Cleaning rust from inside the gas tank.

[Yukoncornelius]

I got a 70'ish fox doodlebug minibike and the inside of the gas tank was pretty crusty with rust. 20 minutes with muriatic acid and it looks brand new. I am debating doing it again, but I don't think I need to.

 

[Steve73]

I got a 70'ish fox doodlebug minibike and the inside of the gas tank was pretty crusty with rust. 20 minutes with muriatic acid and it looks brand new. I am debating doing it again, but I don't think I need to.

How do you keep it from flash rusting after rinsing out with water?

 

[Yukoncornelius]

Spray liberally with wd-40, or fill with gas I guess if you will be using soon.

 

[DaddyJohn]

Evapo-Rust...

 

[Yukoncornelius]

This is much cheaper than evaporust and does just as good a job. It looks superb inside the tank and it was quite crusty before. I got a gallon at a pool supply store for $5 and that is Canadian dollars.

 

[DaddyJohn]

I’ve used both and strongly prefer ER. It’s less aggressive, reusable (helps with cost concerns), and isn’t particularly hazardous. Flash rust isn’t really an issue either.

BTW, be sure to store your acid bottle away from anything that might rust. I’ve had sealed plastic bottles cause rust on nearby items over time.

 

[Steve73]

I’ve used both and strongly prefer ER. It’s less aggressive, reusable (helps with cost concerns), and isn’t particularly hazardous. Flash rust isn’t really an issue either.

BTW, be sure to store your acid bottle away from anything that might rust. I’ve had sealed plastic bottles cause rust on nearby items over time.

i have found ER to be better to use for me. i buy a gallon of it and mix in a gallon of distilled water so i have a 2 gallon mixture in a bucket and it last a long time because its reusable!

 

[SAS289]

I just bolted a tank on that has been sitting for 3 1/2 years. Before I put it away it got about 3 oz of oil thinned out with WD. Rolled it around turned the tank upside down etc. Still looked good when I got it out. This is a Chinese tank so I figured I needed to do what I could to prevent corrosion.

 

[Steve73]

I just bolted a tank on that has been sitting for 3 1/2 years. Before I put it away it got about 3 oz of oil thinned out with WD. Rolled it around turned the tank upside down etc. Still looked good when I got it out. This is a Chinese tank so I figured I needed to do what I could to prevent corrosion.

that is a really cool storage trick! thank you!

 

[Doc1976]

ELECTROLYSIS boys! no harmful chemicals, doesn't really cost anything and does a great job.