Re: rusty gas tank causes intermittant power loss?

• Author: andrewhed (---.hsd1.ma.comcast.net)
• Verified User: andrewhed
• Date Posted: 12-06-07 21:37

Here’s my less dramatic way of cleaning a tank then muriatic acid, which can be kinda dramatic.

The Klean-Strip Phosphoric Prep & Etch Method: ( home depot sells this, its phosphoric acid, comes in a quart bottle, a quart will do)

1. Drain the tank, then remove the petcock. Either find a piece of cork or an old busted petcock that you dont care about, and cram it in the petcock hole.

2. De- Grease the tank. You can use castrol degreaser, or even dawn dish soap and really hot water, but you have to cut the oil / grease out or your wasting your time with acid. I think this is where a lot of guys go wrong – going right to the acid first.

Fill it up with some hot water from a teapot and some dish soap, but the top back on , and rock the bike for a while, then drain it. Or use the real Castrol Degreaser.

Then stick a garden hose down the tank , right in the opening, and let it rip. Just keep spraying, it gets off tons of rust, and will wash the soap and oil out. ( watch the look of HORROR on your neighbors faces ) You will need to use a little stick or a toothpick, or the end of a busted off petcock, and just keep jamming it in the petcock hole until all the crap you can break up comes out. Keep doing this till you get all the soap out.

Then get some "Klean-Strip Phosphoric Prep & Etch" Home Depot has it, and mix a quart of it to a gallon of water. Acid in the gallon bottle then water by the way. Dont use a milk jug, that’s just dumb.

Pour it right up to the top and put the top on. Rock it back and forth a few times. Then just wait it out. You have to leave it for at least a couple of hours or overnight . Let it sit on the back tire on the stand for a while, and let it sit on the front so it gets at the rust on the header tube.

Dont over fill it. Dont underestimate the ability of a big drippy line of acid and rust to permenantly stain a paint job. Spoken from expreience ( at least it was a BROWN puch ) Also remember acid eats aluminum.

It may be benificial with a beastly tank to drain it after a hour and fill it up with fresh acid, or to pour the acid right back in a gallon jug. Again, do the poke the hole with the stick thing and watch in horror as the sediment comes out.

After you have waited as long as you can, you take the petcock (14mm) nut off for the millionth time, and drain the acid out again.

Then, hit it with the hose again, and rinse rinse rinse. When your done, pour one of those big bottles of isopropyl alchohol in there put the top on , swish, then drain, and IMMEDIATELY spray some WD 40 in there, fill with premix, right up to the top. Swish that around.

Dont use the petcock when your using the acid, use a cork or something like a hose and a clamp, acid eats petcocks.

Install a inline fuel filter.

Clean that carb well.

Ride.