When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
General Topics/Tech TipsDiscussion on break in periods, rider comfort, seats and pad suggestions. Tech tips as they become available will be posted here.
I cleaned my heavily rusted Softail tank with vinegar, rinsed, filled the tank with water and baking soda to neutralize the acid, flushed again. With most of the water out, I added a few ounces of synthetic 10w-30 to the water slurry and sloshed it around to coat the tank with oil. Drained the oil/water out and immediately began drying the inside.
I noticed a few spots that needed cleaning - used a 3m pad soaked in syn 10w-30 to brighten up some of the spots and stains. Kept wiping it with oil and replaced the paper towels often. Every inch of the tank was covered with the syn 10w-30. Since it's an EFI tank, I can get in inside easily and wipe it down. I also blew fogging oil and moved it around with a paper towel - carefully coating everything.
Despite using 10w-30, flash rust started to form. Odd looking though, the rust that appeared looked like a petri dish. The rust was little specs here and there, larger areas, streaks, etc.
What would cause flash rust despite being coated on syn 10w-30 and fogging oil? The oil film is thick enough to coat the metal. Also, what causes the weird spots and streaks? The streaks are not from the 3m pad. None of the rust flash was there when I started the process, only after 10-15 minutes.
Is syn 10w-30 not a rust preventative? Some way automatic transmission fluid or marvel mystery oil. What's the difference, oil is oil, right?
Since it is very light and superficial, I can slosh vinegar around again, phosphoric acid, or another rust chemical and start again. My goal was accomplished, to get the super heavy rust out and it's gone. Now I have to deal with flashing.
It looked like this petri dish example - odd looking flashing.
put some oil into a jar, shake it up and let it sit, it separates does it not??
what you need is a diesel or kerosene then a pickling oil. but remember, the pickling oil must be removed if you coat the tank and before you use the tank.
i never had success with tank liners but that is probably what you need as it should take care of the flash oxidation.
when we put up industrial engines that will be down extended time, there is an oil base corrosion inhibitor added to the crankcase with new oil and it coats the block and forms a barrier. probably find some at a waukesha engine outlet.
try the experiment mentioned. https://www.tanisaircraft.com/produc...kit/tu20000-4/
an example.
hd used to have their tanks cad plated but that is long past.
never seen an engine oil mix with water and not separate but there are chemicals that will help.
you might want to carry some MMO to add with every tank up. past that, have fun as moisture will find a way in.
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Slideshow: The bar-and-shield logo shows up on far more than motorcycles, some of the company's most unexpected products have nothing to do with riding.
Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Slideshow: The Swiss custom shop has taken a Harley Softail and stretched it into something so long and low that it looks closer to a rolling sculpture than a conventional motorcycle.
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Slideshow: A standard cruiser becomes an intricate metal canvas in the hands of a Swiss custom house known for pushing Harley-Davidson platforms far beyond their factory brief.
Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's challenges aren't abstract; they show up in dropping shipments, shrinking dealer traffic, and strategic decisions that aren't yet translating into growth.
Flash Rusting After Cleaning Softail Gas Tank
