So now it's time to fix the gas tank. While my carbs are being cleaned i might as well get the tank cleaned. There is a ton of rust inside the tank but the tank itself is in perfect shape. If you don't know, the bike was sitting since 1991 in a basement a 1/4 full of gas. I opened the tank for the first time in 2005, dumped the gas out and then rust fell into my hands. I'll post some pictures shortly.
Anways, because the tank is pretty solid I was thinking of just coating the inside. I read one how to on this site. That person used POR-15. I heard about that stuff and people say is really good stuff. Then I heard about this stuff from Summit racing. http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.a...mp;autoview=sku
Has anyone used this or any other type of stuff to fix/seal a tank? Any other tips and tricks to seal up the tank would be greatly helpful.
I tried Kreem and followed instructions to the letter. That tank sat for 1.5 yrs after Kreeming it & the damn Kreem is already flaking out on me. I hear POR15 is the shit to use, dont know where to get it tho but I know its pretty pricey. I do know I will never use Kreem again, if its that hard to do it correctly then it flakes out anyway, screw it.
I don't know or heard any experience about the Summit product .
Here in France , a company who sells products to restore old car have a similar product to fix a leaky gaz tank ; this product have an excellent reputation. It takes time to apply , but it's efficient.
I had a similar situation a while back. Tank was rusted and leaking, and I couldn't afford a new
one. So, I tried some coating stuff, which did work. I have no idea what it was called, or how it
held up as I didn't keep the bike for that long afterward. Kreem sounds familiar, and if it's white,
that may have been it. If what you're after is a permanent fix so you can keep the bike, I really
don't think there is one. I was only after a temp fix until I could get a new tank or a new bike.
I heard that there is a product used for aviation fuel tanks that works well in motorcycle gas tanks. I would suggest giving a local aircraft maintenance shop a call and ask what they use. I seem to recall the stuff they use has a relatively short life span and you might be able to pick up some of the stuff that has passed it's best before date. It is probably not a good idea in an aircraft, but motorcycles don't tend to fall from the sky so a little more risk for a some saved dollars might be worth the risk.
so here are some pictures of the tank
tanks looks great from the outside
[image: Posted Image] 100_5440.JPG
rust
[image: Posted Image] 100_5441.JPG
more rust
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and more rust
[image: Posted Image] 100_5443.JPG
rust powder
[image: Posted Image] 100_5445.JPG
rust chunks
[image: Posted Image] 100_5448.JPG
The product that I mentioned above from Summit was used on the show "Trucks" and they went step by step through the whole process on a truck gas tank. The directions say it will work for any tank even motorcycles so I might lean toward this product. I'll keep everyone posted on how the outcome goes.
now for some reason the link i posted in the message isn't bringing up the picture of the product that I may use. Well if anyone wants to see the product, the part number is Summit SUM-900056-3.
[image: View Post]mechdziner714, on May 20 2009, 10:33 AM, said:
That Summit stuff seems to be just like the Kreem kit thats 15$ cheaper. Kreem I know is white. I need to find more info on the POR-15. Anyone got any info on POR-15?
I used POR15 on the tank of my VLX. The thing sat for 15 years with 1/4 tank worth of gas in it. When I opened it up, I thought the nothing short of Divine intervention would bring that tank back to life.
Any way, the POR15 kit comes with acid wash to dissolve the tar left by gas, rust neutralizer and a coating epoxy. If you follow their instructions to the letter, it will coat the inside of the tank with an equivalent of thick silvery plastic layer that can not be chipped of or damaged in any way.
I highly recommend spending about $50 (iirc) for this kit.
Good luck with it.
yeah I've heard good things about POR-15. I don't think I need the heavy duty kit because there is no previous lining. I think the standard kit for $40 will do just fine. Either way I'm gonna try to attempt this shortly.
wow it's been a long time since I've posted anything on this topic. Anyways I've finally gotten around to getting back on this project. I picked up the POR-15 motorcycle fuel tank repair kit.
I took the gas tank apart and removed everything inside; the float, gas line valve, and petcoat. Can anyone tell me what to use to remove the rusty crap and not destroy the electrical mech for the fuel gauge and or the screen of the petcoat? Or do these parts look unsalvagable? I know I don't want to put these back into the take after it's coated looking like this.
I'll be at least coating the tank in the next week or so. I'll keep you all informed on how that process goes. The directions don't look hard, just have to make sure EVERYTHING is dry before you add in the sealer.
more rust powder
[image: Posted Image] CIMG1888.JPG
rust all piled up inside which still needs to come out. Where is the shop vac!!!
[image: Posted Image] CIMG1889.JPG
The stuff used to prep the tank and neutralise the rust is usually orthophosphoric acid, which turns the iron oxide (rust) into a more stable phosphate salt, which is less likely to spread. While the acid's not a strong one, I'm not sure what effect it might have on the electrical stuff. Are you talking about the bits pictured? You should be able to paint the 'neutraliser' on, and then treat the parts with a stable, plastic primer of some sort (as long as it's gas-resistant) carefully avoiding the electrical contacts.
It shouldn't hurt the filter sock, as that's likely to be polypropylene or similar, and impervious to the acid.
Good choice on the POR15 - I've heard good things about it. I used some 'Kreem' on my VF500 tank, and even though I folowed the direction implicitly, it didn't work, so I had several years of pinholes reappearing.
