Rusty tanks.

[8DO83]

Hi, I am wondering how you guys would deal with rust inside of a Honda atc gas tank. Can it be cleaned or will it need to be coated. What are your thoughts on plastic tanks?

Thanks,
Milan

[BigRedGrizzly]

Hi, I am wondering how you guys would deal with rust inside of a Honda atc gas tank. Can it be cleaned or will it need to be coated. What are your thoughts on plastic tanks?

Thanks,
Milan

I have done what was suggested to me. A bunch of 1 1/4" sheet rock screws. Shake for as long as you can. Rest and do it 3 more times. Shake all the crap out. I removed the entire petcock and replaced it with a new one but that is not necessary. I used Caswell tank sealer twice. Once on my 200X and once on my 250SX. Successful outcomes both times. Watch the ambient temperature and your working time. Pro-tip... Wrap your tank in cellophane to protect it in case you spill. Follow instructions to a T.

[8DO83]

I'll try that. Thanks so much!

[Newrider]

I used redkote ..cleaned it with simplegreen I let it sit in vinegar for a week with dry wall screws shaking it up every day a couple times .. I rinsed it with baking soda and water and dried it with a heat gun , what ever you use make sure your tanks completely dry .. It fixed all my pinholes and coated nicely even over the flash rust .. no problems so far it's been over a month .good luck

[zeeker1]

What year and model Honda are you working on? I have a couple of different year tanks for sale just in case you might need one..........zeeker

[8DO83]

one is a 1983 Honda ATC 70. And the other is a 1983 Honda 200x

[Tnwildman]

After years of dealing with rust and 5 tubes of jb weld to stop leaks plastic tank was best thing I did.

[Rob Canadian]

Hey Milan. Do a search on 'how to clean a rusty tank'. Tons of info has already been posted up.

Cheers.

[DiamonDon]

Unless there are pinholes to fill in, I wouldn't even use a sealer.
The screws, and lots of shaking was all I needed.
I did use a fuel filter for a while, but just switched to some clear fuel line I like very much and ditched the filter.

The fact that anytime I remove my tank on the ATC70, I'm seperating at the petcock, then I'm frequently inspecting that OEM filter screen.

Here's a link to the fuel line, which I had to dip into a mug of near boiling water to soften up for installation.
Its nice to see whats in the lines though, and it seems very tough and just flexible enough:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Have fun on your machine!
Don

[deejaycee_2000]

Poolacid also works well, clears a tank up in a few minutes and you are done. It is a bit dangerous but if you know what you are doing it should not be a problem.

[Troyg25]

Rust rescue from Canadian tire. I would check it out depending how bad it's rusted before sealing it

[8DO83]

Thanks for all the help! I sandblasted the tank because it was old paint and was chipping. And the inside has a slight amount of surface rust it us sitting right now with metal rescue. What is the best paint to use? Any ideas?
Thanks, Milan


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[brandonlowe2]

Of course powder coating is always a good choice, but if your planning on fixing that dent with auto bondo, probably want to just prime and paint. I have a 250sx and it was dented on both sides. Fixed with auto bondo and then auto etching primer and auto paint gave a nice finishing touch. The reason I chose to fix and paint the old tank instead of going plastic tank is because for some weird reason the decals will not stick to a plastic tank... they keep wanting to peel up. They stick to the metal no problem. Here is mine....




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[8DO83]

Looks great! And thanks for the tips.


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[knappyfeet]

The reason I chose to fix and paint the old tank instead of going plastic tank is because for some weird reason the decals will not stick to a plastic tank... they keep wanting to peel up.

Your tank looks very nice.

If you have a new plastic tank that has never had gas in it yet you could simply use an adhesion promoter or a surface modifier.....then the decal would adhere properly. Polyethylene tanks (PE or HDPE) seem to take well to SEM or the whole host of other promoters.