaw. Every painter knows, the prep is the most important part of the job.

Ethanol gas is not our friend, in our desire to keep our machines healthy. It's hygroscopic – it attracts moisture from humid air.
 
#7 ·
@CEA, I didn't need much rust removal, so used some vinegar.
I was mainly trying to seal a small pinhole on one of the factory welds on one of the tank brackets up front.
Resealed and doesn't seep anymore.
 
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#8 ·
I swear by and recommend evaporust. In my opinion its major advantage is that it eats only the iron oxide rust and leaves the base metal clean. Any kind of acid etch or abrasion will remove good metal with the bad. The one downside of evaporust is that it leaves the base metal so clean that it is susceptible to new rust but I've used it very successfully on a very rusty tank. As mentioned above ethanol gas is bad for tanks. It absorbs moisture which can separate into water in the tank. I try to store my bikes with a full tank of good clean gas or completely empty.
 
#10 ·
eggabeewa said:
Any kind of acid etch or abrasion will remove good metal with the bad.
Click to expand...
Actually, unlike most other acids, phosphoric acid does not appreciably attack elemental iron.

"Phosphoric acid will dissolve iron oxide without attacking the other components of the steel (chromium and chromium oxide, nickel, and iron). The rust is dissolved by the following reaction: 2 𝐻3𝑃𝑂4 + 𝐹𝑒2𝑂3 → 2 𝐹𝑒𝑃𝑂4 + 3𝐻2� "

file-574354919-pdf (silcotek.com)

Unlike red rust, (Fe203) which has molecules larger than the original iron, black oxide doesn't grow or flake, and won't pit.

Chelating agents like Evaporust, do work well, no doubt, and there's no need to neutralize. But there's also no production of a stable oxide layer. The other downside of Evaporust, to my view, is that it doesn't change characteristic much as it loses chemical effectiveness. It's hard to tell when it's "used up". Acid is consumed, but chelating solutions just sit there. It gets cloudier, but you can only tell it's depleted when you dump the stuff out and it hasn't done anything. On the other hand, spending $30 for a fresh gallon to derust a tank or three isn't a bad deal at all.
 
#9 ·
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#11 ·
When I posted that I used sand and driveway rocks to clean my tank, some of the folks at RancheroUSA said I had "Rocks in my head"...
BUT the result was a clean tank,
Dennis

Keeping the tank full helps keep rust at bay...
As y`all know me, I could give a )@^^ what people say `bout me anyhow :D
 
#14 ·
I hadda Lincoln I could drop the tank, install a fuel pump and have it back running in 30 minutes on the side of the road...
It took 4 pumps before I got one that worked more than 12 miles...
most only lasted the "test drive" then quit on me on my way to work, home or wherever I was going...
China built stuff I think,
Fennis
 
#19 ·
"Captain D" said:
I hadda Lincoln I could drop the tank, install a fuel pump and have it back running in 30 minutes on the side of the road.
Click to expand...
The Toyota Celica I owned many moons ago, had the trunk access plate continuously removed so I could bang on the right location with the handy stick I kept in the trunk. I also put a couple terminals inline in the circuit, so I could add a couple D cells inline to give it a shot of 15V and get the thing spinning. Never replaced that pump, spent a year and a half "persuading", before the car got T-boned and went to the big garage in the sky.
 
#17 ·
Just make sure that before using the gravel/nut method you make sure you can get them back out.

The newer tanks with the extension/baffle in the filler neck could make gravel removal a pain. The nuts can be removed with a magnet, as long as you don’t use stainless nuts.

Eric


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#21 ·
I’ve used vinegar - it’s ok for light jobs. I’ve tried metal rescue - also works well but you’ll need to let it sit for days and fill the tank so it can work on all the surfaces. Also nice because it’s biodegrable and doesn’t need to be neutralized. For the toughest rust I had to remove I used muriatic acid. Fast results and will need to be drained, rinsed, neutralized, and then wash your tank with alcohol or gasoline to keep it from flash rusting. That stuff is really effective but also pretty dangerous to work with and takes some care to dispose of properly.
 
#22 ·
Muriatic is what they call a very diluted solution of Hydrochloric acid. These are both more aggressive in attacking the base metal than some other acids, and the resulting Iron Chloride is, in itself corrosive. They also attack alloying elements, like Nickel. Muriatic starts out fairly weak, but the chemical reaction is the same as Hydrochloric.

I've also used Sulfuric Acid, when I wanted a very aggressive action, but any of the strong acids require considerable care in my opinion. One should neutralize with a base and wash well after using, or the ionic compounds that come from the reaction will remain down in the pits and restart corrosion.
 
#23 ·
Plee911 said:
Evaporust and vinegar both work well with a hand full of metal nuts as scrubbers. Fill tank about 1/3 to 1/2 full drop nuts in and shake let sit for an hour shake a few more times and drain into a bucket. Big stuff will sink to bottom when it settles. If tank needs it use the clean fluid on the top to go back in and do it again until you are stratified. If you keep clean fuel in the tank sealing the tank isnt really needed as the fuel protects the metal. If going to put a sealer in the tank take your time and do it right follow the directions or you will end up with chunks of sealer floating in your tank and clogging your pet **** and filter
Click to expand...
Once clean I use a couple ounces of Marvel Mystery Oil every time I fill up keeps rust from coming back.
 
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