What's the best way to keep a gas tank from rusting?

[patblkwell]

The tank on my big red does not have any rust inside of it, so I am wondering what the secret is to keeping it that way? I've heard it's best to keep it full of gas and the gas cap vent open? Not sure about that though...

[El Camexican]

The tank on my big red does not have any rust inside of it, so I am wondering what the secret is to keeping it that way? I've heard it's best to keep it full of gas and the gas cap vent open? Not sure about that though...

Sounds right, but if it's going to sit a long time I'd drop a bit of oil in there as well. Don't know about messing with the vent, I'd just close the cap and leave it.

[tpit8787]

kreem. google it

[Jon Boy]

why Kreem a good tank?

[El Camexican]

kreem. google it

:wondering I have a Kreem kit here... that I am praying I never have to use. To the best of my knowledge it's for sealing a rusty tank, but I'd never use it on a good tank. If the day comes that rust gets one of my tanks and I can't buy a good one to replace it I plan to try electrolysis first and Kreem as the final resort.

“prevention is cheaper than cure”

[rdlsz24]

I wouldn't coat it if it doesn't have any rust or pin holes. The inside of my 200x is rust free. I don't like to keep it full of gas if I know I won't be riding it again soon so I will drain it and spray WD-40 in there and roll it around to coat all surfaces.

Rob

[tri again]

I just got some marine engine fogging oil
for spraying stuff that sits over the winter.
Haven't tried it yet.
Have also seen moisture accumulate UNDER grease and oil
so hairdryer and that 'heet' stuff is super evaporative and removes or bonds to moisture and
evaporates it.

I' looking at 12 tanks right now, at least.

Some get filled with non ethanol gas and seafoam or stabil.
No air, no oxygen = no rust.
The other will get cleaned and dried and sprayed with oil, I think. but tehn they have to be inside
where the temperature fluctuations don't
allow condensation.

The restoration guys an the discovery channel used POR 15 for an
antique gas tank.
It reacts WITH the rust turning it to an inert black glass and plugs pinholes.
Phosphoric acid. does the trick.

Too many horror stories about 'coatings' coming loose.

I poured some on a rusty woodstove outside , NO prep, and it's till there after 2 years.

[Dirtcrasher]

Keep it full to the rim with a gas and oil mix..................

[patblkwell]

I wonder if it's best to keep the gas cap vent open or closed while not riding the bike?

[El Camexican]

Keep it full to the rim with a gas and oil mix..................

That seems to be way to go. There are plenty of perfect 20+ year old tanks out there that were stored like that and I don't think I'd want to be doing anything more than draining my tank in the spring.

[Jon Boy]

I wonder if it's best to keep the gas cap vent open or closed while not riding the bike?
keep it closed

[tri again]

Wish I knew.
I know they will pressurize if they get hot with the vent closed.

If they're full full, well, I guess the gas would expand and leak.

I just got an sx and the tank looks better than new inside.
I wish I knew THAT secret.

I also got a mint sx, guy drained the gas, kept it in a heated garage,
orig owner, did everything right, as per the manual,
cap was left on and you could shove 4 fingers thru the rust on the bottom of that tank.

Hot/cold condensation killed it.
Can't really hang them in the living room buy the woodstove , but that's where mine want to be.
..just like a bad dog.

I almost want to try fill one with carbon dioxide and closing the vent.
IDK,
there IS some magical secret apparently but I sure have no idea what it is.

[El Camexican]

I wonder if it's best to keep the gas cap vent open or closed while not riding the bike?

If you had it full and sealed and the ambient temperature went up enough the preasurized fuel would likley find its way out the carb overflow tubes or past the seal on the cap, whichever offered the path of least resistance. Depending on your float setting and the way you had it parked it it could possibly even enter the engine. I'd leave it open.

[tri again]

If you had it full and sealed and the ambient temperature went up enough the preasurized fuel would likley find its way out the carb overflow tubes or past the seal on the cap, whichever offered the path of least resistance. Depending on your float setting and the way you had it parked it it could possibly even enter the engine. I'd leave it open.

yupp,
I had one leak a quart of fuel inTO the engine and diluted the oil.
Glad I checked it.

Hey, camex, how''s the winter weather there.?

[El Camexican]

yupp,
I had one leak a quart of fuel inTO the engine and diluted the oil.
Glad I checked it.

Hey, camex, how''s the winter weather there.?

Thanks for sharing that. Had you not, someone out there would have read this and thought I was:crazy:

The weather has been shifting between hot and f(&*^(ing hot these past few days, but we've have dropped from a high of 112 a couple weeks ago to just over 91 today. Why, wanna go for a ride?

[Dirtcrasher]

So leave a bit of room for expansion and dump some premix in with that gas; Slosh the stuff around once in awhile and all be well......

[tri again]

Yessirree, I always check fuel shutoff valves after that.
Most are not accurate.
on is not always on, and off is not always off.
Sometimes 10 or 15 degrees off is where they want to be.
so yes, I check them with the fuel line off.

Daughter says Uraguay is 80 in summer and 60 in winter.

We're all thinking about snowbirding for the winter.
Fly south to someplace warm.
Furthest south I've been is Belize border south of Tulum.

LOVE ruinas de archaeologica!

[motordude]

Is it true that enough drop in temp would cause a tank to implode/suck in if the vent is closed. I see this happen with my 3 gal tank for the boat during winter months.

[Jason125m]

Do not leave the tank closed. Leave the tank full of gas/oil mix, and the vent open. The p.o of my bigred learned that the hard way.

[El Camexican]

Daughter says Uraguay is 80 in summer and 60 in winter.
We're all thinking about snowbirding for the winter.
Fly south to someplace warm.
Furthest south I've been is Belize border south of Tulum.
LOVE ruinas de archaeologica!

Anything is safer than here. Cancun is about the only place left where bulk of the rain isn't lead.

[El Camexican]

Thanks to this thread I remembered that I left my origional GSXR tank in the damp basement with only about 1 gallon of fuel in it about three years back (I meant to leave it only a few weeks, but the track day tank just never came off). I'm betting it is fine, but will try to check and report back here.

[Jon Boy]

Do not leave the tank closed. Leave the tank full of gas/oil mix, and the vent open. The p.o of my bigred learned that the hard way.
i thought if it was full then there's not really enough air in it to contract and suck the sides in, so it would be ok to close the vent. :wondering

[El Camexican]

I just open up that GSXR tank that I've had in storage for 3 years. It seems I left it about half full and boy am I glad someone started this thread, or it likley would have sat another 3 years and been ruined. The areas that were submersed in fuel are like new, but the areas that sat dry are just starting to rust. They arent red yet, but there are small blemishes everywhere that are rough to the touch. I dumped a 1/2 liter of motor oil in it and sloshed it around for now, but because of my neglect I'll have to keep it topped up and deprived of oxigen for the rest of it's life, or it will rust out.