getting rust out of a tank

[mbubbac]

i have an atc 90 that i just got from my friends back yard. im restoring it and inside the gas tank its all rusted, how do i get the rust out, and another problem i have is that in the back of the take there was some rust and there are 2 tiny lil holes that the rust made, what do i do without spending 100 bucks on a new tank

[Huffa]

A product called Kreem works great! It is a white milky substance that coats the tank and it will never rust again! I have done 4 tanks so far with it. Has 3 steps and the 1st one is to pour in the rust neutralizer. Let it in 6,8,12 hours and usually the rust is gone! A bit more to the whole coating process then that but you get the general idea.

It's about $30 at most cycle shops.

http://motorcyclecity.com/Parts/tank-repair.htm

[ClayW]

I use muratic acid to eat the rust on the inside. Then wash it out good with water then acetone. It makes all the water evaporate instantly. THen I use a Product called Red Coat. I have used it on 2 tanks and it is much tougher and thicker than Kreeme used in kreeme kits. I and many other board members have used Kreeme and it eventually came loose. Mine did. Red Coat is much more forgiving and leaves a thick redish clear liner on the metal. It will even plug up holes pretty good. Even bigger sized ones. it runs $28 a qt. With a Qt you can usually do 2 tanks with a thick liner. It was originally designed for aircraft fuel tanks. Good Stuff. :beer

[mbubbac]

yeah maby i will try that red coat stuff. where can i get that, will it fill lil holes cuz i got a couple holes in the rear of the tank caused by rust

[Huffa]

I use muratic acid to eat the rust on the inside. Then wash it out good with water then acetone. It makes all the water evaporate instantly. THen I use a Product called Red Coat. I have used it on 2 tanks and it is much tougher and thicker than Kreeme used in kreeme kits. I and many other board members have used Kreeme and it eventually came loose. Mine did. Red Coat is much more forgiving and leaves a thick redish clear liner on the metal. It will even plug up holes pretty good. Even bigger sized ones. it runs $28 a qt. With a Qt you can usually do 2 tanks with a thick liner. It was originally designed for aircraft fuel tanks. Good Stuff. :beer

Clay
I had one problem with kreem one time as it was too thick (1 out of 4 tanks). Took way too long to flow around the tank. I should have known from past experiance to thin it out some which leads to my main ? With the red coat being thicker wouldn't you run into the same problem? Some tanks have a rim or collar up by the gas cap opening inside so the only way to drain is through the petcock hole. I would think thicker you'd have a heck of a time.

Please explain how you drain the excess out or don't you have to with that product?

[ClayW]

Actually what I do with the red coat is this. First off is just its about as thick as honey or something like that. Maybe just a hair thicker. The way I do it is this. Pour half a qt in and slosh it around real good coating the insides. I let the rest puddle in the bottom. Thats the bad area anyway for rust. After quite a few hrs i pick up the tank and slosh it around again and recoat the whole thing. Then let it set. Then again and again. Took 3 days last time. But it had a nice thick layer of that stuff in there. About the thickness of a credit card or drivers license. There is usually a small amount puddled up in the bottom seem, But thats good. Once it hardens its real tough. It kinda looks like that stuff you dip plier handles in to to coat them. Its very forgiving compared to kreem. You can thin it with MEK if you want. But I like it like it is. :beer On my Bigreds tank that I used Kreem. I didnt have any excess to speak of.

[mbubbac]

sweet that sounds cool, where can i get it whats the website, andwill it fil little holes that arein my tank

[ClayW]

I fixed about 25 holes in a tank with it. one was quite big. Go to one of your parts stores, they should have it. The mom and pop smaller size stores especially. keep us posted . i dont know of a website that has it.

[fh36]

what is a good cheap rust eating product that you could buy at a Lowes, Westlakes, or Walmart even? we have a spare tank for a 1986 200x that is in real nice condition that i want to put on my 200x because it has less dents.

[ClayW]

Muratic acid. Cheap!

