Best cleaning job you can get inside the tank. Period. Oh, that 20-30 seconds...That's all the time I spend with the wife after 41 years. So, I got the timing down! Thanks.
@@CycleFab For stripping paint that words safely on fiberglass/SCM and metal, check out a company called "Coopers Strip Club" as the sell kits, large refills (About $250 two liquids) but they have you tube videos to watch. They are in New Zealand but require no difficult ordering off website or phone. No extra number to dial. The inventors wife answers the phone and knows the product well. It is a spray from bottles that use a viton seal, steel wool is sharp and the scotch brite pad is dense. Stripper lifts the paint and the "Flusher" is a slow drying solvent that helps remove the dissolved paint. Since the EPA banned sales of methylene chloride August 2019 to the public, their excuse was 41 people are dead because of misuse from 1976 - 2017. More have died from hair dryer accidents! They can't keep track of the waist is the real reason. I am glad they are much starter! DK, ASE master tech since 78, retired.
I have to say that I never met you or talked to you about removing rust cheaply. But I have been doing the exact method of cleaning tanks just like you. We must be brothers from different mothers. This is definitely the cheapest and best method of doing a super job. Make more great videos for us all to learn from Sir. Peace
I followed the video to the end where he uses the acid then rinses well and if your not going to seal it right away to coat with WD 40. My question is what do you use for a sealer?
Works like a charm, didn't believe it till I tried it. Filled a completely rusted tank with vinegar, left it over night, next day rinse and neutralize with baking soda, BAM! The rust was heavy scale, all gone shiny clean. Coated the inside of the tank with light oil, 4 years ago. Pulled it out last week, still clean and shiny inside.
I’m bout to do the same with my 99 zx7r. I also want to coat it with something to help prevent it from rusting again. What kind of oil did you use to coat your tank?
100% agree. Vinegar is the perfect rust remover for motorcycle restoration. it's mild. Wont chew through precious rare parts. And if you give it time or add salt, it's very effective.
I love how you make money saving a priority here. Its actually funny to think of the price difference from Evapo Rust and Vinegar 🤣. Thanks for this, awesome video 👍🏽
Vinegar works like a charm, I keep a 5 gallon bucket half full of it in my shop with a lid on it so it doesn't evaporate away to nothing. It gets weeker as you use it but it take a lot of rusty parts in and out of the bucket before it gets too weak to keep using. That's one of the advantages of Evaporust, you can just keep using it over and over. I've got some in a tub on my bench that's several years old and filthy, but the small stuff that goes in there still comes out great. Using it once and throwing it away is like buying a new hammer on your way to work everyday
Oxalic Acid is the go. One table spoon in hot water for every litre. Brilliant in engine blocks and only attacks rust (Oxide). Doesn't hurt any other metals etc. Flush your block and fill with acid. Get it up to temperature and let it sit for several hours or overnight. Flush then add sodium carbonate at one tablespoon per litre. Run engine and sit overnight. Flush until clear. Fill with appropriate coolant. 👍
Unlike most gas cans with ‘safety valves’, this one is EASY to operate ua-cam.com/users/postUgkx6IImIpPboNrtVJSROnpF9EnyBzRrJKP_ with one hand. Nudge the tab and press the thumb button (all with your thumb) and you’re filling your tank. I bought this to use with a pressure washer that needs frequent refilling and it’s been a blessing compared to most of the ‘safety cans’ being sold. ergonomic and easy to handle.
I've used a few small nuts tied to fishing line to shake and rattle around the inside of the tank when cleaning it just helps knock out more crap. Keep up the good work 👍
Phosphoric acid is ten times better - AND leaves a protective phosphate layer on the bare steel. The rust spots You left in that tank, will come back to haunt You in a few years...
@@wyldeman Same procedure as his except instead of muriatic acid use phosphoric acid. Leave in tank for 24 hours. Drain it out and flush tank. Blow out tank with air. Done. Cover paint with plastic wrap and tape it down.
Totally agree. Phosphoric acid works great. I'll use muriatic acid (30+% concentration) which is much faster than vinegar. Then follow up with phosphoric acid to protect the metal. Caution - muriatic acid will remove galvanize from steel. I do this before welding....
Great demonstration . I personally use concentrated lemon juice , then I use , vinegar , extreme rust , muractic acid ! The I use diesel fuel to nutralize it ! Works for me ! And my old Harley's . Larry , has common sense , either way , his method works well too !
When I worked with extremely highly concentrated acids in a lab - for pre-cleaning sample bottles - I also wore a thick rubber full length apron. If you can get one it can help you avoid the quick strip tease under the hose on the lawn routine.
Quick tip for something I figured out about taping off the tank for the acid. On the first layer of tape take the last two inches and fold it over to make a handle. That way when you need to rip it off you can keep the glove on and grab the handle to pull the whole thing off.
@@CycleFab can WACK that stuff hands down right back to clean bare bright steel.. in your paint section.. Oxalic acid.. about $3 will do your 3 gallons.. its KILLS rust & doesn't touch steel.. leave it for a day or so depending on severity of rust.. its used by dry cleaners to remove.. metallic stains from clothes.. so.. won't harm your clothes.. also it wont harm your paint or your hands.. rinse the tank before hand with draino or cheaper, caustic soda (its not a drink!).. LEAVE that hydrochloric acid out of it.. rinse after with a tblsp of 2-stroke oil & cup of petrol.. cheers from NZ
Mate I cannot thank you enough. I did fill the tank with vinegar and left it there for 24 hours. Nothing happened. Then I realised I forgot it add baking soda to it. As soon as I did it went nuts for awhile and then left it the for another 6 hours. Rinsed everything and the tank was as clean as new. The only problem I have is that I cannot get all the dirt out cause of the shape of the tank.. ANW, you are a life saver ❤❤
On the last process with the muriatic acid, I put steel ball bearings in with it, then rock the tank around, the ball bearings help to knock the small remaining rust bumps off. Awesome video my friend 🤠🙏
Superb clear cut video like I was standing next to you. I learned a lot and greatly appreciate it. I'm going to try it on my Oliver OC3 crawler. Slightly bigger tank but not much. Now I'm going to search your videos and hope I can seal it on my own too. Thanks again
We tried to clean out a 1969 CT90 Trail gas tank using this, it did some removal, however after two attempts, we used Harbor Freight Evapo-Rust and it did a much better job of removing the rust.. However, if I ever do it again, I'll use the UA-cam guys method of electrolysis. Simple, cheap and from all appearances, does a excellent job.
Good video. I've done it twice now with tanks that had WAY more rust. In my case I found if I leave the vinegar in for 5 days or so and then dump a bunch of drywall screws (Nice and sharp) in and shake the tank is PERFECTLY clean. The vinegar works slow but steady. I really couldn't believe it. The only "problem" is the flash-rust you get immediately when you try to dry out the tank.
I had a viewer comment that if you flush the tank out with a Baking Soda/Water Mixture that the flash rust will not happen. I need to test this theory to see if it works. If you get a chance to do this before me then let me know how it goes please. Thanks for commenting!
I put some light chain in the tank, with the vinegar (remove sending unit on automotive tanks).. give it a good shake/ roll it around.. repeat as needed, then rinse with baking soda/water.. I've saved several tanks with this method :) When I was younger we put chain and used motor oil in dirt bike tanks and just shook the crap out of them, drain and use.. not as good, but it worked!
Step 1: Drain and dry the tank. Step 2: Partially fill tank with sand and gravel. Step 3: Shake a whole bunch... you are sanding the inside of the tank. Step 4: Pour out sand and rinse with water. Step 5: Fill with Vinegar to get out the small rust. Step 6: Dry really well. Step 7: Optionally coat the inside of the tamk.
Thank you. White vinegar has been my go to for rust and mineral salts removal for years. Cheaper than any other product like CLR. Coke a cola (phosphoric acid) and crumpled aluminum foil for rust removal on chrome.
I love your outdoor workshop man that is so beautiful. and thank you for all the awesome tips. i've already done one tank successfully, but it was a couple years ago, so I just wanted to hit the cliff notes again. 💜💋
I did this with a tank that sat for two years in the weather and got similar results - including the handful of rust in the bottom of the bucket! Cheap and safe 👍
Great tutorial, thanks! Tape hack, make it a little longer and fold an inch over on itself, makes an easy handle for tape you know you're going to pull off.
A good no chemical way to remove rust is 1/3 fill the tank with coarse beach sand (not salty) , wrap the tank in a blanket and put it in the concrete mixer stuffed with pillows to hold the tank in place. Set it going for a half hour, check to see progress and if necessary give it more time depending on how bad your rust is. I've alsodone a pretty good job cleaning scaly corroded galv u bolts and plates from my boat trailer in the concrete mixer with sand and gravel. Those being much heavier rust, they got 2 and a half hours and came out clean, threads and all.
