Cleaning the rust from that old tank

R

rudy

If it don't fit, you're not trying hard enough!
If anyone is looking for a cheap and easy way to clean the rust from the inside of your tank, check this out. Zep brand calcium lime and rust remover. http://www.homedepot.ca/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CatalogSearchResultView?D=113125&Ntt=113125&recN=118638&langId=-15&Dx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntk=P_PartNumber&storeId=10051&Ntx=mode+matchall&N=0&catalogId=10051

Just pour a bunch of this in with the petcocks in and everything sealed up, close the lid, shake well, let it sit, shake every few hours for about a day. Remove your petcocks and any other lines, pour the Zep out and wash out with lots of water. Wash your petcocks too. Save the Zep for the next tank. Wash the remaining water out of your tank with some alcohol, or something like that. Let it dry, or fill it with gas and go.

This stuff will not eat your paint, will not choke you with fumes, and will not break the bank as it's pretty freakin cheap and available at a lot of local stores. It's biodegradable, so it doesn't matter if you spill some, or wash your tank out on the lawn. Just don't drink it.

I've done a couple tanks this way already. They go from sounding like there's gravel rattling inside and covered in rust, to looking brand new inside in a matter of 24 hours. But don't take my word for it, TRY IT!
 
Rudy, I will give it a try the, price is right. I was going to try this method http://650rider.com/Content/pid=6.html
The ZEP certainly seems less work ;)
 
Hey, thanks for the excellent tip, Rudy, I've been looking for an alternative to using Evapo-Rust, which is a similar product, but much more expensive. I'm on a fixed income, so I have to keep the spending to a minimum...

For those of us in the US market, Home Depot ONLY sells the Zap product in a one-gallon jug; you can find it easily by opening the Home Depot webpage:

http://www.homedepot.com

then enter the Keyword "HDRUST128" in the Search box, or, you can enter the SKU #, which is 256534.

Here's a link to a big photo of the one-gallon jug:

http://www.homedepot.com/catalog/productImage/fb9d6ae0-8d7e-4622-bf82-211eab8e678f_400.jpg

which should make it easier to find when you're looking at all the products on the shelves...

NOTE: The original link to the product page was INCREDIBLY long, and posting it here probably would have crashed the DTT server. I was able to cut it down to about one-third of the original length; try this direct link, and if it doesn't work for you, use the Search option, using the Keyword ("HDRUST128"), or the SKU (256534) I posted above:

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=100336887

Again, if that link doesn't work for you, try the Search methods written above.

Hope this information makes it easier to find the stuff on US store shelves...

Thanks again, Rudy; I now have seven old tanks that need to be cleaned, and the Zap product is MUCH cheaper than Evapo-Rust, so now I can get the results I want, without spending a small fortune at Autozone every time I acquire another old gas tank...
 
I've always heard throwing a bunch of nuts and bolts in the tank when shaking it will also knock a lot of rust loose.

I've got 2 tanks that currently need cleaning. I'll give this stuff a try and post the results here.
 
So i bought a 3.78L jug (Canada) $9.99 filled the tank topped it up with water let it sit for 4-5 hrs shakin occasionally!!
It works great ;D the Tank was clean flushed with soapy water ..It seem to flash rust very fast, so I put a shit load of WD40 annd swished it about as my fuel pet cock is leakin and i dont wanna lose any of that expensive Gas...
So can you get rebuild kits for petcocks (cl350) jimd
 
Just wanted to post an update on this subject...

Went to Home Depot today and bought a one-gallon (128 oz. / 3.78L) bottle of the Zep Calcium, Lime & Rust Stain Remover. The bottle is NOT the same as the one shown on the webpage; it is now DARK BLUE plastic, changed from the white plastic. The label has also changed; not as eye-catching as the original, IMO.

Though the SKU is still listed as "256-534", the KEYWORD has changed; it is now "ZURUST128", not "HDRUST128".

According to the label, it is CAUSTIC; it contains both hydrochloric acid and sulfamic acid (not familiar with sulfamic acid). You need to wear gloves when using it (eye protection couldn't hurt), and avoid inhaling the fumes. The label advises not to use it on a painted surface, so be extra careful with it, or you might need to repaint sooner than you expected.

I won't have a chance to use it for a while yet; my old gas tanks are in storage, and I won't be able to work on them until sometime later this summer.

I really can't recommend putting nuts or bolts into a tank when cleaning it; there is always the chance you could dent the tank from the inside while shaking it, and you might not be able to get all of the nuts and bolts back out when you're finished. Of course, if you are going to be doing major metal work to the tank, a few more dents might not matter much to you, so you might as well put some rusty nuts and bolts in the tank with the solution, and kill two birds with one stone. Just be sure you can get them out when you're done de-rusting the tank.

Lastly (as intrudin has already mentioned), you can expect the raw, etched metal inside the tank to flash-rust VERY quickly, especially if you live or work in a humid environment. BE SURE to coat the inside of the tank with oil, or something else that will protect the metal from air and moisture. A few teaspoons of clean motor oil should do the trick, or follow the advice intrudin mentioned; apply a good coating of WD-40, and make sure ALL of the tank is coated. WD-40 leaves a light film on metal, but I don't know how long it will hold up, so check it frequently, and reapply as needed.

