Tank Rust

[dude608]

Have lots of rust in the tank. looked on ebay and the kreem seems to be the cheapest. I am cheap because im broke. will this do the trick. any other ways to do it cheaply. any help would be great.

[Jaguarjoe]

I used this stuff:

http://www.caswellplating.com/aids/epoxygas.htm

At $26.00 you won't get much cheaper than that. It is really easy to work with and so far its done a great job. One quart was plenty enough for my tank.

[BassCliff]

Bondo, James Bondo

Mr. dud608,

I've read where a handful of small-ish ball bearings, screws or bolts were used to rattle around inside the tank, with some kind of light cleaning solvent perhaps, to help knock out the rusty bits.

Shaken, not stirred. :-D

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[t3rmin]

POR-15 is the preferred product around here. That "epoxygas" link posted earlier looks pretty good, though.

[Jon Burke]

Used Kreem this summer on my GS850G and had good results. Make sure you check the instructions of whatever you use. Kreem would prefer you use their product at temps near or above 70 degrees. Not sure where you're located, but here in Kalamazoo, you'd be waiting a while for weather like that. Takes SEVERAL days to cure also. Don't get in a hurry!

[arveejay]

Kreem is excellent if you follow the instructions well.

[Nessism]

I did my tank with Por-15 last weekend and the kit did not provide enough sealer to cover my entire tank. Not sure what to do now; order some more and apply another coat? Frankly I'm pretty dissapointed. Products seems good though.

[JTsGS650]

I used the POR-15 kit with excellent results and my tank was full of holes.

http://www.por15.com/prodinfo.asp?grp=CTRK&dept=11

[Jon Burke]

Another comment about the Kreem...make sure you do it outside or in a VERY well ventilated area. The fumes are quite potent! Prior to the Kreem treatment, i had used Castrol super clean and hot water to degrease. Then high pressure washed the inside as well as possible to break out the loose chunks. As i said, take your time and get it clean. That goes with whatever product you use. The results will be worth it.

[hampshirehog]

An old trick is to wrap up the tank in blankets and old pillows etc, throw in old nuts and washers etc and seal the filler / tap holes and put the whole thing in a cement mixer (wedged in tight and keep an eye on it). Noise drives the neighbours mad though, even with all that soundproofing! I've sorted out some seriously rusty tanks with this method. Final clean is with a power washer to get out all the now lose bits of grit and rust (but only on a hot summer's day or else the tank won't dry and will go rusty again). Petseal is the preffered product over here.

Wally

[Robu]

different option

A product called Evaporust you can find it on the web it expensive but reusable .
Will not harm paint or parts (fuel gage,petcock etc) Just fill your tank for a day
or two depending on how rusty and put back in container for future use . The tank
has to be completely dry before replacing fuel .Oh yes it will not fill any holes or
damage just remove rust and tank should look like new from inside .I have not
tried it yet but according to bikers on different forum its the best thing yet . Rob

[spyug]

One of the guys on the XS board did the rotating tank trick......in the wife's clothes drier! Needless to say, he wasn't too popular with her for quite a while thereafter.

I have used both Kreem and POR and found both to work well if you closely follow the instructions.

Like any paint job preparation is the key. Get as much as the rust out as you can and any old liner product. I start with a bath of pure white vinegar full strength. Take off the petcock and fuel sender unit if fixed and plug the holes with covers made of sheet plastic sealed with silicone sealant or the like (rubberized bath tub caulking). Fill the tank and let it sit for a few days. If you can get your hands on some long wire handled bottle brushes ( do it yourself wine or beer making stores, older hardware stores or maybe harbour freight or the like) you can give the insides a good scrub to get off the crusties. All the loose stuff will come off when you pour it out.

Next I pour in a pint or so of acetone with the nuts and bolts or pieces of clean chain or big junks of gravel. Shake it all about for an hour or so or stick the tank in the tumbledrier if your looking for divorce:-D You can use the cleaner supplied with the kits but I find acetone better at least for getting rid of any sealers from previous attempts.

Pour everything out and dry off the inside with compressed air or the wife's hairdrier...if you're really trying for divorce\\/

As soon as it is dry apply the liner as directed. You want to get it in before rust has a chance to start in again. Pour it all in and swish it around to coat all areas.

The kits say you should have excess and to pour it off but I have yet to see any excess and used up everything to get a good coverage. Let the tank dry for a week or so before using.

I have to do the tank on the GS this winter and that Caswell plating product looks good as they say it likes rust to grab on to. It might make the install abit easier. I am going to look into it.

Let us know how it goes for you.
Cheers,
Spyug.

[BassCliff]

Tank done, medium rare

One of the guys on the XS board did the rotating tank trick......in the wife's clothes drier! Needless to say, he wasn't too popular with her for quite a while thereafter.

Oh man! Perhaps rigging up your tank to a rotisserie would work better. Just don't turn on the flames! :shock:

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[Nessism]

Called and talked to Por-15 today about my tank where the coating set-up before it covered the entire inside surface of the tank. The guy said that after the paint kicks off, nothing will stick to it thus I can’t just dump in another can since it will peal off. Also, if you don’t get full coverage, the void area will create an edge and gas in the tank can work its way underneath. In my case, I think the coating is going to have to be stripped back out and the entire process started again – major bummer. He said the coating may have kicked early because there was high humidity (it was drizzling that day) or if I left some moisture inside the tank (which shouldn’t have been the case since I baked the tank for 1 hour at 140 degrees F to dry it out). At any rate, major caution to those people considering doing a job like this – the conditions need to be perfect. If you don’t get the entire surface covered, the paint can peal off. If your tank is large, 5 gal or more, I’d recommend getting a full pint of sealer – you can always drain out the excess.

[mriddle]

Anyone here ever tried Electrolytic Rust Removal on a gas tank ?


Mike