I've de-rusted large steel tanks with muriatic, at 50/50 it can create a hole if you have enough rust, but it works where vinegar won't and FAST. Vinegar is safer and will get the rust out if you let it sit long enough, but it leaves nasty black smut on some metals, but so will muriatic. You can use some mild abrasive material like small rocks with a cup of borax and water if you have something to agitate it, No flash rust after that, borax is a neutralizer plus it cleans real good. Chromatic acid will clean the smut too and leave a super shiny clean metal but its expensive and bad stuff, it contains hexavalent chrome. Oxalic acid is another one, not real strong and it works like vinegar, works good to get stains off of wood, never tried it but I plan too. My job in the 80s was working with various acids, I'm lucky to have eyeballs now. Keep in mind any acid will eat the rust much faster than the metal, rust is already oxidized. Its not rocket science but it takes some care. Protect those eyes, if you get muriatic in the eye you can't get to water fast enough.
Wish I'd known about this a few years ago when I had a really rusty gas tank on a used lawn tractor I had purchased with the power to run a 48" inch belly mower and the weight to handle a rear bagger w/ a separate blower motor. Alternatives to the sealer you use are simply filling the tank with kerosene or diesel fuel to prevent flash rust. Spraying W-D 40 into the tank may or may not be 100% effective(you have the experience to know what works), but buying liquid W-D 40 by the gallon is expensive. For cleaning the tank you can get 9% vinegar designed for industrial cleaning, or use my method - I bought a gallon of 30% vinegar and just add a few ounces to each gallon of the Walmart-type vinegar, which is typically 5% vinegar, and the extra 30% vinegar I add really revs up the cleaning process. You can also buy citric acid in powder form and add it to water to make an acidic cleaner that can be as strong or as mild as you want. I like your idea of using Muriatic acid for the final process, but I'm a few decades older than you, and would probably forget to use proper eye protection or the correct gloves with that strong an acid, but I'm willing to experiment. Flash rust is a real issue in cleaning metal, and flash rust can form in minutes, which why I suggest kerosene or diesel fuel, if it's going to be a while before you finish a project. With these non-explosive fuels, instead of dumping them out after you empty the tank in the large container you use, just use a large funnel with a wire filter to capture the liquid as you pour it out of the tank and store it for re-use. Cone-type Coffee filters work well with funnels to capture very small rust particles. Thanks for making this excellent video. The EvapoRust product can last for years, and if you buy it on sale, you can save bucks. I recently bought some on Amazon for $19.99 per gallon with free shipping as a Prime member. Three weeks later, that same stuff is now $19.99 per quart(993 ml) by some sellers on Amazon. Five years ago I got 3.5 gallons of Evaporust in a container with a plastic basket you used to lower small parts into the stuff and then easily remove it periodically to check on the rust removal. $75 delivered to my house. I still use it but will be putting new fluid in it pretty soon, but just enough to keep the older fluid working. Evaporust is effective for a long time, and if heated up in the sun, it works quicker. I did some research and the way you tell if it's still good is by testing its specific gravity - the same way you tested the acid in car batteries in the old days. Now days it is easier to use an electronic device to test specific gravity, a device which costs about $15 online.
1 Do you "swish" the vinegar around? Or do you let it set? How long does it set? 2 They make a "cleaning" vinegar which is available at the grocery store. Slightly stronger and still affordable. 3 When dumping the acid. Pour it into a container of water. Neutralizes it and safer to store or transport. Good backup in case you need to flush the acid in case there is an ooopsy.
#1. No, I don't swish the vinegar around. I simply fill the tank up and let it sit for 48 hours, sometimes just 24 hours depending on how bad the rust is. #2. Cleaning vinegar is okay to use. #3. You are correct.
Great video and tutorial Larry, thank you. Couldn't have come at a better time as I just purchased a 55 year old, rusty on the inside, tank. No nonsense and expensive procedures, I love it! New subscriber :))
You can reuse muriatic acid again, just pour it back into the original bottle for later use and or use the bottle to dispose of the waist acid safely labelled. The problem with using WD40 for rust prevention is it has electrical properties (salt). There are cheaper more suitable lubricant/oil rust preventatives available without electrical properties. Or the old school way a little transmission oil, flushed with fuel before use.
But WD40, is a water dispersant, hence the initials, where as tranny fluid is not....and why the 40?? is was deemed successful on the 40th attempt, in WWII I might add.
I had a jack that was under water in the wheel well of an SUV that had a spare tire submerged in water. I put the jack which was crusted up with rust into an oil drain pan with vinegar (from the Dollar Tree) and let it set for about a week and it dissolved all the rust but it also loosened up all the paint. So with it just being a jack I took a high pressure air blower and blew all the loose paint off then primed it and will paint it soon. Thanks for doing this video. I have a rusted up motorcycle tank that is irreplaceable (not easy to find). I was lucky enough to find Evapo-Rust at Northern tool in a 5gl. bucket for around $40 or so, it's been a while since I got it. The only thing is, I don't think they have it anymore, at least on-line. They say you can filter it and reuse it indefinitely. I've seen other people using a light chain to agitate and scrub the rust off also, we used to put a handful of bolts in the tank and shake it around but a chain is much easier to retrieve.
You really don't need a chain or nuts and bolts. But a lot of people do use those items. You can also use stronger vinegar too; 30% to 45%. Works very well! Thanks for watching and subscribing!
@@glenx4892 Hey dude, it worked really well. Better than I expected. I let the vinegar sit in the tank for about a week. I wasn't in a rush, and the longer it sits the better the result. The last couple days I added a long piece of chain that I had, and shook it around once or twice a day. I poured the vinegar out and just rinsed with some denatured alcohol a couple of times. You'll get some flash rust, which it just very light surface color. That doesn't bother me, because it's soooo much better and cleaner inside than before. Worth the effort.
Damn! I was wondering what kind of concoction you were going to push. So happy to see we use the same products, almost. I use the 30% cleaning vinegar rather than the 5-8% common vinegar usually available at most stores.
Excellent tips on rust removal. But, Never seal the inside of a tank! It renders it irreparable in the future and with today's fuel blend most resin based sealants will eventually fail. I have been a professional tech for over 40 years and have repaired countless tanks with dents and rust through but once resin sealed they simply can not be repaired properly. This may be viewed as my opinion but it is my experience as well.
@@1cleansinglecab the only method I am aware of is a burn-off oven at 850°f and that could potentially damage the steel the tank is made of. The epoxy is fairly impervious to chemical strippers.
I've used milkstone remover mixed 50/50 with water let sit for 24 hours and drain... clean tank then I fill up the tank and add seafoam to get rid of any water left over and it's only 20 bucks for a gallon of milkstone remover.
@@jasonpiech385 you use milkstone for rust removal or are you saying it will break down and remove the epoxy lining? It is basically phosphoric acid which I use as an etching agent on bare steel before paint.
Muratic acid is what I have used for 25 years. The best thing about the viniger is it will not hurt paint. Problem is no matter what you use the rust will come back. You have to seal the tank inside with vinyl tank sealer. I use the Eastwood brand.
Cycle Fab is 125% correct on the vinegar, USE IT. I have used it many times, sometimes for 4-5-6 days, the tanks always come out clean. The HCL is a great idea if the vinegar does not get you quite as far as you want to go, be super careful. Forget the Caswell's....... Red Kote, Red Kote all the way....... it will be locally available at O'Reilly's (I think), it's cheap, and VERY forgiving. And, it coats like a dream. If your tank is in bad, bad shape, the vinegar will eat through and create pinholes if you leave it for too long...... but that will happen with anything that really removes rust. Better to leak $2 vinegar than $25 cleaner. I filter and recycle the vinegar, I have not noticed a reduction in efficacy, but never used it for more than 2 or 3 tanks. Great video, Cycle Fab, thank you.
You are the first I've ever read who mentioned filtering the liquid you are going to reuse! GOOD JOB! I figured that was obvious, but others might not think of it. I don't think you can do it with the Red Kote though. Too thick!
I just discovered your channel and subscribed. I picked up a Suzuki marauder cheap last year and it needs a little work. I’ll be cleaning the whole fuel system and this video is gonna make that a whole lot easier for me. Thanks!
Welcome! I've got a Suzuki GS550 I'm building into a street tracker. You should check out the playlist of it, here's one of my favorites: ua-cam.com/video/yNG5VWTNKRs/v-deo.html
Well I'll be damned, so did I. I bought a 99 VZ800 Marauder also last summer and it also started leaking fuel later that summer. It had been previously welded and it started leaking next to it but I did a quick fix with liquid metal epoxy and it did hold the rest of the driving season until now it started leaking really bad at the winter storage. To my chagrin I noticed that it is almost impossible to find a replacement tank for this bike and none of the "universal tanks" fit without heavy modding and welding. This video is godsend. I will remove the tank next saturday, fix the leak properly with welding (hopefully not blowing myself up), give the tank a vinegar bath and line it up with something. Either heavy duty epoxy paint or POR-15 which is easily available here.
