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Gas tank rust - different problem, unanswered questions

Discussion in 'General' started by DmanSlam, May 10, 2020.

  1. DmanSlam

    DmanSlam Well-Known Member

    I searched and found a few useful threads about removing rust in a gas tank. Hoping I can get quick answers.

    Question 1 -- rust in motorcycle tank: Can anyone attest that Evapo Rust and Metal Rescue won't bother paint?

    I discovered rust in my gas tank. It has a nice paint job and I would like to preserve it.
    http://forums.13x.com/index.php?threads/gas-tank-fuel-pump-clean-and-repair.336350/#post-4958388

    Question 2 -- rust-contaminated fuel in truck vehicle: What's the best way to eliminate all traces of rust-contaminated fuel that I poured into my truck?

    Before I knew the motorcycle tank was rusted, I already poured its fuel into my truck. I later noticed rust flecks in the empty fuel can.

    Firing the responsible mechanic seems kind of harsh and doesn't solve the issues visited on the vehicle owner. Haha. Those persons are one and the same, mind you. But, hey, let's just say I'm practicing a little social distancing here.

    Any help is appreciated.
     
  2. CharlieY

    CharlieY Well-Known Member

    I need to quantify both of these replys by saying, not knowing the severity of the corrosion its hard to guess.

    I would assume your truck has a fuel filtering system of some kind. If before this tankfull is gone you have an issue, I'd change the filter. Also, You may be able to minimize the chances of a problem by topping off at 1/2 full.....Going to Empty would increase the chances of a problem.

    On the tank and its paint, I dont think those water based products would be a major issue with paint, but i'd probably have a wash bucket handy anyway if the paint is that nice. Basically that product would have to be worse for your paint than gas (overflow situation).....I dont think thats likely, but remotely possibly I guess.

    Most of my vintage stuff the tanks are pretty bad, and require some "aggregate" like nuts and screws, and then I do the dance with it...I also use a more aggressive acid there, mostly because its stronger and cheaper than metalrescue. If you have to do that, it changes my replys.

    Maybe rinse the tank to get any floater debris out of it with Gas????.......then wash paint.....???...or use same idea with metalrescue, then wash paint...???...I'm not sure of your petcock situation (vac, manual), but you could minimize paint exposure by draining it from the petcock?...may take awhile, but would minimize paint exposure.

    THEN fill the tank with metalrescue (I'd dilute, saves $ but costs time). Seal the cap (or not), and set it somewhere where the cap is not "wet", and let it set as long as needed...naturally plug any holes needed other than the cap (vent if not in cap, etc)....I'd set it on a towel or paper so if its leaking you will see it.

    When dumping it out, have the wash bucket handy again, and wash it..... you should be done.

    If you feel you need to line the tank, I've always used "RedKote", but there are alot of options.....Most of them are BAD on paint.

    Good luck, I dont think you will have a problem with metalrescue or others like it, but I would be careful anyway. Use common sense and you should be ok.
     
  3. spoon32

    spoon32 Huh???

    I've used Evapo Rust and it didn't hurt the paint at all. I does dry oddly sticky if you don't wipe off any splashes.
     
  4. DmanSlam

    DmanSlam Well-Known Member

    Thanks guys. I appreciate the confirmation and extra details. My other bikes are fine. But I drained and topped the rest of them off with stabilized fuel since they've been sitting. I'll do that going forward.
     
  5. Banditracer

    Banditracer Dogs - because people suck

    I haven't used Evapo Rust personally but have a friend that has, said it didn't hurt the paint. I would wipe it off when you see it but it's going to etch it instantly or anything.
     
  6. IrocRob

    IrocRob Well-Known Member

    I hate those tank liners people put in, seen more bad jobs then good ones.
    I have a tank from a CB550 out at a place in Oregon getting the liner cooked out
    and paint stripped off. The liner was coming off and clogging up the petcock fuel filter
    after about 5-10 minutes of riding causing the bike to die. Rust is easier to deal with
    than a bad liner.
     
  7. ducnut

    ducnut Well-Known Member

    I’ve used EvapoRust and it works great.

    I get that it’s not cheap, but, it’s environmentally safe and reusable. Buy at least a gallon and plan a week of periodically flipping the tank.

    It chemically transfers the rust to the solution. The more saturated the solution becomes, the slower it works. Depending how bad your tank is, you may plan for 2gals.

    People say to put screws, nuts, or chains in the tank. I used coated deck screws, so the metal of the screws wouldn’t contribute to the solution. When I was done, the deck screws still looked new and I put them back in their box.

    I wouldn’t worry about your pickup. Run it. If you start noticing a loss of power, change the filter and move on. The pump in the tank has a pickup screen on it, but, nothing you can do until time to replace the pump.
     
  8. Sabre699

    Sabre699 Wait...hold my beer.

    BBs work good also.
     
  9. Spitz

    Spitz Well-Known Member

    What kind of truck? If it were a lot of rust id be dropping the tank and cleaning it. A lot of vehicles dont have serviceable filters and are integrated in with the pump module.
     