[mbubbac]

hey say i get some acid and i get the rust out of my tank and i jb weld all the holes, should i still kreem it

[fh36]

uh yes. muratic acid... okay good... we have a bunch of that laying in our garage. (for cleaning off bricks and mortar) :D.. thanks.

[83185s]

where can u get that muratic acid at??? my hole 200x tank is rust..it has no holes in it but its completely rust on the inside..im not even jokin on that..u shine a light in there nad all u see is rust rust and more rust..i got it for a 185 cylinder and piston that i didnt need anymnore so i wasnt too worried about it..i thouhgt maybe the rocks and gas trick may do it but..no..lol..the gas turned red and its still treally really bad in there..will that muratic acid do the trick?? also..can i get hat kreeme or red coat or muratic acid at wal-mart or like an autozone place?? or would i have to go to a atv shop or somethin?

[K1500]

You can buy the muratic acid at Lowes or Home Depot or anyplace that sells concrete supplies. I bought my red coat at a tractor parts supplier.

[Huffa]

Actually what I do with the red coat is this. First off is just its about as thick as honey or something like that. Maybe just a hair thicker. The way I do it is this. Pour half a qt in and slosh it around real good coating the insides. I let the rest puddle in the bottom. Thats the bad area anyway for rust. After quite a few hrs i pick up the tank and slosh it around again and recoat the whole thing. Then let it set. Then again and again. Took 3 days last time. But it had a nice thick layer of that stuff in there. About the thickness of a credit card or drivers license. There is usually a small amount puddled up in the bottom seem, But thats good. Once it hardens its real tough. It kinda looks like that stuff you dip plier handles in to to coat them. Its very forgiving compared to kreem. You can thin it with MEK if you want. But I like it like it is. :beer On my Bigreds tank that I used Kreem. I didnt have any excess to speak of.

Thats strange that you say to puddle is good? With the Kreem that's a big no-no. I have done 2 street bike tanks too, double coat and still had excess but your supposed to. You mentioned the kreem started flaking away I think? That could be because the surface wasn't properly cleaned and maybe there was residue yet of something on it? I had very good results with the Kreem myself except for the time it was too thick.

[jenndnn3]

Kreeme will work fine as long as you treat the whole area. Any rusting or non etched surface it will not stickk. If you have holes on the bottom inside, jb weld works fine to fill them. But if it is on the outside, then you need a better fix. Jb weld weakens over time anything that hits it, it will fall out. Underneath really never gets hit. To stop pooling on any of those products, you have to start in thin layers. I can do 4 gastanks with one Kreeme kit. I have never tried the red suff mentioned here. There is also a product out there called Por-15. I have not tried this but if I need to redo my gastanks, I will go this way next time. Anything that etches the metal, (muriatic acid or any other acid you use) should be treated. Honda tanks came treated originally. The acids use with these products takes that coating off. If you have very little rust, I recommend just a simple flush, with MEK, acetone and leaving it alone. Basically pulling articals out of gas tank. Gas does not cause rust, Water and air do.

[MTS]

do you dilute the muratic acid or just pour it stright in and fill the tank up to the top let it sit for 30 mins and dump it out??? and why would you have to coat it afterwards...aslong as the tank is full when you park it it shouldnt rust i would think

[mbubbac]

yeah hes got a point if i clean the tank out with muriatic acid and then its just bare steel and the tank is full most of the time then i wouldnt have to worry about rust, and when i put the acid and i mix it 50/50 with h2o do i fill the entire tank up with the acid and water or just a lil and shake it around

[Huffa]

do you dilute the muratic acid or just pour it stright in and fill the tank up to the top let it sit for 30 mins and dump it out??? and why would you have to coat it afterwards...aslong as the tank is full when you park it it shouldnt rust i would think

You don't have to coat it and can just keep it filled with gas but the second the gas gets low and air gets at it, those rusted parts that the acid neutralized will start to rust right away again.

Totally up to you but I'd coat it & be done with it!