I was also told that i could use break cleaner or carb cleaner to take off the stuff on the petcoat and possiblly the float arms. I'll just have to see.
I have used Citric Acid Powder (CAP) mixed with distilled water to remove rust on bicycles that I've restored. It has worked really well for me.
I mix about 8 ounces (dry) CAP per gallon of distilled water. Boil the water and add the CAP to get it mixed well. Allow the solution to cool and place your parts in a plastic container filled with the solution for about 24 hours. Check the parts every few hours or so and when the rust has turned dark gray you are pretty much done. The dark gray residue is easily removed with a brush (nylon or wire).
Hope this helps with the small parts. CAP is easily found at most home brewers supply stores.
[image: View Post]snowman11, on Aug 25 2009, 10:30 PM, said:
I was also told that i could use break cleaner or carb cleaner to take off the stuff on the petcoat and possiblly the float arms. I'll just have to see.
Why not just sand and paint them? It'll be more work, but you know you it'll be done right. The advantage to the POR-15 type stuff is that it works well in areas you can't get to. Since those are already out of the tank a little elbow grease will take the rust right off. Make sure you use a good quality product to cut them once you've taken the rust off.
what's the best way to seal up the tank so I can slosh around the different solutions inside so it takes the rust off? Anybody that has fixed their tanks let me know. Thanks.
well I'm in the middle of cleaning my tank and duct tape works the best on the main opening and the petcoat opening. I just reinstalled the o-ring and plate for the fuel float and that worked great. After cleaning and acid washing i'm in the process of drying everything. I hope that this works. At this point the tank looks "better" but still very rusty. I have chunks of rust still coming out after drying all the water out. Tomorrow I'm going to line the tank and get more pictures up.
Oh yeah about the sending unit itself..... I've got mad skills! Look how well it turned out! j/k I found this on ebay and I got it for a Christmas present from my wife!!
The carb cleaning on the other hand was more than I thought, but at least now I have a fully cleaned and ready to go set of carbs to put back on the bike.
I restored a nighthawk S tank that was worse than yours with POR-15. It was almost rusted through. Used rubber stoppers from the hardware store to plug holes. After the acid wash it looked clean, there was no rust color left at all. I just followed the POR-15 directions.
Your tank still looks too rusty. Your need stronger acid or longer soaking time. Once you get rid of the rust and if you tank is not leaking you can skip the coating part. The important part is get it clean.
well, I got the tank sealer put in. I noticed that the POR 15 directions state that the sealer can be applied onto a rusty surface so I said what the heck. After putting the sealer in and rolling the tank around I opened it up to see the process and it looks pretty good. I think though I have to add a second coat of liner because it looks like the larger rust area is poking through. I'll wait to see after the drying process so see if it needs a second coat.
I wish I had noticed this thread sooner, because I thought I'd share something I did to help a Kreem kit do it's magic on a GS500 I used to own; bad rust, flaking, etc. Almost as bad as what you had going on. I took a box of brass BB's for a BB gun and poured them into the tank after removing the tank and draining it. Then I closed off the openings with tape, then for the next half hour, I shook the hell out of the tank. Then I removed the tap from the tank drain and rolled the tank around until most were out. Then I opened everything up and shook the remaining BB's out of the tank. To flush it I poured the gasoline into it that I drained out previously, then caught the gas in a bucket as it drained out of the tank. The previously clear gas looked like tomato juice. Tons of flakes, scale, etc. I figured a little mechanical help to the acid could only help the magic happen.
That said, the Kreem itself was a pain to pour in, and I've heard better things about the POR-15 product. If I had to do it again, I'd go that route.
[image: View Post]Cdn Arctic, on 19 May 2009 - 06:20 PM, said:
I heard that there is a product used for aviation fuel tanks that works well in motorcycle gas tanks.
You are most probably refering to "Pro Seal". It is a great product, but it would not be possible to effectively seal the inside of an enclosed motorcycle tank with it. It is a two-part, putty-like epoxy filleting sealant. It is very durable and works great... but it would not be possible to apply it inside an enclosed motorcycle tank. It would need to be applied during construction
I do have personal knowledge of a motorcyclist who used Pro Seal to convert a spoked motorcycle rim to a tubeless rim.
You may want to investigate PPG 1005 Buna-N Slosh-N-Seal. I have never used it, so I can't comment on how good it works. I don't think it has the structural integrity to keep flakes of rust in place. Read any info thoroughly before jumping in.
Here is a list of all PPG's sealant line.... There might be the perfect solution in here somewhere.... but you're going to pay through the nose for it. Most likely, the products already mentioned in other posts are a better fit.
This trend has been around for some time now, and it's taking me just as long to get around to fixing the tank.
I thought about using Kerosane and ball bearings to knock out a lot of the rust first. I'm kind of glad that I didn't because I just noticed at the bottom of my tank, there is a little spot of the greyish tank sealer that came through the tank!!! It looks like a pin hole formed as the acid wash did it's work. I still need to put up some pictures, but I've contacted POR about adding a second layer of liner but they haven't gotten back to me.
95% of the tank looks great after lining but I just want to make sure all the rust is covered so I don't have problems down the road. My goal for 2010 is to just get the bike running. I just want to know if I go outside and turn the key it will start. Actually have it move down the road, that might take a little longer.
End of thread · 23 posts recoveredWayback Machine snapshot 20 May 2011