I use the same method but instead of vinegar I use Lysol CLR bathroom cleaner, it’s super thick and clings well. In one hour it’s near spotless but you do need to was with warm water and neutralize with baking soda.
Thanks for your video it really got me focussed on the task. If I could make a suggestion that may be appropriate to more challenging descaling of fuel tanks to make vinegar a tad more aggressive cleaning rust from steel a little common salt and a little detergent added to the vinegar could be useful. Cheers Lindsay
So glad you emphasized neutralizing after the acid treatments! Lots of how-to folks fail to mention that. Something with phosphoric acid is good afterwards too, depending on the application. And it needs to be rinsed off well also.
@@glenx4892 Not familiar with ospho. Using Phosphoric acid after the cleanout is akin to Parkerizing, without the manganese. It is what manufacturers dip car bodies in after assembly, before paint, to resist rust, and to prevent rust from spreading if you scratch through the paint and primer.
Watched this video a few weeks ago and re watching for a recap. Purchased a 95 heritage with new freshly painted tins but has minor rusting inside I want cleaned up to avoid future issues. Thank for the video!
My go to is Muriatic acid. (used to clean masonry) Also cheap, and then Washing Soda to neutralize. Come out sparkling without a hint of rust. Last tank had to be replaced as someone used an epoxy sealer that was peeling and flaking and could not be removed.
I have a couple of Motorcycle Tanks to do soon. One is the Sport Tourer I ride and the Other is a project Bike that I'm restoring. If I'm happy with the finish, I'll do the other tanks I have as spare parts. I will be sealing them and I know it will cost me a fortune, but some of these Tanks are 40+ years old and hard to get. Cheers mate😎👍
I have 5 Kawasaki motorcycles. 2 x Zg1000 sport tourers and 3 x Kz750s (early 1980s models) I had a Kz750 e1 when I was young and had to sell it when I became a father and now the Son and Daughter have left the nest I decided to get one again if I could find one and then got to the piont of having 3 and a caravan and a shed full of parts. Cheers from Australia Mate. 👍😎
Steps are: High pressure water rinse, soap/water rinse, thorough water rinse, vinegar bath for 24hrs, 40 sec hydrofluoric acid wash, wd40 to stop flash rust forming, acetone to remove wd40 & then add tank sealer.
My son who lives 3 hours away, is working on his first motorcycle project. A 1972 Yamaha parked outside and forgotten for 15 years. He used the same steps on a tank much worse for wear with good results. Just wish I could have sent him this video rather than the hour it took on the phone to explain it. Still at that age, that he won't just believe, I may be right.
I'd think you could stop the flash rust problem using gas with premix two stroke oil in it. A high ratio like half oil would coat the bare metal with oil and not miss anything. Later after pouring it out anything left was meant to be burned by an engine. Always thought a little oil in the tank might stop or slow down the rust. Great tips. I want to try it on external sheet metal rust and my boat trailer.
Mix water and lemon juice 50/50 and soak freshly derusted steel- it gives a faint green tinge and will not flash rust after rinsed off. Learned this from a guy who does a lot of rust removal with molasses/water mix.
@@ahvyetnoc7287 I never did this. Only had the idea of using the oil instead of acid. Then when you put gas in the oil dissolves and burns off. I used to put a little premix in old fourstroke tanks hoping it might slow the rust. Seems to help.
Good ole draino crystals with some small gravel or aquarium crystals used to work great for me. The tank would get hot but it would be nice and clean. You dumped it out after a short time. Then use cold water to rinse for a bit and a hair dryer inside to completely dry or let it sit in the sun on a warm day with the gas tank cap off. I suppose liquid drain cleaner would work to. Use protective gloves,glasses . Don't breath the gas in use a fan to blow the fumes away. It works!!!
I work with larger tanks. Say 12 gallons. The bottom hole is less than an inch. The filler hole goes into the tank about an inch. Thus, making it almost impossible to remove the debris. How do the shops get around this?
In this case I would suggest using 3/8" ball bearings inside your tank while cleaning it with soap and water, to break up the large oxidized debris. You'll probably will have to do this several times. Thanks for watching!
How did the vintage Honda Trail 90s turn out? Did you do this process exactly? Did you use Caswell? I have a 1970 Trail 90 that keeps clogging up the jets from the rusty gas tank, despite added in-line fuel filters. I was planning to use this method and then Caswell.
A great informative video, as well as part 2 (Caswell Epoxy Sealer). It's great to know that vinegar make a good rust remover. My big question is, after you used the Hydrochloric Acid, did you neutralize the inside with baking soda and water? Wouldn't that (the final rinses) leave flash or surface rust on the exposed metal surfaces prior to sealing with the epoxy?
@@CycleFab I was wondering the same thing. When you use the baking soda is it in the dry form or do you mix it with water? If so what's the dilution ratio?
Good video. I only mess with 2 stroke engines and to protect a newly cleaned tank interior, I mix a quarter cup of petrol with a quarter cup of 2 stroke oil, sloosh it around, then dump it out. The 2 stroke oil seems to coat and protect the bare metal inside the tank very well... ...but that's just me... 👍 ☺
Hey man! I’m in the process of cleaning my sv650 tank right now with vinegar, I’m just wondering after I get all the vinegar out with my hand pump should I use water and baking soda to neutralize and flush the tank out and then use the two stroke oil and gasoline (petrol)? Or what would you do? Thank you! @davebarrowcliffe1289
Very good presentation Sir, cool and easy to follow as opposed to much we see on YT! I just now derusted a Harley tank using diluted NaOH (10% lye) using electrolysis; cannot say I really was all that impressed although it wasn't too bad. Thought about taking the rest away using oxalic acid. I didn't really understand though; muriatic acid (HCL) is ****n dynamite as compared to the soft vinegar. Why not diluted HCl + neutralising using baking soda - just asking :)
Muriatic acid is too aggressive with the older tanks that I typically work on. Vinegar is more easily controllable even though it does take several hours to work.
1. Use water hose to remove residue inside tank. Add dishwasher soap as well. Repeat several clean cycles. 2. Seal tank and fill to brim with white vinegar. Let sit for a couple days. 3. Add half gallonMuratic(?) acid for no more than a min. Vinegar is good enough so long as you seal it right away. Has container to dispose of acid. And baking soda to neutralize in case of spill. Roll the acid around in the tank. 4. Use wd40 to seal it after cleaning out and drying.
That's it. You can use two stroke engine oil also, but the oil is mainly to keep it from rusting if you're not going to be using the tank right away. Thanks for watching and commenting!
@@CycleFab oh sorry i was taking notes for myself for later. but i used this technique and it came out great! thank you for making this video! really well done
Hey Larry -- cannot thank you enough for this video tutorial (as well as your other videos). Your delivery is clear & concise & packed full of quality information. (I'll be cleaning a Harley dual tank in a few weeks.) Are you still using the denatured alcohol to help dry out residual water? Thanks again. I appreciate you!
Hey great vid thanks! 2 things, first, how long did you leave the vinegar in? And what percent vinegar- the food grade or? Second, a tip for the good tape when using the acid: fold a tab over at one end so you have something to pull on wo having to remove gloves 😉
I did a twenty gallon horizontal compressor tank with diluted muriatic... used no more than a gallon (half a gallon if memory serves me). After that's done soaking I mixed up some oxalic acid crystals and made a "finishing" acid which will leave a white phosphate type coating similar to phosphoric acid, but much cheaper to make. After the finishing acid, I drain, dry and there's no need to coat with oil. It's ready to coat or store and won't flash rust. I later coated the inside with Fluid Film since it's an air tank.
So when you get to the muratic acid portion, are you rinsing that out after neutralizing the acid or letting it dry out hoping there is no baking soda left over? These are great tips but it seems like a few key details are missing from the video. Hopefully I can get a response soon as I am in the middle of a tank cleaning and trying out your method. Thank you.
Hind sight being 20/20 I did (unintentionally) leave out some key steps, taking for granted that they would be interpreted. After the acid is poured out I rinse the tank with fresh water and then a baking soda/water mix and then I rinse that out with water and then coat the inside of the tank with oil (two stroke engine oil) if the tank is not going directly back onto the bike. Sorry for the confusion. Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment. Good luck with your project.
I listened to his steps and read a few comments and replies back to comments. My tank cleaning was a huge success!!! I greatly appreciate the content! I'm extremely satisfied with the results!! Thank you so much for replying back.
Yes, vinegar works. I personally use apple cider vinegar seems to work better. I have cleaned many small engine gas tanks with vinegar plus after you flush vinegar out the tank will flash rust. So be ready with some light weight oil such as Marvel Mystery Oil works fine to pour in the tank as soon as you rinse tank out. Good video.
