Vinegar tank cleaning

[1fasgsxr]

So I am staring the famous vinegar tank cleaning process. .
Here are a few pics of my attempt

 

[1fasgsxr]

I put 10 sheet rock screws in it and shook it with a gallon in it. Then I topped it off and let is sit for several days.. it has helped a bunch. My only problem so far was the pet cock bowl developed a pin hole in it for some reason. Better it happened now than when I was out riding it..

 

[hunterkey]

Be careful, I've had vinegar melt a whole petcock before after a couple weeks.
If you live near an O'Reilly's auto parts, they sell redkote tank liner and it works great. All other liners require a spotless prep, but redkote can stick pretty good even with a little bit of rust

 

[1fasgsxr]

I don't plan on leaving it in much longer...hope I don't need a liner..it's looking really clean
I drained it once and filtered it and put it back in again

 

[edelweiss]

I've become a bit of a "pro" at cleaning rusty tanks. I use Apple Cider Vinegar which is more acidic than White Vinegar. DO NOT leave the vinegar in the tank more than 2-3-days. 2 days is all you need or it starts to eat good metal. Use copper BB's to scrub the inside. Get copper BBs because they won't rust as quick as steel BBs. A few hundred BBs in the tank will enable you to scrub the inside of the tanks better vs. dry wall screws.

After emptying the vinegar from the tank, fill tank half way with distilled water. Distilled water has no minerals in it that promoter QUICK rust like regular tap water does. Pour in a few hundred BBs and shake every which way, empty water, fill with distilled water, scrub... repeat.

Also, don't forget to soak the gas cap. That little hole underneath the cap is critical that it's clear or the tank will not get the air flow it needs and the engine won't stay running.

Also, slosh some motor oil around in the tank (when it's dry) to protect from rusting until you fill it with gas.

Hope this helps!!

Best!
John

 

[1fasgsxr]

Thanks

 

[edelweiss]

Amazon sells the BBs and Walmart has el cheapo vinegar! ;D

 

[whynot]

Yea, don't leave parts in vinegar too long:



That was a carb bowl lock.

 

[grcamna5]

That wire is looking smaller than a toothpick ! I left mine in overnight and it sure removed lots of rust next day.I 'flushed the pieces out'a it' man,flushed it out about 5 times after that and then dried it quick.