Removing Tank Rust with Vinegar

[gewash76]

Has anyone tried this method of removing rust from a gas tank? From what I've read, it seems pretty easy and more importantly, not as dangerous as using acid. My main reason for not using the acid is I'm afraid I'll spill it on myself and that wouldn't be fun. LOL

[Mr_RPM]

I have seen treatments made to stick right to the rust and seal it up.
knock some gravel around inside to get the loose stuff out first.

http://www.damonq.com/TechSheets/Red-Kote.pdf

[irelandchad]

I use toilet bowl cleaner, like Works. If the rust is really bad I add old nuts and bolts that I have laying around and shake it up in there. Sometimes it takes a couple of times. Works great for corroded electrical connectors too. Battery terminals and what not.

[big yeller]

for severely rusted tank iv noticed that what that guy is talking about in the second post. that chemical converts it into a different metal rather than rust via a chemical reaction. i don't remember what its called or how it does it. iv done 3 tanks through this method and it works and seems to hold because my first tank was done about 5 years ago on one of my small gas tractors.

[badass350x]

Might try clr, works good on rust but never tried it in a tank!!

[falloutboy]

My bro and I have used the salt & vinegar trick on a couple tanks that were really rusty on the inside. It works good but is slow. One treatment is overnight and it can take a couple treatments, depending on how bad the rust is. The nice thing is the vinegar can be re-used, just pour it through a coffee filter. I think we did did each tank like 3 times and it made them usable...

[RideRed250R]

go to the gun store and ask for some shot gun shot... that will take the rust out...

i sandblast them and then hot tank them, but thats a luxury not everyone has.

[sdb69z28]

Acetone and a handful of sheetrock screws... Dump it in and roll it around for awhile, use that caswell gastank epoxy they sell it works great. $40 worth of epoxy does two tanks. Its is like coating your tank with honey then it sets up like a rock guaranteed. I used on my 200X tank that I could see daylight in and it sealed it up, I run racefuel in it with no leaks.

[sdb69z28]

http://www.caswellplating.com/aids/epoxygas.htm

[hoosierlogger]

I can tell you that the Kreem tank lining system DOES NOT work. It will stick to the tank for about a year then separates and makes a helluva mess. I might try the vinegar treatment on my 200x.

[JayBone]

totally works.

[texas 185s]

I use toilet bowl cleaner, like Works. If the rust is really bad I add old nuts and bolts that I have laying around and shake it up in there. Sometimes it takes a couple of times. Works great for corroded electrical connectors too. Battery terminals and what not.

im fixing to pick up some works, but i didnt have the intention to clean my tank. if you make balls of aluminum foil and drop them in a bottle, then pour in Works (or equivilent), and finally put the cap on. it creates pressure and the bottle explodes. its pretty fun from what ive seen

[k00leo]

Just buy a POR-15 tank repair kit.

I did and it works great.

[3wheely]

I used Evapo-Rust from AutoZone. It's environmentally friendly and works great. The only problem I had was I put some nuts and bolts in with it to help knock off the rust and ended up with a few pin holes where the rust had actually ate through the tank. I guess the rust was actually serving a purpose! Depending on how rusty it is check for leaks when your done before you put gas in it.

[200XMichigan]

You can use vinegar (but it is an acid too, just a weak one), it will be slower, toilet bowl cleaner has hydrochloric acid in it. same stuff as muratic acid. Its really not that dangerous. Search the posts on here. Whatever you clean it with made sure to coat it with something Por15 and Redcoat are considered really good.

Don't mess with shaking crap around in there, just use enough acid to do the job. Or do yourself a favor and get the Por15 kit and it will have instructions.

[sdb69z28]

The bottom line is if you want to save the tank you need to get all the loose crap out of it so you can see where the real problems are and get rid of it so the stuff doesnt end up in your motor. Acetone cleans all the leftover stuff from the gasoline and the sheetrock screws remove all the loose scale rust. After you clean it your going to have pin holes from the rust. You then tape the holes (unless there too big, then you need a new tank so its not worth fixing) from the outside of tank and apply the epoxy to the inside of the tank. If the tank is really bad then you apply the epoxy two coats. Contact Caswell they will stand behind there product and guarantee it. I used it on a 200X tank that was pretty bad and it worked really well. I know that I didnt want little pieces of rust inside my brand new Powroll race engine.

[sdb69z28]

It also protects your tank against the issues with the ethanol in the fuel, that stuff absorbes water... water and steel dont like each other too well

[gewash76]

Great...thanks for all the advice. One other thing I've always wondered is how do you keep the hole for the petcock from being sealed over?

[timtim]

go to the gun store and ask for some shot gun shot... that will take the rust out...

i sandblast them and then hot tank them, but thats a luxury not everyone has.

how you get a sandblaster in there? you must have a "pipe" type of baster?

[zeeker1]

Vinegar YES! I tried vinegar first because number one, I'm cheap and number two, if the tank had a bunch of holes in it I probably would have replaced it. SO....here's the story. I went to the dollar store and bought three gallons of the cheapest they had. The tank was just "moderately" rusty. By that I mean there were no big shankers hanging inside. I removed the petcock and filter and cut a circle of rubber, pushed it back in the petcock and screwed it back on the tank. I set it on top of a drywall bucket and filled it to the brim and left it for three days. (if the tank leaked I wanted the mess in the bucket and not on my garage floor) Then I poured the vinegar back in the jugs, removed the petcock and shoved in the garden hose. After a good shaking, a flashlight and an eyeball, I was amazed! Just for drill, I repeated. I filtered the old stuff thru a paint strainer and let it sit a couple of more days. After a couple more rinses I took a wad of baking soda and a quart of water and shook the heck out of it. I read somewhere that the baking soda neutralizes the acid. Another rinse then I turned it upside down with a hair dryer shoved in the hole. Another tip I learned on these boards is to either take your nice, fresh,de-rusted tank inside and let it rest on top of your furnace where it's nice and cozy or fill it up with gas...............Six bucks invested.......Right or wrong, this is what I did!