Hope this information helps others; thanks again to rudy for starting this thread...
 
I tried this one with my stock tank that I thought I was going to have to throw away it was so horrible on the inside. the difference was astonishing. I have to do it one more time cause of the severity of the rust but it looks brand new on almost the entire tank. Thanks for the tip! this also work really well on old rusty screws, nuts and bolts etc.

RT
 
Well now I have to chime in here.

I just finished a good 36hr soak on a '69 CB350 tank I bought off the 'bay. It was pretty crusty inside... it looks BRAND NEW inside, silver and shiny! It is amazing how fast if flash rusts after though. HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS METHOD.

I poured two gallons of the zep in and then topped the tank off with water and put the gas cap on... just shook it a couple of times a day.

I think that this method and then just the coating part of por-15 would be great! This was way easier then the first two steps of the por kit.

- Woody
 
I used a similar product.
c5ed9b58-894f-4089-b7f5-d0e1ca989f92_3.jpg
it also worked great! Lots of rust and dirt came out. Then I repeated, and washed my tank. After putting gas in it and driving for a while my bike was running way better. Thanks for the tip!
 
Flash rusting is indeed a problem...I merely mix baking soda with the final water rinse,as it neutralizes the acid. At least this method worked when I used muriatic acid to clean a tank.
 
Been using the Zep cleaner for a while now. When ever I do a project bike I buy a jug or two, as well as some WD40. I have a small container with a basket that goes inside, throw all the nuts and bolts, small items that look like crap into the basket and let sit over night. Next day pull them out check them, some may need more soak time, but usually not. Hose the parts off and spray with WD40 to stop flash rust. Chrome parts come out looking like new, but it takes the nickel finish off some parts, but usually they were going to be that way anyway. When you are ready to paint them just clean the WD off and fly at it. But it is caustic, will make marks on your paint if left on too long, especially if used straight and not diluted down. It will also eat your petcocks if left in the tank too long, so make up some block off plates instead. If you are going to use it for carbs and petcocks or anything made out of potmetal, dilute it down at least 50-50 and watch them closely, this stuff slowly eats away at the metal, and soon you will have nothing but unuseable carbs, eventhough they will look nice and clean. John.
 
This stuff starts working as soon as it hits the metal. It's been soaking for about 10 minutes and I can already tell a huge difference. I threw in some nuts and bolts to knock the big stuff off. I plan on letting it sit over night and cleaning it out tomorrow with water and gas.

2 thumbs up.
 
maxypants said:
I used a similar product.
c5ed9b58-894f-4089-b7f5-d0e1ca989f92_3.jpg
it also worked great! Lots of rust and dirt came out. Then I repeated, and washed my tank. After putting gas in it and driving for a while my bike was running way better. Thanks for the tip!
Click to expand...

That is some pretty good stuff...my mom uses it to clean the elements on the swamp coolers out in Vegas.
 
what's the process for removing the petcock?

i didn't see any method of twisting mine of...it's actually somewhat of an oval shape...

1971 cb500 BTW.
 
I just wanted to say that I just tried the CLR and it worked great. Better than expected. I put about a gallon in, full strength and sloshed it around about every 10 minutes. Most of the rust was gone in about 1/2 an hour, and my tank was fairly rusty. I kept at it for about 4 hours until pretty much all the rust was gone. There were some dark, blackish spots left and some pitting but it was clean enough for me. Drained it back into the containers and then washed out the tank. I put some baking soda in the final rinse. Then I sprayed a bunch of WD40 in it and then sloshed that around. Did that twice. Put a little gas in it and sloshed that around to clean the WD40 out. Filled the tank and it is working great.

The only problem I had was there was a small pinhole leak in the upper front of the tank that I didn't find until I filled it all the way up. It had been repair from the outside before I bought it. I think my cleaning loosened up the repair. I cleaned it of and cleaned up the metal and then put some of that leaky fuel tank 2 part epoxy on it. Hopefully that will hold. I guess I'll find out next time I fill it up.
 
Im glad I work for a chemical company. I have been using a scale remover on our equipment for 7 years now. Never needed to use then on a gas tank until now. I should strip the rust out of it no prob. Our stuff is called Lime-A-Way.
 
Wow I know this thread is crazy old, but holy crap does Zep work wonders. I just cleaned out two pretty heavily rusted tanks and they are now both just about completely rust free!
 
I am actually about to start stripping and painting an old tank. It has a very small amount of rust.

Seeing as it will probably be stored off of the bike all winter while paint cures, if I use this stuff, what would I put in it afterwards for storage? I want to keep it indoors, so I'd hate to fill it with gas. Should I be waiting until I am about to put it on the bike to do this?

*** edit ***
After more thorough reading, I realize that it is bad for paint, so I am assuming I should be rinsing then immediately hitting w/ WD-40 to avoid flash rust.

If anyone else has advice on avoiding rust while prepping/painting/wetsanding and storing for cure time, please let me know.
 
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