Keep that Rust out of your Tank

[jinks]

Wanna keep your Max,..or any 4 stroke motor running trouble free ? Read on-
I had serious Rust Woes with my max earlier this year. I had the carbs off 5 times,..changed fuel filters twice. Bike would run ok for a day or so then crap !
I tossed all the old fuel hose & filters. removed & cleaned tank with Vinegar, then muriatic acid. I removed the fuel pump & cleaned it out. next I used 2 fuel filters "wix" not fram...1 after the fuel pump.I put it all back together and am now using "low ash OUTBOARD 2-stroke motor oil "in my fuel. Its been 2 months now & my tank looks New inside. It softened all the gaskets & rubbers on the carbs."previously rock hard". I use 3/4 of an eye dropper per Tank full. The ethanol in the fuel is very corrosive nowadays. I use it in my Honda shadow as rust was beginning to start in the tank,...the 2-stroke oil stopped it dead & the tiny rust spots have vanished. I notice my Max starts way easier on a really hot day. My neighbour is now using it in his Harley & he also claims easier Hot Starts. My Max is running 100% carb trouble Free now. Another added Bonus is- 2 stroke oil preserves Your fuel for years ! Store your bike for 2 years & nothing corrodes!! The LOW -Ash oil is "sensor" Friendly as well. For fun- take a boat carb apart ,...you will never find corrosion & the gaskets are reusable & the inside linkages aren"t worn out. 1 more added bonus- it slows the burn rate down giving you Higher octane. And yes , you can feel it. Zoom, Zoom.

 

[jinks]

This is the rust I took out of the tank that the high Ethanol content caused. This is the inside of my tank now 2 months later using the out board 2 stoke oil. Shiny like new.

 

[Tex85]

Damn. Going to add this to my regiment, I figure it can only help prevent an issue from cropping up. Thanks for sharing.

 

[jinks]

Damn. Going to add this to my regiment, I figure it can only help prevent an issue from cropping up. Thanks for sharing.

Good 4 you. It absolutely works !!

 

[Yoshimra]

Just remember, those jap tanks are coated from the factory to not rust. When you introduce ethanol into your tank, it draws in moisture and eventually the water sits long enough to start rusting the tank. When you use muriatic acid, it eats away at all of the coating. That's why you see white some times in tanks that have been creamed. The cream protects the tank from rusting.

jinks needs to watch for rust more often now that he removed the protective coating from inside the tank. Putting the oil in the gas may slow down any future rust.. but not 100% rust free. The inside top of the tank will rust faster from air and moisture. The bottom wont rust because there is oil coated gas protecting it.

I dont recommend acid unless you plan on coating the tank. Good luck.

 

[Dorney]

Star Tron

 

[horstmrj]

Does using Synthetic 2 cycle oil work better or is that not necessary? Have you found the Formula 1 in the picture to be the best?

Thanks

 

[THMAX98]

Well its to late for me ,do have any pointers for removing the tank,im not looking forward to it but its gotta be done

 

[D-Max2012]

I had serious Rust Woes with my max earlier this year. I had the carbs off 5 times,..changed fuel filters twice. Bike would run ok for a day or so then crap !
I tossed all the old fuel hose & filters. removed & cleaned tank with Vinegar, then muriatic acid. I removed the fuel pump & cleaned it out. next I used 2 fuel filters

Boy if that doesn't sound familiar, and much more, after not noticing the fuel tanker filling up the gas station underground tanks sitting behind a large sign. Over 6 coffee cups, full of this pulverized "Rusty colored" plastic coating (had it tested), got into my tank.

Of course found all this out After my bike left me stranded on the side of the road. $175 to get towed 3/4 of a mile.. I was PISSED. Anyway, after 8 times, breaking down the carbs, cleaning the tank, inside fuel pump parts, lines, and carbs. I had to do all sorts of **** to clean out the system. NOT TO MENTION, after all of this, the damn Ethanol would start to rust my tank again. I even had to purchase an Ultrasonic cleaner to get that stubborn **** out off my carb parts. Manual cleaning could not touch the **** this ultrasonic cleaner removed.

I decided I could not keep doing this.. I had to kill this **** at the source.

Picked up that 3 step tank coating system..
https://www.kbs-coatings.com/cycle-tank-sealer-plus-kit.html.

4 years now and counting.. No rust at all, and my fuel system has been running great.. Being curious, I check my bowls periodically and looks like pure clean fuel coming out, (before the air gets to it, and that ethanol and it starts to draw in water again)..

I actually should have done this 1st.. I would have save at least $600 or more in just filters, cleaning agents, multiple refills trying to clean the tank, Ultra-Sonic cleaner, solvents etc. and, at least 450 work hours in the hot sun.

