Opinions on Gas Tank Cleaners?

[beachbumtroy69]

hey guys im wanting to try myself cleaning and sealing my gas tank and was wondering since it has light rust in it whats the best kit or cleaner to use? i see dozens of different brands on ebay but none actually say they clean the rust or will coat it? so any thoughts on the best brands or types to use would be helpful. thnx bb

[c21darrel]

just get some phosphoric acid at home depot, (i think they sell it as metalprep)about $15. use a length of chain inside and shake. Pour out and dry then use Masterseries silver to finish.

[beachbumtroy69]

ok i`ll try never heard of it but i`ll give it a go,where do i get that masterseries silver? ive never heard of that ethier, thnx

[GB2S]

Take the Gas Tank to a radiator shop for their evaluation. If it has a weak spot it might not be worth doing. If it only has light rust you might consider NOT sealing it. The sealer can come off and cause all sorts of problems.
Yes, you can do it yourself, but if the radiator shop does it you don't have to mess with the chemicals, or getting rid of them properly. A radiator shop will dip it so all the paint on the outside is removed making it easier to paint.

Spend the money on a shop.

Geoff
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1963 Ragtop

[beachbumtroy69]

ok appreciate the info we`ll look into it got a good radiator shop around the corner. thnx bb

[beachbumtroy69]

hey guys went to a radiator shop and the harley dealer today they both told me they could do it,but they also said just to clean it out best i can and NOT to use a sealer,they both said the same thing,and they harley mechanic said just clean it out with gas and then acetone and leave it like that even if it still had rust in he said just to put a good filter on and change it every so often and that would be more than enough...... so with all that i think i`ll do as he said appreciate the replies,but they both said they havent seen anything good come from the sealers.so thnx

[79SuperVert]

I took mine to a radiator shop too, and for $95 they cleaned it out. Then I tried washing it in some stuff that was supposed to react with the surface rust and turn it black and make it inert. It didn't really work that well, there's still surface rust in there, but at least I don't have to worry about any coating stuff coming loose. I'll just keep an eye on it and I think I'll be fine.
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[beachbumtroy69]

sounds exactly like what they said....so i figure any rust particles will be caught in the filter which by the way im installing 2....one on the tank and one before the carb cant hurt right anyway filters catch the particles and nothing else to worry about thats what im hoping:)

[EverettB]

On my '63 Bus which was throwing out a ton of rust flakes, enough to clog 2 filters inline pretty much on every tank of gas:
I got a big piece of chain and ran it through the sender hole while holding the end, and shook it around for a while.
Rinsed it with my hose and a high pressure nozzle.
Let it drain and dry out in the sun all afternoon.

I remember a couple more tiny flakes came out but only for 1 tank of gas.

No problems since and this was a couple years and probably 15,000 miles ago.

My friend has done the radiator shop thing a few times and it always worked out well too.
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[GB2S]

Regardless, what you do, Once you get the inside clean, Spray some WD40 in the tank in the tank to prevent rust. This is from the radiator shop that did mine

Geoff
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1963 Ragtop

[beachbumtroy69]

alright dont laugh but mine was so bad i decided to go with a spun aluminum tank and going to use my split tanks to mount the radio and some switches in i`ll post some pics of it when im done.

[slione]

Has anyone had luck with POR-15's fuel tank product?

http://www.por15.com/FUEL-TANK-REPAIR-KIT/productinfo/FTRK/
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1974 SB Vert - Getting there, slowly but surely

[bugger101]

[Mr. Unpopular]

Just be aware that people are starting to complain of the POR-15 sealer flaking off after a couple years of use. My hunch is the ethanol blended gas is not as safe for their sealer as they say it is.

Me personally, on my fuel injected bus tank, I dropped a few feet of chain in the tank with muratic acid and hot water (50/50 mix), sloshed with a friend for 10 minutes, drained and rinsed with water from the hose. I then poured phosphoric acid in the tank, sloshed for 10 minutes, drained and blew dry with a fan facing the opening. It's not pretty inside, but I've put over 500 miles on the bus and haven't had any issues. Just occasionally fill the tank and drive. The gas will coat the tank and prevent it from rusting. Leaving a car sit with low gas will cause rust on the top of the tank.
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[beachbumtroy69]

agreed,im new at this and asked for ur opinions,but everybody i`ve talked to say there isnt anything safe right now(including por15) for inside gas tanks so thats why im making a radio holder out of mine lol good luck