@@titoace408 I just splash a little bit of oil around in the tank. Have your oil ready cause as soon as you dump the apple cider vinegar the tank will begin flash rust. So be quick with your oil , just a little will do but make sure you coat the whole inside of the tank.
@@waynegambrell7095 hey man should I rinse the tank out with water and baking soda after I dump the vinegar and then use the oil or should I just use the oil directly after the vinegar
About a pint of muriatic acid will do what the gallon of vinegar will do. And you can fill it with hot water, or better yet, you can just slosh it with the acid, then dump it in 2-3 mins, then rinse it with 1 gal of hot water 3-4 times. Then put 2-3 spoons of baking soda and hot water. Rinse, then 2-3 more hot water and you're gonna have a dry as a bone and rust free tank. Then put that kreem liner in it. Of course there's many precautions in each step. The cap hole is plugged with those exhaust plugs for dirt bikes, the filler hole with duct tape, all other holes plugged up with whatever is right for those holes, acid wont eat duct tape, it will eat pot metal in the petcock. Hot water of course is hot water, wont eat anything. Just need to slosh it and not burn yourself. Baking soda - likewise. The liner - it needs to sit there for 1-3 days in hot weather. It will eat duct tape. I use a inner tube on the stock petcock and the exhaust plug in the filler cap.
You're right, you can clean a tank that way using muriatic acid. But personally I prefer to use as little muriatic acid as possible for safety reasons. The process your using is a lot faster though.
Get “inhibited” HCL. It dissolves the rust and has organic additives to prevent the acid from attacking the ferrous base metal and also helps prevent further rust. Regular HCL will dissolve the base metal if left on too long.
how long did you leave the vinegar in the tank? also, what is your opinion on using the tank after the vinegar without using a sealing product? thanks!
I leave the vinegar in the tank for a minimum of 24hrs. You don't have to use a sealer if you chose not, BUT it has been my experience that with a heavily rusted tank it would be in your best interest to do so.
Great video. About to do the same on a Honda atc tank. Have you ever heard of a product called hold tight? We use it with our dustless blaster. (Think massive sand blaster with water). We stripped a truck several years ago to bare steel and it is still perfect! Usually without it it will rust within hours. And it’s safe to paint over. I think I’ll try that. Maybe look into it for yourself. Just a tip.
I have been using vinegar for a while for cleaning rusted parts too. I soak the parts for a couple of weeks depending on how much rust is on the parts then wire brush the parts clean. When I'm done it looks like they were zinc coated the prep for paint. If I want a good seal I will use acid etching primer and it's good enough for me. When restoring old car sheet metal I will clean it the same way bur after wire brushing it, it makes it easier to weld to. You do good work.
Used vinegar for many rusty things but didn't know the baking soda trick. My old beast of a snowblower had a rusty tank. I filled it with krud kutter and let it sit for a month repeating the process. The tank inside looks new. Not sure if what i did would work on a cycle tank though...
I'm not sure about stateside but over here in Blighty our washing up liquid has salt in it which will promote rust, which is why it should never be used as a tyre seating lubricant. I've seen very rusty motorcycle rims on the inside whilst tyre changing which I'm sure has been caused by the use of this detergent, can't say as I've tried white vinegar but I have used molasis to good effect !
Good method. The only thing I'd ad to this is after the muriatic acid step to immediately wash the tank out with baking soda - this drastically slows down the flash rust problem. (HCL on metal in the presence of oxygen will ironically re-rust that metal.)
Thank you so much for sharing your system.....I'm getting ready to do this to my diesel tractors tank....I'll let ya know how it works for me....Just, thank you
@@CycleFab it's cheap basic solution with relative high PH and thus preventing "fly rust". It also degreases the surface. The small sharp grit/stones knock of any remaining crud. Afterwards rinse out with acetone to remove all water. Ready for coat😊
Best cleaning job you can get inside the tank. Period.
Oh, that 20-30 seconds...That's all the time I spend with the wife after 41 years. So, I got the timing down! Thanks.
Right on!
@@CycleFab
For stripping paint that words safely on fiberglass/SCM and metal, check out a company called "Coopers Strip Club" as the sell kits, large refills (About $250 two liquids) but they have you tube videos to watch. They are in New Zealand but require no difficult ordering off website or phone. No extra number to dial. The inventors wife answers the phone and knows the product well. It is a spray from bottles that use a viton seal, steel wool is sharp and the scotch brite pad is dense. Stripper lifts the paint and the "Flusher" is a slow drying solvent that helps remove the dissolved paint.
Since the EPA banned sales of methylene chloride August 2019 to the public, their excuse was 41 people are dead because of misuse from 1976 - 2017. More have died from hair dryer accidents! They can't keep track of the waist is the real reason.
I am glad they are much starter!
DK, ASE master tech since 78, retired.
,@@deankay4434
I have to say that I never met you or talked to you about removing rust cheaply. But I have been doing the exact method of cleaning tanks just like you. We must be brothers from different mothers. This is definitely the cheapest and best method of doing a super job. Make more great videos for us all to learn from Sir. Peace
Thank you!
I followed the video to the end where he uses the acid then rinses well and if your not going to seal it right away to coat with WD 40. My question is what do you use for a sealer?
Check out this video: ua-cam.com/video/S8DJ8pUw9Yc/v-deo.html
It's not new. My grandfather taught me and I'm almost 70.
@@FixNewsPlease Thank you fella for letting me know this fact. I guess great minds think alike.
Works like a charm, didn't believe it till I tried it. Filled a completely rusted tank with vinegar, left it over night, next day rinse and neutralize with baking soda, BAM! The rust was heavy scale, all gone shiny clean. Coated the inside of the tank with light oil, 4 years ago. Pulled it out last week, still clean and shiny inside.
Good stuff!
I’m bout to do the same with my 99 zx7r. I also want to coat it with something to help prevent it from rusting again. What kind of oil did you use to coat your tank?
What do you plug the tank with before filling with vinegar
@@kaisenhouse2264WD 40 ma boy
@@dylandzvonick8274 cut the finger off a latex glove , use another finger to tie tightly
100% agree. Vinegar is the perfect rust remover for motorcycle restoration. it's mild. Wont chew through precious rare parts. And if you give it time or add salt, it's very effective.
Thanks a lot brother that just saved me 500.00$ was going to buy new tank but no need. Keep your rubber on the road,and the wind to your back.
I love how you make money saving a priority here. Its actually funny to think of the price difference from Evapo Rust and Vinegar 🤣. Thanks for this, awesome video 👍🏽
Yes! I can't get over the price of chemical products. A lot are way over priced in my opinon. Thanks for watching!
Vinegar works like a charm, I keep a 5 gallon bucket half full of it in my shop with a lid on it so it doesn't evaporate away to nothing. It gets weeker as you use it but it take a lot of rusty parts in and out of the bucket before it gets too weak to keep using. That's one of the advantages of Evaporust, you can just keep using it over and over. I've got some in a tub on my bench that's several years old and filthy, but the small stuff that goes in there still comes out great. Using it once and throwing it away is like buying a new hammer on your way to work everyday
True! Thanks for watching and commenting.
Thank you for the detailed information, I cleaned my 13 GLS tank using this method & now looks brand new😊
Your welcome, Jose.
Oxalic Acid is the go.
One table spoon in hot water for every litre.
Brilliant in engine blocks and only attacks rust (Oxide).
Doesn't hurt any other metals etc.
Flush your block and fill with acid.
Get it up to temperature and let it sit for several hours or overnight.
Flush then add sodium carbonate at one tablespoon per litre.
Run engine and sit overnight.
Flush until clear.
Fill with appropriate coolant. 👍
I've heard about this acid and how well it works on rust. Looking forward to trying it. Thanks for the input!
Unlike most gas cans with ‘safety valves’, this one is EASY to operate ua-cam.com/users/postUgkx6IImIpPboNrtVJSROnpF9EnyBzRrJKP_ with one hand. Nudge the tab and press the thumb button (all with your thumb) and you’re filling your tank. I bought this to use with a pressure washer that needs frequent refilling and it’s been a blessing compared to most of the ‘safety cans’ being sold. ergonomic and easy to handle.
Thanks!
I've used a few small nuts tied to fishing line to shake and rattle around the inside of the tank when cleaning it just helps knock out more crap. Keep up the good work 👍
It does help, and alot of people do that. Thanks for watching!
Gravel it’s good too
I’ve used a bunch of washers and pulled them out with a stick magnet
bb's work too. best on smaller tanks .
Phosphoric acid is ten times better - AND leaves a protective phosphate layer on the bare steel. The rust spots You left in that tank, will come back to haunt You in a few years...
How would you use phosphoric acid?
