Cleaning my gas tank

I am finally getting around to working on the ST. Got a new battery and I am going to drain the oil and put in some fresh oil. Then I will make a temporary aux tank to see if I can get her to fire. In the mean time I need to clean out the original fuel tank. It looks like the PO tried to coat the tank and did it very carelessly. I have emptied out the old varnished gas but the inside looks nasty.

The stuff inside the tank is soft. Almost feels like plastic wrap coating the inside. After a little searching here I have seen mentioned of BB's inside a tank and wrapping it with blankets and running the tank through the dryer. Does this seem like my best option. I have also heard that a radiator shop can clean a tank. What would that do to the paint?

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the guys on here have been talking about sea foam u can get it at napa for about 8 buck or so and apparently it works to clean out the tank see this post Sea Foam in crankcase? they have been talking about it in there

I have had 5 tanks done at a local radiator shop and they do a fantastic job. If the tank is only rusted it costs me $65 to get it cleaned and coated. If it has been coated before it costs $125. If it is a epoxy coating you can kiss your paint goodbye. The only way to remove the epoxy is to bake it out. The first thing I would do is to remove all the fittings from the tank and blast out as much as you can with a pressure washer. If you see any rust inside flush it out first with a little Acetone to remove the water and than start flushing it out with MEK. That will remove all but the epoxy stile of liners. If you manage to remove the liner with MEK, than flush the tank out with Muriatic acid. This will remove the rust. Rinse out with tank with a week solution of baking soda with DISTILED water. Now flush it out again with Acetone to remove the water. Now you are ready to re-coat or have it re-coated.

kztee wrote:

I am finally getting around to working on the ST. Got a new battery and I am going to drain the oil and put in some fresh oil. Then I will make a temporary aux tank to see if I can get her to fire. In the mean time I need to clean out the original fuel tank. It looks like the PO tried to coat the tank and did it very carelessly. I have emptied out the old varnished gas but the inside looks nasty.

The stuff inside the tank is soft. Almost feels like plastic wrap coating the inside. After a little searching here I have seen mentioned of BB's inside a tank and wrapping it with blankets and running the tank through the dryer. Does this seem like my best option. I have also heard that a radiator shop can clean a tank. What would that do to the paint?

running the tank thru a clothes dryer?
it might damage the tank,as in dents and paint scrapes
try flushing with a garden hose
then maybe sea foam and a coat of wd-40 or something simular

looks like tank liner gone bad... a good long soak with MEK or Acetone should dissolve and remove that. Be very careful since those will attack paint if it comes in contact. Remove petcock and fuel sender, plug holes with rubber cork, or gasket and a cover plate over those holes. bb's to help remove the material would work, nuts & bolts would be better, I like using a couple short lengths of chain, about 8-10". The easier to remove when done, the better. Don't dump those chemicals in the street or the drain when you're done though, take it to a hazardous material waste disposal place.

kztee wrote:

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That looks nasty Try to find out if MEK dissolves it. If that Is epoxy, you might have some major problems.

sm0kinace wrote:

looks like tank liner gone bad... a good long soak with MEK or Acetone should dissolve and remove that. Be very careful since those will attack paint if it comes in contact. Remove petcock and fuel sender, plug holes with rubber cork, or gasket and a cover plate over those holes. bb's to help remove the material would work, nuts & bolts would be better, I like using a couple short lengths of chain, about 8-10". The easier to remove when done, the better. Don't dump those chemicals in the street or the drain when you're done though, take it to a hazardous material waste disposal place.

I agree, Chain works the best. The double link swing stile is the best because it has more bite. If you take a section of chain and beat it over a big rock to put some divots into it works the best.

Pictures like these make me glad I didn't try to use a liner on my tank...yuck!

It is so much better to have it done by a PRO and just pay a couple of $.

So, where would I get some MEK? Maybe I should just take it to a radiator shop. I don't mind spending some money if it will save the tank. There's no rust now so I would rather save it vs. buying a different one.

Hi Mr.Tee,

If your tank has been previously coated with any of the epoxies, I agree a radiator shop is a next best step. In case you haven't, have you reviewed the articles available here on KZR?

Try this one:

kzrider.com/index.php?option=com_content...view&id=22&Itemid=11

KZCSI