  10. fastfreddie

    fastfreddie Midnight Oil Garage

    I guaranty there's more crap and sediment in your truck's tank than what you dumped in from the bike's tank. They come with a filter(s) for precisely this issue - contaminants introduced into the fuel supply.
    Case in point: Jeep Cherokee, plastic fuel tank, always filled from the pump at gas stations. Mad off road session, sediment in tank (where did it come from and why does it look like rust scale?) shakes loose, blows through the filter and starts to clog the injectors. WTF?
    So, unless you're banging your truck through the boonies, just change the filter...there's a maintenance schedule for doing so.

    EvapoRust works, safely. It is a citric-based acid so it may attack the aluminum in an aftermarket tank cap but it's not gonna hurt your OEM gas cap or fuel pump. I had a Vortex cap when I did mine...the inside of the cap isn't as shiny as it used to be, no big deal, the threads still work smoothly and the o-ring seals unfalteringly. Dump the whole gallon in, day later, flip/rotate the tank, each day, continue flipping and/or rotating the tank until all interior surfaces have been exposed to the ER for ~ 24 hours. Drain the ER back into its original container and save for future projects. Thoroughly rinse the tank with water. At this point, you may want to mount the tank back on to the bike, make all your connections and fill it with gas. If not mounting, do whatever needs to be done to prevent surface rust from forming. Fog it with WD or some dedicated fogger or apply some other coating that prevents oxygen from contacting the bare metal. If you're in a dry (arid) environment, you may not have to do anything to the tank other than keep it open so it dries thoroughly, then cap it.
    The largest accumulation of formed rust will be in the "well" surrounding the fuel pump. You may have to do that area twice.
    ER is about $28/gal...pretty much any auto parts/hardware store, prolly even Walmart.
     
  11. 88/532

    88/532 Simply Antagonistical

    On small fuel tanks with surface rust and some slight pitting, I’ve used cleaning vinegar with good success. I completely fill the tank and let it sit a few days. Its cheap, and can be found at most grocery stores, Walmart, etc.
     
    83BSA likes this.
  12. ducnut

    ducnut Well-Known Member

    If the metal has any type of protective coating, as more modern tanks do, vinegar will strip that coating and the metal will flash-rust. You’d need to seal it, to keep the interior from always rusting.
     
    DmanSlam likes this.
  13. Linker48X

    Linker48X Well-Known Member

    Another vote for Evapo Rust, worked great on several tanks and other parts, no harm to paint on tank, yes on doing a shake and bake with a bunch of 3/8 square nuts or whatever. I pulled all hardware off the tank, got a bunch of rubber corks/stoppers, put several layers of Saran Wrap under the cap, poured it in and out carefully and kept it off the paint. Had never used this before, now won’t use anything else.
     
    DmanSlam likes this.
  14. 88/532

    88/532 Simply Antagonistical

    True, but any area where rust is removed will have to be coated/sealed or rust will return, regardless of method used in removal.
     
  15. DmanSlam

    DmanSlam Well-Known Member

    It's a 2015 nissan pickup. The thing is I don't know how much rust went into my truck. Just that the empty fuel can had enough rust flecks for me to notice them but not any rust sediment. And the motorcycle gas tank is noticeably rusty inside but the empty fuel. I have a full tank of gas in my truck (as someone suggested) so I'm going to go with that.
     
  16. DmanSlam

    DmanSlam Well-Known Member

    POR-15 was mentioned earlier or elsewhere. Is that recommended? I saw Red-kote but that's a liner/sealer so I may stay away from that as advised.
     
  17. pittmeister

    pittmeister Well-Known Member

    I would highly recommend using a gel based rust dissolver. You only need enough to coat the tank and don't have to deal with disposing of 4-10 gallons of rusty solution. It also stays where you put it so you don't have to worry so much about paint damage.

    I've used Rust-Oleum Rust Dissolver in the spray bottle on 3 tanks so far and still have some left. It's phosphoric acid based, so it leaves a phosphate coating on the metal afterwards to help prevent flash rust from forming.

    I have not coated my tanks and have had no issues of rust returning. Even when derusting with vinegar. You just need to be fast and methodical to remove the water from the tank. A little bit of applied chemistry helps.
     
  18. DmanSlam

    DmanSlam Well-Known Member

    I like the minimal quantity approach here. But is this something you can spray the entire inside of the gas tank with? And does it strip paint if it should get on the exterior?
     
  19. fastfreddie

    fastfreddie Midnight Oil Garage

    Gel? Y'all remember Naval Jelly? Holy Crap - that shit would burn ya to the bone. I can't even remember how we got it off of stuff. The original "Wear gloves with this product!" :crackup:
     
  20. pittmeister

    pittmeister Well-Known Member

    I pour it in and shake it around. I cover all the openings with painters tape prior and it since it sticks to the walls, it never builds up enough pressure to leak through. It doesn't strip paint aggressively if it does, but I would wipe any off with a damp rag that I could find. It washes off with water and yeah, wear gloves.
     
  21. Motofun352

    Motofun352 Well-Known Member

    I'm not a fan of tank coatings but I did have to coat one tank. I used Caswell and that stuff was excellent. I poured the excess out on my gravel driveway...when it set up it was impervious to all things natural or man made. :eek:
     

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