Rust in gas tank

[njdiving08]

Anybody have advice for cleaning rust out of a gas tank? The speed shop i take it to, said they could send it out for 100 bucks and have it cleaned, but i saw a 3 stage kit at my dealer that cleans tanks. Wondering if that would be any good.
Any products to recommend ?

[A2rider]

POR 15 works well, but it's a PITA. I'd let somebody else do it.

[LoudFastUgly]

If your's has good paint and is dent free, pay the hundred!!!

[fitbmxseries1]

nothing a bottle of muratic acid and a section of chain wont fix.
that is how we do tanks at my work. Clean out the tank with soap and water, pressure wash as much rust out as you can. Let dry. Plug all holes then fill with acid, put good size section of chain in the tank and roll it around, the chain will rub the rust off and the acid should desolve what ever is left. Then wash and flush the tank out. let it dry again and you should be good to go. You can buy the acid at any hardware store that sells pool supplies.

[StarGate]

I tried cleaning mine a couple of times but the rust came back both times. I finally used the POR 15 kit and have been very pleased with the results. It does require 2x 30 minute sessions of rolling the tank every little bit to keep the entire inside surface coated but it was well worth it IMO. Mine is so good right now that I'm not even running an inline filter. I will go ahead and install one when I find the one I'm looking for just as a precaution. I've had the carbs off a couple of times since I used the POR and not even 1 speck of rust could be found in any of the carbs.

[bluemotorcycles]

lol I used to put gravel and gas in my old beater dirt bikes

[ripcbx]

Depends On How Bad It Is.if It's Minor Drain It Wash It With Dish Detergent And Rinse.put White Vinegar In (it's Mildly Acetic And Let Stand Till You See The Rust Is Gone Very Cheap Way And Safe On Paint.if It's Heavy Go To A Tractor Supply Store And Get Their Milk Stone Remover.mix 1 Part To 4 Water.safe For Paint And Very Effective. Then Do The Por-15.i Have A Report Written On It If You Want.

[Johnpaul1839]

I have a 1992 Vulvan left outside for 10 years. The entire surface of the inside of the tank is rusty from what I can see. Do you guys think I can fix it with the recommendations here?

[Johnpaul1839]

OK. I bought the Milkstone and it and the water are now in my tank after about 5 rinses with water. I will let soak overnight or longer if you recommend that??? Assuming this will work, which I'll be extremely grateful, what is Por-15 and where do I get it.

FYI: 1 gallon of Milkstone cost $12.00

Thanks yall - JP

[ripcbx]

Wow I pay $7.99 a gallon here.Did you wash the tank with detergent first to get rid of and oily residue? Leave it in at least a day if heavily rusted.You can drain it and strain it through cheese cloth and reapply to the tank until it's clean.Go to POR-15 Inc. it's a company in Morristown NJ. Email me at ripcbx1 at yahoo.com and I'll forward how I do the Por treatment

[Johnpaul1839]

Darnit, I didn't wash with detergent first. I estimate there having been 1 gallon of OLD gas in the tank, which subsequently burnt in a very oily fashion on an old stump. I did rince it thoroughly with a high pressure hose jet spray 5 or 6 times.

Thanks for the Suggestion to strain the solution. Is it OK to leave it in there for about three days? I need to go out of town tomorrow.

I'll check out the POR-15 ASAP.

Thanks again!

[Johnpaul1839]

For my 3.9 gallon tank how much POR-15 do I need? Pint, quart, or gallon?

Please don't say gallon because it's expensive...

[keith1]

are the 3 part creme kits no good?

[njdiving08]

thanks guys i really appreciate all the responses. i think im just gonna have it cleaned in a couple weeks

[Johnpaul1839]

Also, how do I dispose of the diluted Milkstone?

[QKENUF4U]

are the 3 part creme kits no good?

they are a good kit (KREEM) but alot people dont prep correctly and the coating eventually comes off.
ive done 3 tanks that way and never had a problem. anymore i will just use the first two parts of the kit and fill it with gas and use it.

[fmnnc]

I feel your pain brother and have just completed the process. I read about Kreem and Red-Kote. I also went to a local radiator shop which guaranteed to mess up the paint which would mean a new paint job.

After doing some more research on various web-sites and forums, I came across this stuff:



My tank had a bunch of rust and crap in it. I followed the directions exactly and now my tank looks like new on the inside and is protected for life. I too was quoted big bucks to bail me out. This process will take some time but I had more of that than money. The "coating" takes four days to cure but it looks great. Check it out at Cycle Tank Sealer - Fuel Tank Sealer - Better then Kreem - KBS Coatings I am very satisfied. I am a shop teacher in a high school and am very particular when it comes to working on stuff. Again, I was very impressed with this product.

Hope this helps and good luck. If you decide to go with this method feel free to contact me with any questions you may have. Also, get the large cycle tank kit for only a few more bucks. That way you know you will have enough sealer no matter what your situation.

[Alizard]

are the 3 part creme kits no good?

Kreme has been working in my tank for about 25 years now. Just be careful not to get the stuff or the fumes near the paint.

[Johnpaul1839]

Well I used the Milkstone (soaked for 3 days) but there was still a shillak/gummy substance in a lot of places so then I used about a half gallon of Mineral Spirits soaking or 24 hours to no avail.

Right now I put two fuel filters in line with new fuel hose and filled the tank up so it wouldn't rust before I get to use POR-15 but I'm hesitant due to the varnish/gummy just still in the tank. I figure the gas will help dissolve it over time and I'll coat it later.

Do I even need to coat the tank???

[Hondarider]

Hi all, my experience with rusty tanks:

I had my tank cleaned and sealed by "pro's" and one year later rusty again so I started
doing them myself with great results.
Like others clean tank and roll small pieces of metal, nuts,bolts etc around inside to get
the scale off. I then used a product called "Metal Rescue". It worked great, looks like
new inside and you can reuse it. It is fairly expensive but I was willing to pay the
extra for something that works. ($25/gallon, $90/5 gallons).
I reuse it for cleaning other parts as well. The nice thing is that it is water based so
no fumes and easy to work with.
Sealing the tank is another issue, I went to a local place for protective coatings and
bought theirs, working well so far. after 4 years still no rust
Hopefully this helps