I had to clean EVERYTHING the fuel touches. Removing and cleaning Tank, Pump, Lines, Carbs.. OMG!!, what a freaking mess when you think about it...

To re-iterate, I should have done this 1st.

Please, learn from my mistake. Coat your tank 1st.. Then clean out everything that the fuel touches. It takes time, but its well worth it.

Good luck bro.

 

[THMAX98]

when you coated your tank ,how did you prevent the pick up and the breather line from blocking up? did you coat with the sealer right up to the cap?ive got the tank out not such a drama cleaning it out with product and nuts

 

[THMAX98]

the pick up in the tank is also rusty any tips for that ? i dont want to go to all this trouble and have the pick up keeping rusting

 

[one2dmax]

I'd make sure to vinegar the tank first to get most of the rust out of it.

 

[D-Max2012]

when you coated your tank ,how did you prevent the pick up and the breather line from blocking up? did you coat with the sealer right up to the cap?ive got the tank out not such a drama cleaning it out with product and nuts

I picked up a 2 inch ID piece of PVC pipe. I cut a 1 inch length.. It fits nice an snug around the fuel inlet, when used with piece nitrite rubber glove as a rubber seal. So, when you work the sealer around, it coated it right up to the neck.

For the pickup sensor, I took a piece of flat rubber from Home Depot. (its about 1/16 think square and orange in color).. Along with that, I took a L bracket and drilled an extra hole to make it match up to the fuel pick up holes. Basically I made a flat rubber seal with a steel back plate.

For the vent tube, I just stuck a 1/16 shank of a drill bit and stuck it in there.. After it cured, I stuck a large sewing needle to re-open the hole.

Also, when I was cleaning out the tank, I picked up a length of that "old school" window chain.. That way, the sharper edges of the links can scrape away any rust. When it comes time to get it out, I just had to grab one link, and out it all comes.
I tried that nuts and bolts method and one of the nuts got locked around the fuel pickup tube. killed my arms trying to get that ***** to come out.

 

[D-Max2012]

the pick up in the tank is also rusty any tips for that ? i dont want to go to all this trouble and have the pick up keeping rusting

On my 91, my pickup left me stranded with no notice of low fuel level. It supposed to warm up, when no longer submerged in fuel. I took the time to cut the housing away and my pick up sensor looked like a mini burnt marshmallow, so it looked like it lost its sensitivity.
Now this could have been caused by that nasty **** that was pumped into my tank, but I wasn't sure, so later on, I changed it out. If you just have rust on the pickup, you should be able to just clean it off with a simple wire brush.. I would not submerge it in any type of rust remover or vinegar, because the wires on the thermo-resistor inside the housing are very thin. You don't want etch any metal away in there.

 

[THMAX98]

I thought the pickup had gone rusty but upon cleaning it i found that it was made of copper and the only thing that was actually rusty was the screw that holds it togeather so now ive replaced that and lined the tank and getting ready to put it all back togeather

 

[TB99Max]

I'm going to have to do this also! Long story short...... carbs have been gone through TWICE! The last time it ran awesome for a handful of miles then like **** AGAIN! So I'll have to pull the carbs and go through them once again and pull the tank and do the coating thing. PITA! I hate having it all torn apart, my memory is horrible and I'm only 39.

 

[D-Max2012]

PITA! I hate having it all torn apart

You're not alone.. With all those parts and individual systems all coming together on the 1st or 2n shot is damn near impossible for the average DIY'er.

I literally forgot how many times I broke down my carbs and re-assembled them.
I had a problem (not only that crap that got in my tank), but the bike would stumble around 4K - 5K.. After that range, it would pull strong. After all that cleaning and rebuilds, I put 1 1/2 cans of SeaFoam, split between 3.5 fill-ups. roughly about 250 miles. I then noticed that stumble between 4 - 5 K was gone.. So far, it's been running strong, along the full throttle range. 4 years now.

 

[kalbo]

This is interesting. I am fortunate in not having rust in my fuel tank. Don't know why that is. I guess a previous owner may have cleaned it already? I would like to ask what is the benefit of Marine 2-stroke oil, as opposed to regular 2-stroke motor oil? I wasn't aware of any difference, but the idea of a little extra lube in the fuel sounds like a good idea.

 

[D-Max2012]

Note: Rust in a non-coated tank has nothing to do with what the previous owner did... It's that damn Ethanol being put in our fuels.. It draws in water molecules from the surrounding air. When those water molecules collect, and interacts with steel, it creates rust. The V-Max tank was not designed with water in mind, when it comes to our fuel system. So, unless you can get Ethanol free fuel, at every gas station you even run into, you'd better coat your tank.

 

[KRBishop]

Hello - How long did you let the Vinegar and then muriatic acid sit inside the tank?