What about the paint on the tank and how would you use it
@@wyldeman Same procedure as his except instead of muriatic acid use phosphoric acid. Leave in tank for 24 hours. Drain it out and flush tank. Blow out tank with air. Done. Cover paint with plastic wrap and tape it down.
@@johnlogan5152 Thank You
Totally agree. Phosphoric acid works great. I'll use muriatic acid (30+% concentration) which is much faster than vinegar. Then follow up with phosphoric acid to protect the metal. Caution - muriatic acid will remove galvanize from steel. I do this before welding....
Great demonstration . I personally use concentrated lemon juice , then I use , vinegar , extreme rust , muractic acid ! The I use diesel fuel to nutralize it ! Works for me ! And my old Harley's . Larry , has common sense , either way , his method works well too !
Thanks for the wonderful comment Daniel.
When I worked with extremely highly concentrated acids in a lab - for pre-cleaning sample bottles - I also wore a thick rubber full length apron. If you can get one it can help you avoid the quick strip tease under the hose on the lawn routine.
Respect the ACID.
That paints a funny picture! That's my kind of humor. Very helpful comment too!!! Thank you!
Quick tip for something I figured out about taping off the tank for the acid. On the first layer of tape take the last two inches and fold it over to make a handle. That way when you need to rip it off you can keep the glove on and grab the handle to pull the whole thing off.
Great Idea! I'll try that next time.
Thanks...good to know
@@CycleFab can WACK that stuff hands down right back to clean bare bright steel.. in your paint section.. Oxalic acid.. about $3 will do your 3 gallons.. its KILLS rust & doesn't touch steel.. leave it for a day or so depending on severity of rust.. its used by dry cleaners to remove.. metallic stains from clothes.. so.. won't harm your clothes.. also it wont harm your paint or your hands.. rinse the tank before hand with draino or cheaper, caustic soda (its not a drink!).. LEAVE that hydrochloric acid out of it.. rinse after with a tblsp of 2-stroke oil & cup of petrol.. cheers from NZ
@@Errol.C-nz Thanks for the tip.
Saved me from typing this simple solution. Thank you : )
Mate I cannot thank you enough. I did fill the tank with vinegar and left it there for 24 hours. Nothing happened. Then I realised I forgot it add baking soda to it. As soon as I did it went nuts for awhile and then left it the for another 6 hours. Rinsed everything and the tank was as clean as new. The only problem I have is that I cannot get all the dirt out cause of the shape of the tank.. ANW, you are a life saver ❤❤
🤔Watching your video once again I cannot recall where did you add baking soda. Am pretty sure I remember you did. 😂😂😂
On the last process with the muriatic acid, I put steel ball bearings in with it, then rock the tank around, the ball bearings help to knock the small remaining rust bumps off. Awesome video my friend 🤠🙏
Thank you, and thanks for watching!
would prob be easier with a chain instead of bearings :) easier to get out :D
Superb clear cut video like I was standing next to you. I learned a lot and greatly appreciate it. I'm going to try it on my Oliver OC3 crawler. Slightly bigger tank but not much. Now I'm going to search your videos and hope I can seal it on my own too. Thanks again
Awesome! Thank you! I appreciate you commenting.
We tried to clean out a 1969 CT90 Trail gas tank using this, it did some removal, however after two attempts, we used Harbor Freight Evapo-Rust and it did a much better job of removing the rust.. However, if I ever do it again, I'll use the UA-cam guys method of electrolysis. Simple, cheap and from all appearances, does a excellent job.
Thanks for commenting! Electrolysis does work well. I've used that method on a ford 9" rear end and it came out great!👍
True that!
Good video. I've done it twice now with tanks that had WAY more rust. In my case I found if I leave the vinegar in for 5 days or so and then dump a bunch of drywall screws (Nice and sharp) in and shake the tank is PERFECTLY clean. The vinegar works slow but steady. I really couldn't believe it. The only "problem" is the flash-rust you get immediately when you try to dry out the tank.
I had a viewer comment that if you flush the tank out with a Baking Soda/Water Mixture that the flash rust will not happen. I need to test this theory to see if it works. If you get a chance to do this before me then let me know how it goes please. Thanks for commenting!
What if you flush the tank with diesel fuel?put that oily film on.
I put some light chain in the tank, with the vinegar (remove sending unit on automotive tanks).. give it a good shake/ roll it around.. repeat as needed, then rinse with baking soda/water.. I've saved several tanks with this method :) When I was younger we put chain and used motor oil in dirt bike tanks and just shook the crap out of them, drain and use.. not as good, but it worked!
Step 1: Drain and dry the tank.
Step 2: Partially fill tank with sand and gravel.
Step 3: Shake a whole bunch... you are sanding the inside of the tank.
Step 4: Pour out sand and rinse with water.
Step 5: Fill with Vinegar to get out the small rust.
Step 6: Dry really well.
Step 7: Optionally coat the inside of the tamk.
Now that's a straight forward procedure plan! Thanks!
@@CycleFab Yep... works like a charm.. I have done a few tanks with it.
Thank you. White vinegar has been my go to for rust and mineral salts removal for years. Cheaper than any other product like CLR. Coke a cola (phosphoric acid) and crumpled aluminum foil for rust removal on chrome.
Thank you!
Your the only one that gets to the point & knows how to get that Rust. Thank you. 😊
Thank you, you are very welcome!
I love your outdoor workshop man that is so beautiful. and thank you for all the awesome tips. i've already done one tank successfully, but it was a couple years ago, so I just wanted to hit the cliff notes again. 💜💋
This man talked all that gas tank rust away !!!!
👍
Hahaha, yes he did.....no pun intended. Still a great video.
I did this with a tank that sat for two years in the weather and got similar results - including the handful of rust in the bottom of the bucket! Cheap and safe 👍
I wished I watched this video 40 yrs ago. It would have saved me alot of time an money,thank you for all the good advice.
You are very welcome Sir. Thank you for watching and commenting.
Great tutorial, thanks! Tape hack, make it a little longer and fold an inch over on itself, makes an easy handle for tape you know you're going to pull off.
Thanks for watching and for the tape info!
A good no chemical way to remove rust is 1/3 fill the tank with coarse beach sand (not salty) , wrap the tank in a blanket and put it in the concrete mixer stuffed with pillows to hold the tank in place. Set it going for a half hour, check to see progress and if necessary give it more time depending on how bad your rust is. I've alsodone a pretty good job cleaning scaly corroded galv u bolts and plates from my boat trailer in the concrete mixer with sand and gravel. Those being much heavier rust, they got 2 and a half hours and came out clean, threads and all.
Sounds good!
I like this idea. No liquids to contend with.
I used this method on a Vincent tank worked perfectly 😮
Vinegar is great for vintage tanks because of its less than aggressive nature. Glad that my video helped you, and thanks for watching and commenting.
I've de-rusted large steel tanks with muriatic, at 50/50 it can create a hole if you have enough rust, but it works where vinegar won't and FAST. Vinegar is safer and will get the rust out if you let it sit long enough, but it leaves nasty black smut on some metals, but so will muriatic. You can use some mild abrasive material like small rocks with a cup of borax and water if you have something to agitate it, No flash rust after that, borax is a neutralizer plus it cleans real good. Chromatic acid will clean the smut too and leave a super shiny clean metal but its expensive and bad stuff, it contains hexavalent chrome. Oxalic acid is another one, not real strong and it works like vinegar, works good to get stains off of wood, never tried it but I plan too. My job in the 80s was working with various acids, I'm lucky to have eyeballs now. Keep in mind any acid will eat the rust much faster than the metal, rust is already oxidized. Its not rocket science but it takes some care. Protect those eyes, if you get muriatic in the eye you can't get to water fast enough.
Thanks for the info!
I used Dawn dish soap for degreasing and cleaning anything petroleum based. It seemed to work better for oils and grease. I do use Ajax for dishes
Haha! Yes, Dawn is better at cutting grease and oil. Thanks for watching and commenting.
Wish I'd known about this a few years ago when I had a really rusty gas tank on a used lawn tractor I had purchased with the power to run a 48" inch belly mower and the weight to handle a rear bagger w/ a separate blower motor. Alternatives to the sealer you use are simply filling the tank with kerosene or diesel fuel to prevent flash rust. Spraying W-D 40 into the tank may or may not be 100% effective(you have the experience to know what works), but buying liquid W-D 40 by the gallon is expensive.
For cleaning the tank you can get 9% vinegar designed for industrial cleaning, or use my method - I bought a gallon of 30% vinegar and just add a few ounces to each gallon of the Walmart-type vinegar, which is typically 5% vinegar, and the extra 30% vinegar I add really revs up the cleaning process. You can also buy citric acid in powder form and add it to water to make an acidic cleaner that can be as strong or as mild as you want. I like your idea of using Muriatic acid for the final process, but I'm a few decades older than you, and would probably forget to use proper eye protection or the correct gloves with that strong an acid, but I'm willing to experiment. Flash rust is a real issue in cleaning metal, and flash rust can form in minutes, which why I suggest kerosene or diesel fuel, if it's going to be a while before you finish a project. With these non-explosive fuels, instead of dumping them out after you empty the tank in the large container you use, just use a large funnel with a wire filter to capture the liquid as you pour it out of the tank and store it for re-use. Cone-type Coffee filters work well with funnels to capture very small rust particles. Thanks for making this excellent video.
