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Thread: Save my 250es Gas Tank?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jul 2018
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    MN/Dakota
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    Save my 250es Gas Tank?

    Long story short I'm still fighting rust in my gas tank. I had done the Vinegar approach, had my bike running well last summer, only to find it would not start last winter when I wanted to play in the snow. I left it unattended since then(Jeep XJ project) and to my horror now found much more rust in the gas tank. I emptied the old gas and rusty deposits, blew it dry, added a couple handfuls of small nuts, shook up the tank until I could only blow out very fine rust particles. Its now soaking in apple cider vinegar. After doing research my next step is to try the electrolysis rust removal process. I really do not want to use a tank sealer coat type product but I feel I'll always be fighting rust if I don't use it. My question is has anyone successfully coated more than one tank? It seems it works for some and not for others? I do not want to ruin this tank. Any advice on how to successfully coat my tank or prevent rust from coming back? Thanks!

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    South Florida
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    6,722
    Can do a flash wash with muriatic acid and then neutralize it with baking soda . This process will remove all the rust .
    I hate liners because when that fails the tank is junk .
    Stop using pump fuel with ethanol , it attracts water and that equals rust .
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  3. #3
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Location
    Edmond, KS
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    2,531
    One more thing to do is to fill the tank after you're done riding it. It's kind of a hard habit to get into, but will prevent a lot of rust.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    Stellenbosch, South Africa
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    179
    Swimming pool acid work well to remove the rust, it works quick so you have to pay attention, and then neutralising it with baking soda.
    After all the rust is out make sure you keep your tank full of fuel.
    The liner is a big job and fails easy, if you going to spend the money rather take the tank to be professionally lined then you know it has been done properly.
    Otherwise you can look at replacing it with a plastic tank, I saw one on ebay the other day.
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  5. #5
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    MN
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    3,260
    I hate lined tanks as well, for the same reason shortline mentioned.. Can't count how many tanks i had over the years that had liners in them that was causing more problems then the rust that they originally tried to fix.

    After the vinegar soak use some baking soda and warm water, i like to dissolve the baking soda in a bucket of water first, get it well mixed, then pour in the tank, shake around, let it sit a few, shake again then dump out. Rinse again with water, then pour in some WD-40, you can get it in a can rather then just a spray can, i buy the gallons of it all the time. Slosh that around and dump it out, i just dump the WD-40 out into a bottle and reuse it for rusty bolt removal cause i'm cheap like that... LOL Then fill it with gas and keep it full. If you go on a ride and run the level down fill it back up if its going to be sitting a while, a full tank leaves less bare metal to condense water when the temp varies. I was taught that back when i was a kid because vehicles still had metal tanks back then, a full tank was an unrusted tank.

    I run nothing but pump gas here, i can't even get ethanol free unless i drive about 30 miles and pay a super high premium for off-road/marine grade fuel. So what i do is run regular old ethanol fuel but i dump in some Stabil ethanol fuel stabilizer, its a bluish green and it will make it look like you have 2 cycle fuel in the tank, but it doesn't contribute oil to the mix so no smoking, it's just a treatment that keeps the water blended in to the fuel and lets it go right through the system. A lot of marine guys use the stuff for outboard motors, they swear by it, and you can see for yourself if you don't believe me, i didn't believe it either at first but take a glass and put in a few spoonfuls of water and then say a cup worth of gas, let it sit watch the water settle to the bottom, now mix in the stabil stuff and let it sit, the water doesn't fall out of solution.

    All i know is ten plus years of using the Stabil in all my gas tanks, lawnmowers, weed eaters, ATC's, chainsaws, i have never had a problem with the ethanol based fuels. But i always keep the tanks full when parked, and i always treat my 5 gal jugs as i fill them, so everything always gets treated fuel. The Stabil stuff also really helps with rust, not just by controlling the water, but it leaves a bit of a coating on everything, the inside of the tank will have a bluish green hue to it after a couple months. I vinegar treated my ATC90 tank back in 2013 or 2014, i forget which, still not a speck of rust in that one with my method of prevention.
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  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Location
    Arkansas
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    2,196
    I've used Red Kote in a bunch of tanks and have never had a problem. It's my go-to tank liner and I've been using it for decades. The very first tank I lined was in a '69 Plymouth Fury. The exhaust shop refused to put a new exhaust on it because the tank was leaking, and after I got it out, removed the majority of the rust, the bottom looked like Swiss cheese. The big holes I patched with JB Weld, then lined it with Red Kote.

