Slight surface rust inside fuel tank

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Webley1991

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I bought a nearly new fuel tank recently. This was apparently removed from a series that was written off in an accident not long after it was fitted.

As it has been standing around for a while, I have noticed a very slight amount of surface rust on the inside of the tank. I am talking small dots of it.

Is this a problem, or can it be left as-is? I would think the fuel filter would stop anything reaching the injector pump?

Thanks for any info.
 
I recently used Bilt Hamber Deox-C to clean out a very rusty and manky moped petrol tank. It worked brilliantly on rust and petrol that had been allowed to evaporate and turn into a thick greasy mess. It was a bit of a swine to rinse out afterwards and if you don't do it properly you can be left with a residue that settles to the bottom of the tank so be careful and thorough.
 
Were it me I wouldn;t be concerned about slight rust - it's not a big deal. Filter will get anything fine, and light defines as "not coming off in chunks", right?

If you want to give it a thorough clean you can do what I did recently to a VERY nasty tank. I put a double handful of dishwasher washing powder (basically sodium carbonate) in, added a couple of gallons of boiling water and gave it a thorough slosh, then filled it the rest of the way with hot water straight off the water heater.

Let it sit overnight, drain, rinse thoroughly, drain, then slosh some oil around the inside just to coat 9the metal is clean enough to flash rust).

Cheap, cheerful and loosened the slime in a tank that sat half-full for 5 years so it could be removed.

ajr
 
If its just a few spots of surface rust I wouldn't bother. Last time I looked in mine there were rust blooms but none of it had made it as far as the electric fuel pump filter. I have a small inline filter before the fuel pump and it has gone a bit brown after a year and a half.

Modern petrol has ethanol in it which attracts water and ruins zinc and so you will get some rust even after you've cleaned it out. Old fashioned petrol used to keep everything nicer.
 
Thanks for the replies.

I have read some good reports about the deox-c online.

However, to me it seems that the problem would be drying the tank out thoroughly after use.

Also, can anyone recommend a sealing product?
 
Does anyone make a plastic tank for the series? If I could find one I would buy it, as it completely removes potential corrosion problems.
 
Webley1991 said:
Thanks for the replies.

I have read some good reports about the deox-c online.

However, to me it seems that the problem would be drying the tank out thoroughly after use.

Also, can anyone recommend a sealing product?
Click to expand...

Drying it out is no big deal - simple evaporation if kept in a heated area will dry it out fine, or jam a hair dryer in the inlet and let it run for a while to purge the moisture. I just let the one I did dry out and it was fine.

As far as a sealant...personal opinion if you don't have pinholes or scabby patches of corrosion it's lower risk to just leave it alone. You're more likely to have issues with coating failure than tank failure if the tank is reasonable.

ajr
 
Here are some photos taken through the sender unit hole. This is after using some cleaner I got off ebay which didn't work all that well. Maybe I'll try the Bilt-Hamber stuff next.

I may end up leaving it as-is and fitting an inline filter before the fuel pump to catch any contamination. before the main fuel filter.
 

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LincolnSteve said:
I recently used Bilt Hamber Deox-C to clean out a very rusty and manky moped petrol tank. It worked brilliantly on rust and petrol that had been allowed to evaporate and turn into a thick greasy mess. It was a bit of a swine to rinse out afterwards and if you don't do it properly you can be left with a residue that settles to the bottom of the tank so be careful and thorough.
Click to expand...
I bought some of the Deox-C to try. Before I do, I have a few questions.

Did you fill the whole tank or put some in the bottom and slosh it round?

Did you put any nuts and bolts in to act as an abrasive.

How did you clean the residue out?
 
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