The EvapoRust product can last for years, and if you buy it on sale, you can save bucks. I recently bought some on Amazon for $19.99 per gallon with free shipping as a Prime member. Three weeks later, that same stuff is now $19.99 per quart(993 ml) by some sellers on Amazon. Five years ago I got 3.5 gallons of Evaporust in a container with a plastic basket you used to lower small parts into the stuff and then easily remove it periodically to check on the rust removal. $75 delivered to my house. I still use it but will be putting new fluid in it pretty soon, but just enough to keep the older fluid working. Evaporust is effective for a long time, and if heated up in the sun, it works quicker. I did some research and the way you tell if it's still good is by testing its specific gravity - the same way you tested the acid in car batteries in the old days. Now days it is easier to use an electronic device to test specific gravity, a device which costs about $15 online.
Thanks for the advice and knowledge! I look forward to using it.
Good Stuff ! I use a clean length of galvanised-chain, just agitate it by hand, removes any scaly-bits before treatment. Dave NZ
Thank you!
1 Do you "swish" the vinegar around? Or do you let it set? How long does it set?
2 They make a "cleaning" vinegar which is available at the grocery store. Slightly stronger and still affordable.
3 When dumping the acid. Pour it into a container of water. Neutralizes it and safer to store or transport. Good backup in case you need to flush the acid in case there is an ooopsy.
#1. No, I don't swish the vinegar around. I simply fill the tank up and let it sit for 48 hours, sometimes just 24 hours depending on how bad the rust is.
#2. Cleaning vinegar is okay to use.
#3. You are correct.
Sweet Thank You ! i also use white Vinegar & Bicarbonate of Soda for cleaning washing machine & tea coffee stains in Mugs
Stuff really works!
Great video and tutorial Larry, thank you. Couldn't have come at a better time as I just purchased a 55 year old, rusty on the inside, tank. No nonsense and expensive procedures, I love it! New subscriber :))
Glade I could help! And thanks for subscribing. Please feel free to check out my other videos on bike builds, fabrication and also powder coating.
This works great. Apple cider vinegar is the same price, but slightly more acidic, and works great.
Thanks!
You can reuse muriatic acid again, just pour it back into the original bottle for later use and or use the bottle to dispose of the waist acid safely labelled. The problem with using WD40 for rust prevention is it has electrical properties (salt). There are cheaper more suitable lubricant/oil rust preventatives available without electrical properties. Or the old school way a little transmission oil, flushed with fuel before use.
Sounds good! I didn't know that about WD-40. thanks.
But WD40, is a water dispersant, hence the initials, where as tranny fluid is not....and why the 40?? is was deemed successful on the 40th attempt, in WWII I might add.
How do you dispose of the autistic acid safely?
I had a jack that was under water in the wheel well of an SUV that had a spare tire submerged in water. I put the jack which was crusted up with rust into an oil drain pan with vinegar (from the Dollar Tree) and let it set for about a week and it dissolved all the rust but it also loosened up all the paint. So with it just being a jack I took a high pressure air blower and blew all the loose paint off then primed it and will paint it soon. Thanks for doing this video. I have a rusted up motorcycle tank that is irreplaceable (not easy to find). I was lucky enough to find Evapo-Rust at Northern tool in a 5gl. bucket for around $40 or so, it's been a while since I got it. The only thing is, I don't think they have it anymore, at least on-line. They say you can filter it and reuse it indefinitely. I've seen other people using a light chain to agitate and scrub the rust off also, we used to put a handful of bolts in the tank and shake it around but a chain is much easier to retrieve.
You really don't need a chain or nuts and bolts. But a lot of people do use those items. You can also use stronger vinegar too; 30% to 45%. Works very well! Thanks for watching and subscribing!
Thank you ! ! ! ! I'm currently in the middle of this process on an old sportster tank. You da MAN !!! Keep up the great work.
Thanks Dude! Hope your project comes out AWESOME! Check out my video on Sealing a Tank. ua-cam.com/video/S8DJ8pUw9Yc/v-deo.html
how did your sportster tank come out? I've got a dyna tank I'm going to attempt this project on....
@@glenx4892 Hey dude, it worked really well. Better than I expected. I let the vinegar sit in the tank for about a week. I wasn't in a rush, and the longer it sits the better the result. The last couple days I added a long piece of chain that I had, and shook it around once or twice a day. I poured the vinegar out and just rinsed with some denatured alcohol a couple of times. You'll get some flash rust, which it just very light surface color. That doesn't bother me, because it's soooo much better and cleaner inside than before. Worth the effort.
@@glenx4892 Great
@@gregsimek1167 thanks ... I'm about to take the leap of faith and your experience helps me plan this endeavor.. thanks for sharing
Damn! I was wondering what kind of concoction you were going to push. So happy to see we use the same products, almost. I use the 30% cleaning vinegar rather than the 5-8% common vinegar usually available at most stores.
Stronger is better, but you pay for it. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Excellent tips on rust removal. But, Never seal the inside of a tank! It renders it irreparable in the future and with today's fuel blend most resin based sealants will eventually fail. I have been a professional tech for over 40 years and have repaired countless tanks with dents and rust through but once resin sealed they simply can not be repaired properly. This may be viewed as my opinion but it is my experience as well.
Great point!
Have any opinions on removing a sealer from a tank?
@@1cleansinglecab the only method I am aware of is a burn-off oven at 850°f and that could potentially damage the steel the tank is made of. The epoxy is fairly impervious to chemical strippers.
I've used milkstone remover mixed 50/50 with water let sit for 24 hours and drain... clean tank then I fill up the tank and add seafoam to get rid of any water left over and it's only 20 bucks for a gallon of milkstone remover.
@@jasonpiech385 you use milkstone for rust removal or are you saying it will break down and remove the epoxy lining? It is basically phosphoric acid which I use as an etching agent on bare steel before paint.
I had good results from shaking up granite chippings and Phosphoric acid (left a long lasting phosphate coating as a bonus.)
I've been getting a lot of input on phosphoric acid, I going to use it on my next tank. Thanks for the info and thanks for watching my channel.
Nothing is better than most backyard remedies.
Muratic acid is what I have used for 25 years. The best thing about the viniger is it will not hurt paint. Problem is no matter what you use the rust will come back. You have to seal the tank inside with vinyl tank sealer. I use the Eastwood brand.
Good to hear.
Cycle Fab is 125% correct on the vinegar, USE IT. I have used it many times, sometimes for 4-5-6 days, the tanks always come out clean. The HCL is a great idea if the vinegar does not get you quite as far as you want to go, be super careful. Forget the Caswell's....... Red Kote, Red Kote all the way....... it will be locally available at O'Reilly's (I think), it's cheap, and VERY forgiving. And, it coats like a dream. If your tank is in bad, bad shape, the vinegar will eat through and create pinholes if you leave it for too long...... but that will happen with anything that really removes rust. Better to leak $2 vinegar than $25 cleaner. I filter and recycle the vinegar, I have not noticed a reduction in efficacy, but never used it for more than 2 or 3 tanks.
Great video, Cycle Fab, thank you.
Thanks for watching!
You are the first I've ever read who mentioned filtering the liquid you are going to reuse! GOOD JOB! I figured that was obvious, but others might not think of it. I don't think you can do it with the Red Kote though. Too thick!
I used to use lacquer thinner and small old nuts and bolts. and I would reuse the old nuts and bolts. I like what your video taught me.
Good to hear, thanks for watching!
I just discovered your channel and subscribed. I picked up a Suzuki marauder cheap last year and it needs a little work. I’ll be cleaning the whole fuel system and this video is gonna make that a whole lot easier for me. Thanks!
Welcome! I've got a Suzuki GS550 I'm building into a street tracker. You should check out the playlist of it, here's one of my favorites: ua-cam.com/video/yNG5VWTNKRs/v-deo.html
Well I'll be damned, so did I. I bought a 99 VZ800 Marauder also last summer and it also started leaking fuel later that summer. It had been previously welded and it started leaking next to it but I did a quick fix with liquid metal epoxy and it did hold the rest of the driving season until now it started leaking really bad at the winter storage. To my chagrin I noticed that it is almost impossible to find a replacement tank for this bike and none of the "universal tanks" fit without heavy modding and welding. This video is godsend. I will remove the tank next saturday, fix the leak properly with welding (hopefully not blowing myself up), give the tank a vinegar bath and line it up with something. Either heavy duty epoxy paint or POR-15 which is easily available here.