    The Kreem I tried years ago didn't impress me one bit. I haven't used it since.

    Using Red Kote means you're going to babysit the tank for quite a while, and it takes a week or longer for it to actually cure. If you can let it sit for a month before using, even better.

    It cures by evaporation, unlike some of the epoxy liners. If it's put in too thick or allowed to puddle, it won't fully cure. The correct coating is actually very thin, but that can be built up will full curing between coats. The number one reason people have issues with Red Kote is they try to apply it too thick.

    When first poured in, the tank will have to be constantly rotated, to ensure none of the products puddles in one area. Once the inside of the tank is thoroughly coated, excess is poured out.


    Red Kote is like putting a plastic tank, inside of the metal one. The biggest downside is the use of MEK. That is nasty stuff. You don't even want it on your skin. Breathing it isn't good either. If the tank has good paint on it, you have to be exceptionally careful to not get any on it. MEK can also be used to remove Red Kote from a tank.

    If your tank doesn't have rust holes in it, then the aforementioned rust removing treatments may be all you desire. I don't line tanks that aren't leaking. Once they have enough rust to create holes, those get a liner. Even brazing the existing holes closed, there are other rust pits that aren't far behind, so I don't risk it, and line them.


    All other replies so far are against a liner, so something I want to point out is that in many applications, just about every metal storage container is lined with a non metal product. Even soda and beer cans have liners in them, if they didn't, the product would either erode the can or give a very off taste. Those multi story, metal chemical towers at plants usually have fiberglass liners, I know, because I used to go inside them to repair the liners. Factory fuel tanks in automobiles and powersports usually have a zinc type coating from the factory, like in an ATC tank, but once that is used up, the metal has no protection.

    Like galvanized tin, the factory coating only last so long, because zinc is sacrificial. It's about anodes, cathodes, ions, electrons, and other chemistry stuff. The more moisture in the tank, the faster the zinc wears out.
    Last edited by ATC King; 12-02-2020 at 09:17 PM.
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  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jul 2018
    Location
    MN/Dakota
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    9
    Thanks to everyone who responded. You've given me the guidance I needed. All of the advice above totally makes sense. I was at fault for not storing my tank correctly - Partially filled with ethanol gas and stabil. I'll do it right this time and hope to enjoy my bike soon.

  8. #8
    Arky-X is offline Just Too Addicted Arm chair racerJust too addicted
    Join Date
    Feb 2017
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    Arkansas
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    529
    Never used them but I've heard good reviews about Evapo-Rust and Metal Rescue. More expensive than vinegar and some other options but you can filter out the rust (pour it through a shop towel) and reuse it. And it is supposed to also keep flash rust from happening. Once again, never used them but seen plenty of users on youtube and fB with good results.

    Good luck! I've got a nice looking 350X tank......from the outside Inside....not so much

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Apr 2011
    Location
    Connecticut
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    1,605
    I use Bill Hirsch tank liner. Never had a problem and have used it 30 years. Never had it lift or peel like you hear about other products.

    Another product I like is named Pliobond 25. Manufactured in Tennessee it is industrial contact cement that is applied with a cotton ball swab. This product is very chemical resistant. If I am refurbishing a leaky tank I like to wipe this on the tank mounts that are spot welded under the tank. You can sand and top coat this stuff after if fully cures.

    I always use White vinegar since it is cheap and effective, but slower process. It’s nice to be able to flush a tank, and not feel like you wasted a lot of money tossing it after one use.
    some people on other threads discussing rusty gas tanks have had good luck with toilet bowl cleaner.

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