DO NOT use toilet bowl cleaner to clean the rust!

SO, my bf looked online to find ways to clean the rust out of the gas tanks on our bikes(his honda, my XJ) and found that a lot of people recommended using "The Works" toilet bowl cleaner. It worked FINE on his Shadow. So he used it on my tank. Um, YEAH not such a great idea. It melted my fuel sensor's seal and the seal on my tank cover. It cleaned the rust out all right. That's for sure. My tank is pretty and clean inside but it took everything else with it too! The new fuel sensor assembly was $50 and I don't even know what a new tank cover is gonna cost me. The seal on it isn't as bad. May be able to salvage it. Hoping I don't have to change it out and have 2 different keys for my bike.

 

PM member chacal (Len) with xj4ever, he has all the gaskets, and everything else, you need.

 

Yeah, toilet bowl cleaner is really caustic acid, chews up all the rubber. I prefer to go a bit slower just to be safe.

 

Your supposed to take that stuff off

 

problem with using chemicals (acids) to eat rust is they also eat the base metal

Check this sweet video on electrolysis for rust removal. Electrolysis is an electro-chemcial process which attacks iron oxide only, and does not etch or dissolve the base metal. On a really rusted tank, harsh acids can actually eat through the base metal and cause leaks. electrolysis will not harm the base metal, so its ideal for an older tank like our XJs have.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54ADeB6V1rQ

This video does a very good job of covering the basics of electrolysis, but doesnt directly apply to MC Gas tanks... numerous other videos of people using electrolysis on their tanks -- for example...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTKHZSKuJtQ

My tank has some light rust, and this winter i will be busting out the battery charger and soda crystals to eat the rust and make the tank like new.

good luck

 

My rust was on the inside and it was surface stuff. It wasn't bad. He didn't think that the pieces attached to the tank were anything but metal. So, yeah. He does a lot of the work when I'm busy with work and the kids. He is a genius and has a tendency to overlook very small details.

He tried an electrolysis rust removal with the tank for his shadow but it apparently was so rusty inside that it sprung leaks when he did it. He ended up spending $200 to buy a new tank. So he was worried about doing that to mine.

He paid for the parts that needed to be replaced on mine. So I'm not bitching too much. Just thought it would be a good idea to tell everyone DON'T DO IT. Not such a good idea even though some people are toting it as working well. YES, it did clean out my tank and it's pretty and clean inside but not a great idea.

 

Like Polock said, you were suppose to take everything off before cleaning inside of tank...that means gas cap, fuel sending unit, & petcock.....plug orifices with block-off plates & then go to town on it......not with everything attached.....

But lesson learned...hope all is well now

 

Ingredients - 20% Hydrochloric Acid

 

Right! HCl, aka hydrochloric, and muriatic acid will 'eat' or break-down most materials. It works great in your stomach, but is short lived, neutralized, and mostly safe in those tissues. Elsewhere it reaks havoc.

Phosphoric acid is much safer for metals and will remove rust and leave behind an etched surface in place of rust. HCl is suitable for concrete, but not much else.

 

I'm going to try the Beet Juice treatment next time I get a project bike that needs a tank clean. Or maybe steel shot and a garage sale clothes dryer.

 

Well, either that tank needed to be junked anyway, or, the battery charge leads were hooked up opposite of what they should have been......electrolysis (like the electrical current behind the process) can work either way, so hooking up the leads in a reverse manner WILL very effectively eat away the good metal!

 

But ya still gotta "disassemble" the tank first...

 

I just had great results with white vinegar on my newly acquired GS850L tank.

It had heavy rust inside. I pulled the fuel sender and corked the hole but left the petcock in place as it was being replaced anyhow. I did use the fill cap though and had no detrimental effect on the gasket.

Filled it up and let it sit for 3 days. The last day I turned it over to get the small air gaps. Great results though it flash rusted very quickly upon drying.

 

The tank must have already had rust all the way thorough in some spots. Reversing the anode and cathode in an electrolytic rust removal setup turns it into a electroplating setup. Good, solid, steel will not be "eaten" away in an electrolytic rust removal system.

 

if the polarity is reversed it certainly will etch it's way right through a tank.

How do I connect the battery charger?
THE POLARITY IS CRUCIAL!! The iron or stainless electrode is connected to the positive (red) terminal. The object being cleaned, to the negative(black). Submerge the object, making sure you have good contact, which can be difficult with heavily rusted objects. Get it backwards and your object will be relentlessly eaten away! Make connections on a part of your electrode that protrudes out of the solution, or your clamps will erode rapidly.

http://www.stovebolt.com/techtips/rust/ ... usting.htm

 

Eventually it will etch away, but that usually takes several days of immersion if the underlying metal is sound enough to be worth saving. Long before that happens it will be very obvious that the rust isn't coming off of the work piece.

FYI: Never use stainless as an electrode. One of the products when stainless steel is used in an electrolytic system is Hexavalent Chromium, which is a toxic waste and a carcinogen. HAZMAT cleanup is expensive.

 

Phosphoric acid does a great job.

It will chew up zinc though. Most fuel taps are pot metal (high zinc content) and it will ruin them very fast.

 

Not to mention Batman will save Gotham. Again.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kaQcSqty17g

 

I've done three tanks so far using phosphoric acid and am very happy with the long-term results.