@@MaaZeus Best of luck with your repairs. 👍
@@mmpatriot2170 Thanks. I will report how it goes. Hopefully everything is ready before the riding season starts here up far north.
I use the same method but instead of vinegar I use Lysol CLR bathroom cleaner, it’s super thick and clings well. In one hour it’s near spotless but you do need to was with warm water and neutralize with baking soda.
Cool! Good info!
Thanks for your video it really got me focussed on the task. If I could make a suggestion that may be appropriate to more challenging descaling of fuel tanks to make vinegar a tad more aggressive cleaning rust from steel a little common salt and a little detergent added to the vinegar could be useful. Cheers Lindsay
Great suggestion!
This is by far the best video on this topic thankyou
You are welcome! Thanks for commenting.
So glad you emphasized neutralizing after the acid treatments! Lots of how-to folks fail to mention that.
Something with phosphoric acid is good afterwards too, depending on the application. And it needs to be rinsed off well also.
Thank you for complement and your input! Also thanks for watching my channel.
You mentioned phosphoric acid... I was thinking about ospho... that would come after the vinegar and baking soda clean out yes?
@@glenx4892 Not familiar with ospho. Using Phosphoric acid after the cleanout is akin to Parkerizing, without the manganese. It is what manufacturers dip car bodies in after assembly, before paint, to resist rust, and to prevent rust from spreading if you scratch through the paint and primer.
@@steveesposito thanks
Watched this video a few weeks ago and re watching for a recap. Purchased a 95 heritage with new freshly painted tins but has minor rusting inside I want cleaned up to avoid future issues.
Thank for the video!
Sounds great! Thanks for watching!
My go to is Muriatic acid. (used to clean masonry) Also cheap, and then Washing Soda to neutralize. Come out sparkling without a hint of rust. Last tank had to be replaced as someone used an epoxy sealer that was peeling and flaking and could not be removed.
Yeah, if you don't prep a tank right before you seal it that can happen.
Yep I use that for all clean-up parts stuff..👌
Fill the tank with a old rag cut into a long section to make up the space and you only have to use one bottle of vinegar
That's an idea.
Good idea,!!!
I have a couple of Motorcycle Tanks to do soon. One is the Sport Tourer I ride and the Other is a project Bike that I'm restoring. If I'm happy with the finish, I'll do the other tanks I have as spare parts. I will be sealing them and I know it will cost me a fortune, but some of these Tanks are 40+ years old and hard to get. Cheers mate😎👍
Good luck with your projects!
I have 5 Kawasaki motorcycles.
2 x Zg1000 sport tourers and
3 x Kz750s (early 1980s models)
I had a Kz750 e1 when I was young and had to sell it when I became a father and now the Son and Daughter have left the nest I decided to get one again if I could find one and then got to the piont of having 3 and a caravan and a shed full of parts. Cheers from Australia Mate. 👍😎
Steps are: High pressure water rinse, soap/water rinse, thorough water rinse, vinegar bath for 24hrs, 40 sec hydrofluoric acid wash, wd40 to stop flash rust forming, acetone to remove wd40 & then add tank sealer.
That's the process, I do use two stroke engine oil now instead of WD-40. Thanks for watching and commenting.
If I decide not to seal the tank and just coat it with 2 stroke oil, is it safe to leave the oil when I fill it back up with gas?
Try to get as much out as you can before filling it up with gas, you'll be good. Might smoke a little.
My son who lives 3 hours away, is working on his first motorcycle project. A 1972 Yamaha parked outside and forgotten for 15 years. He used the same steps on a tank much worse for wear with good results. Just wish I could have sent him this video rather than the hour it took on the phone to explain it. Still at that age, that he won't just believe, I may be right.
Best teacher is experience.
Love your work brother, well taught lesson which has helped clean my bikes tank, came out like new
Right on Brother! Glad to have helped, and thanks for watching my channel.
Very clear and to the point.
Thank you
You're welcome!
White vinegar heavy duty from the hardware store will unstick piston rings.
Good to know.
I'd think you could stop the flash rust problem using gas with premix two stroke oil in it. A high ratio like half oil would coat the bare metal with oil and not miss anything. Later after pouring it out anything left was meant to be burned by an engine.
Always thought a little oil in the tank might stop or slow down the rust.
Great tips. I want to try it on external sheet metal rust and my boat trailer.
That's actually a very good idea! I think I'll try that next time vs. using WD-40.
Mix water and lemon juice 50/50 and soak freshly derusted steel- it gives a faint green tinge and will not flash rust after rinsed off. Learned this from a guy who does a lot of rust removal with molasses/water mix.
How did you wash or did you use water after you put the muratic acid sir
@@ahvyetnoc7287 I never did this. Only had the idea of using the oil instead of acid. Then when you put gas in the oil dissolves and burns off. I used to put a little premix in old fourstroke tanks hoping it might slow the rust. Seems to help.
@@jeffarcher400 what do you use after the vinegar? Do you just wash it out with water?
Good ole draino crystals with some small gravel or aquarium crystals used to work great for me. The tank would get hot but it would be nice and clean. You dumped it out after a short time. Then use cold water to rinse for a bit and a hair dryer inside to completely dry or let it sit in the sun on a warm day with the gas tank cap off. I suppose liquid drain cleaner would work to. Use protective gloves,glasses . Don't breath the gas in use a fan to blow the fumes away. It works!!!
Thanks for the tip.
I work with larger tanks. Say 12 gallons. The bottom hole is less than an inch. The filler hole goes into the tank about an inch. Thus, making it almost impossible to remove the debris. How do the shops get around this?
In this case I would suggest using 3/8" ball bearings inside your tank while cleaning it with soap and water, to break up the large oxidized debris. You'll probably will have to do this several times. Thanks for watching!
I’m going to check out your other videos. I have two vintage Honda Trail 90s that need this.
Awesome!
How did the vintage Honda Trail 90s turn out? Did you do this process exactly? Did you use Caswell? I have a 1970 Trail 90 that keeps clogging up the jets from the rusty gas tank, despite added in-line fuel filters. I was planning to use this method and then Caswell.
@@u0232760 I wish I could tell you. I”m one of those project heavy people. The Trial 90s have not been touched.
A great informative video, as well as part 2 (Caswell Epoxy Sealer). It's great to know that vinegar make a good rust remover. My big question is, after you used the Hydrochloric Acid, did you neutralize the inside with baking soda and water? Wouldn't that (the final rinses) leave flash or surface rust on the exposed metal surfaces prior to sealing with the epoxy?
I forgot to show that in the video, but yes, I do use baking soda to neutralize the acid.
@@CycleFab I was wondering the same thing. When you use the baking soda is it in the dry form or do you mix it with water? If so what's the dilution ratio?
One gallon of water to two cups of baking soda works well but you can mix it stronger if you feel like you need to. Thanks for watching!
Good video. I only mess with 2 stroke engines and to protect a newly cleaned tank interior, I mix a quarter cup of petrol with a quarter cup of 2 stroke oil, sloosh it around, then dump it out. The 2 stroke oil seems to coat and protect the bare metal inside the tank very well...
...but that's just me...
👍 ☺
I started using that mix and it works better than what I had been using. Thanks for watching!
Hey man! I’m in the process of cleaning my sv650 tank right now with vinegar, I’m just wondering after I get all the vinegar out with my hand pump should I use water and baking soda to neutralize and flush the tank out and then use the two stroke oil and gasoline (petrol)? Or what would you do? Thank you!
@davebarrowcliffe1289
How long did you keep the vinegar in the tank for before you dumped it? Thanks
24 hours.
Thank you clear explanation that I needed to clean out my Honda CRV 1998 model. Cheers from Sydney, Australia!
You're welcome!
Thanks Larry! For the step-by-step method on how to properly clean out a motorcycle tank!👍 I learned something today! Great video!😎👍🤝
Greetings from England
One of those great UA-cam videos which gives you everything you need!
Thank-you for your time and knowledge :)
Best wishes
Thank you very much!
Very good presentation Sir, cool and easy to follow as opposed to much we see on YT! I just now derusted a Harley tank using diluted NaOH (10% lye) using electrolysis; cannot say I really was all that impressed although it wasn't too bad. Thought about taking the rest away using oxalic acid. I didn't really understand though; muriatic acid (HCL) is ****n dynamite as compared to the soft vinegar. Why not diluted HCl + neutralising using baking soda - just asking :)
Muriatic acid is too aggressive with the older tanks that I typically work on. Vinegar is more easily controllable even though it does take several hours to work.
@@CycleFab Thank you kindly Sir!
