Rust remover and gas tank sealer

Joshuajayg

Joshuajayg

Line Up and Wait
Joined
Sep 1, 2015
Messages
907
Location
'Merica
Display Name
Display name:
Joshua
I'm in the process of bringing my 1975 Kawasaki trail bike back to life but my fuel tank is leaking. It got very rust over a long period of non-use and now has a lot of rust inside. The rust has created some pinholes in the bottom of the tank that I need to address.

Anyone use a liquid rust remover and tank sealer before? Have any recommendations on products that actually work?

2016-09-15%2014.32.47.jpg
 
Can you get a used tank? Sealers work -- sort of -- but it's really not worth it if you can get one that doesn't need it, for cheap.

It's not easy to remove loose rust from the inside of a fuel tank. Whatever you do, empty it, then fill it with water first to displace all the fuel fumes. Then, you can wire-brush without worrying about sparks.

If there are rust holes in the tank, it really is gone. Any repair you do to it should be considered temporary.
 
I'll ask a buddy what he used on the rusted out gas tank for the pony motor on his Cat. Seemed to work pretty good. Stand by one.
 
I've worked on John Deere tractors with holey tank issues but not with this much rust.

Another tank isn't really an option and a wire brush is almost impossible to fit in there.
 
Phosphoric acid and some nuts/bolts works well for rust removal. If it's rusted that far then maybe a couple of rounds of acid, nuts and shaking.

If you use 100% gas those sealers can last a few years. Seems the ethanol can attack them and swell them.

Gives you time to look for another tank.
 

After it is cleaned have it brazed to stop the leaks.
 
Tom-D said:

After it is cleaned have it brazed to stop the leaks.
Click to expand...

That method will remove the rust inside and out. Just note that hydrogen and oxygen are produced, as if charging a car battery, so be careful about sparks, flames, cigarettes, etc nearby.
 
Tom-D said:

After it is cleaned have it brazed to stop the leaks.
Click to expand...
I have tried the electrolysis method before on another tank without much luck. Maybe I should just try again. I can braize.
 
Joshuajayg said:
I've worked on John Deere tractors with holey tank issues but not with this much rust.

Another tank isn't really an option and a wire brush is almost impossible to fit in there.
Click to expand...

Are you willing to ride around with a potential bomb between your legs?
 
I'm working on a larger rusty truck tank right now using eva-o-rust to remove the rust then I plan on coating the inside with a sealer/coating called Red Kote. Then I'll do the outside with POR-15. I'll let you know how it goes... the evapo-rust works but it takes days.

My tank doesn't have any pinholes(that I know of) though.
 
Well I went for it.... after really weeks of soaking the tank with evap-o-rust at different angles, I washed out the tank with water then swished some acetone through it to clean it out. After a few hours to dry, I put 2 cans of red kote in, plugged up the tank, and rolled the tank around and rocked it to coat all the surfaces. The stuff starts setting up FAST, it looks like strawberry jam or something and gets about that thick/sticky in a few minutes. I think it coated everything.... I've seen a tiny spot or two trying to peer into the tank that might not have been covered fully.... again imagine trying to get strawberry jam to flow and cover the entire surface of something when you can only see what's going on through a small hole. Might be good enough for my purpose though, this tank didn't leak I just wanted to freshen it before I reinstalled it.

This was a 19 gallon gas tank and there was enough excess left over that I was able to coat the inside of 2 old 5 gallon gas cans that I'm restoring for no good reason. This is the best picture I can get of the inside surface after coating.
iphone295.jpg
 
I appreciate it, guys. I'll be doing an acid soak and will probably buy redkote. Seems like the more trusted variety of sealers.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top