1. Use water hose to remove residue inside tank. Add dishwasher soap as well. Repeat several clean cycles.
2. Seal tank and fill to brim with white vinegar. Let sit for a couple days.
3. Add half gallonMuratic(?) acid for no more than a min. Vinegar is good enough so long as you seal it right away. Has container to dispose of acid. And baking soda to neutralize in case of spill. Roll the acid around in the tank.
4. Use wd40 to seal it after cleaning out and drying.
That's it. You can use two stroke engine oil also, but the oil is mainly to keep it from rusting if you're not going to be using the tank right away. Thanks for watching and commenting!
@@CycleFab oh sorry i was taking notes for myself for later. but i used this technique and it came out great! thank you for making this video! really well done
Great! Good to hear that.
Hey Larry -- cannot thank you enough for this video tutorial (as well as your other videos). Your delivery is clear & concise & packed full of quality information. (I'll be cleaning a Harley dual tank in a few weeks.)
Are you still using the denatured alcohol to help dry out residual water?
Thanks again. I appreciate you!
Yes, I do use denatured alcohol if I'm dealing with a tank that has rolled or crimped seams. Thanks for watching and double thanks for the complement.
it's difficult to see what you are doing.
Great recommendation. The simple things often work the best and white vinegar is one of the best cleaning solutions.
Totally agree!
Hey great vid thanks! 2 things, first, how long did you leave the vinegar in? And what percent vinegar- the food grade or? Second, a tip for the good tape when using the acid: fold a tab over at one end so you have something to pull on wo having to remove gloves 😉
You can leave it for a few days, depending on how bad the rust is. Can be up to a week too.
He talks about it at the end. I believe he said to let the vinegar sit for 24-48 hours
What do you cover the bottom of the tank with when filing with acid? Do you just use good tape?
@@dylandzvonick8274good question!
I did a twenty gallon horizontal compressor tank with diluted muriatic... used no more than a gallon (half a gallon if memory serves me). After that's done soaking I mixed up some oxalic acid crystals and made a "finishing" acid which will leave a white phosphate type coating similar to phosphoric acid, but much cheaper to make. After the finishing acid, I drain, dry and there's no need to coat with oil. It's ready to coat or store and won't flash rust. I later coated the inside with Fluid Film since it's an air tank.
I'm going to try Oxalic acid next time, I've heard of people using this before. Thanks for waching.
So when you get to the muratic acid portion, are you rinsing that out after neutralizing the acid or letting it dry out hoping there is no baking soda left over? These are great tips but it seems like a few key details are missing from the video. Hopefully I can get a response soon as I am in the middle of a tank cleaning and trying out your method. Thank you.
Hind sight being 20/20 I did (unintentionally) leave out some key steps, taking for granted that they would be interpreted. After the acid is poured out I rinse the tank with fresh water and then a baking soda/water mix and then I rinse that out with water and then coat the inside of the tank with oil (two stroke engine oil) if the tank is not going directly back onto the bike. Sorry for the confusion. Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment. Good luck with your project.
I listened to his steps and read a few comments and replies back to comments. My tank cleaning was a huge success!!! I greatly appreciate the content! I'm extremely satisfied with the results!! Thank you so much for replying back.
Yes, vinegar works. I personally use apple cider vinegar seems to work better. I have cleaned many small engine gas tanks with vinegar plus after you flush vinegar out the tank will flash rust. So be ready with some light weight oil such as Marvel Mystery Oil works fine to pour in the tank as soon as you rinse tank out.
Good video.
Thanks!
Do you fill up the whole tank with the oil or just pour some in there and shake it to lightly cover the walls. Thanks
@@titoace408 I just splash a little bit of oil around in the tank. Have your oil ready cause as soon as you dump the apple cider vinegar the tank will begin flash rust. So be quick with your oil , just a little will do but make sure you coat the whole inside of the tank.
@@waynegambrell7095 thank you very much for your response
@@waynegambrell7095 hey man should I rinse the tank out with water and baking soda after I dump the vinegar and then use the oil or should I just use the oil directly after the vinegar
About a pint of muriatic acid will do what the gallon of vinegar will do. And you can fill it with hot water, or better yet, you can just slosh it with the acid, then dump it in 2-3 mins, then rinse it with 1 gal of hot water 3-4 times. Then put 2-3 spoons of baking soda and hot water. Rinse, then 2-3 more hot water and you're gonna have a dry as a bone and rust free tank. Then put that kreem liner in it. Of course there's many precautions in each step. The cap hole is plugged with those exhaust plugs for dirt bikes, the filler hole with duct tape, all other holes plugged up with whatever is right for those holes, acid wont eat duct tape, it will eat pot metal in the petcock. Hot water of course is hot water, wont eat anything. Just need to slosh it and not burn yourself. Baking soda - likewise. The liner - it needs to sit there for 1-3 days in hot weather. It will eat duct tape. I use a inner tube on the stock petcock and the exhaust plug in the filler cap.
You're right, you can clean a tank that way using muriatic acid. But personally I prefer to use as little muriatic acid as possible for safety reasons. The process your using is a lot faster though.
@@CycleFab Yea, and worse yet, you have to buy those by the 2 gal container. But if you have a pool, you have use for a lot of the acid.
Get “inhibited” HCL. It dissolves the rust and has organic additives to prevent the acid from attacking the ferrous base metal and also helps prevent further rust. Regular HCL will dissolve the base metal if left on too long.
Good to know, thanks!
how long did you leave the vinegar in the tank? also, what is your opinion on using the tank after the vinegar without using a sealing product? thanks!
I leave the vinegar in the tank for a minimum of 24hrs. You don't have to use a sealer if you chose not, BUT it has been my experience that with a heavily rusted tank it would be in your best interest to do so.
Cider vinegar brilliant I cleaned my rd tank with it works a treat
Awesome!
Great video. About to do the same on a Honda atc tank. Have you ever heard of a product called hold tight? We use it with our dustless blaster. (Think massive sand blaster with water). We stripped a truck several years ago to bare steel and it is still perfect! Usually without it it will rust within hours. And it’s safe to paint over. I think I’ll try that. Maybe look into it for yourself. Just a tip.
Yes, I will check that out. Thanks for watching!
yep...pure, white vinegar. Did that with a 5 gallon bucket of chain. Lots of rust crud... 3 days of soaking.
Stuff works great.
I have been using vinegar for a while for cleaning rusted parts too. I soak the parts for a couple of weeks depending on how much rust is on the parts then wire brush the parts clean. When I'm done it looks like they were zinc coated the prep for paint. If I want a good seal I will use acid etching primer and it's good enough for me.
When restoring old car sheet metal I will clean it the same way bur after wire brushing it, it makes it easier to weld to.
You do good work.
Thank you for the compliment, and thanks for watching my channel!
My grandmother used vinegar to clean rust from cast iron skillets ,
Thank you for sharing your technique. This has been very helpful.
You are so welcome!
Used vinegar for many rusty things but didn't know the baking soda trick. My old beast of a snowblower had a rusty tank. I filled it with krud kutter and let it sit for a month repeating the process. The tank inside looks new. Not sure if what i did would work on a cycle tank though...
It should work just fine.
I'm not sure about stateside but over here in Blighty our washing up liquid has salt in it which will promote rust, which is why it should never be used as a tyre seating lubricant. I've seen very rusty motorcycle rims on the inside whilst tyre changing which I'm sure has been caused by the use of this detergent, can't say as I've tried white vinegar but I have used molasis to good effect !
Thanks for the details, will keep that in mind. I've heard about molasses, might have to try that.
Great for removing calcium build up too!
Good method. The only thing I'd ad to this is after the muriatic acid step to immediately wash the tank out with baking soda - this drastically slows down the flash rust problem. (HCL on metal in the presence of oxygen will ironically re-rust that metal.)
Point taken. Thanks!
Keep your tank full !
Yep!
Thank you so much for sharing your system.....I'm getting ready to do this to my diesel tractors tank....I'll let ya know how it works for me....Just, thank you
You're welcome! Happy to help! Thanks for watching and commenting!
Same here, just doing it today, I think it might be full of pin holes though. We'll see.
Yep, my Kubota tank has rust holes in the bottom.
Thank you. Off to clean out my Honda CB 360 tank.
You're very welcome. Thank you for watching and commenting.
I like your process better good detail .
Thank you!
Adding some sharp grit and sloshing it around with some ammonia solution will polish it up to white clean steel
I haven't heard of using ammonia before. Thanks for the info.
@@CycleFab it's cheap basic solution with relative high PH and thus preventing "fly rust". It also degreases the surface. The small sharp grit/stones knock of any remaining crud. Afterwards rinse out with acetone to remove all water. Ready for coat😊
This treatment comes after the vinegar treatment
The best I found is CLR leave it a few days with some nuts to shake around now and then Finish up with new metal finish inside.
That's a new one, might have to try it! Thanks for watching and commenting.
@@CycleFab it’s a little stronger than vinegar works great. I even seal the cap and invert the tank to clean the top surface.