So, Ive got the tank from my 99 Night Train off for some other upgrades. The inside of it is kinda rusted so Id like to clean it while its off. I was planning using muratic acid to clean the rust out but what should I do afterwards? I figured Id just rinse the acid out w/ some water & baking soda, then swirl a little bit oil inside to keep it from rusting again. After I get it repainted then Id flush some gas thru it.
Half the people I ask say dont seal the other half say do. Its been unanimous to not use Kreem but this other stuff Por-15 has been highly recomended.
So should my way work or do I need to spend the money on a sealer?
Thanks for any input.

 

I used a sand/fine gravel mix. Put some in the tank and shake the crap out of it. I know some guys who use leadballs, gives the tank an inner coating. I always used a sealer afterwards.

 

we used an air compressor and a high pressure blower attachment and sealled all the holes in the tank . pored in some fine sand blasting powered and just worked the gun around inside for an hour or so ... worked great , then just seal it up with some tank sealer...

 

I used POR-15's CYCLE TANK REPAIR KIT to prep my new tank. The kit is really for old rusted tanks. I found it easy to use, appears to be strong like steel and straight gas is not the only thing that's been in my tank. I heard Kreem sucks big time. Kit comes with everything you need including the acid mix which they call Metal Ready. There's a pre-wash and the acid which gets rid of the rust and etchs the tank. This is all done by just sloshing each mix around and letting them sit per the instructions for each. I couldn't believe how much crap came out of a new tank with the first rinse. Both mixes work great, Rust just disappears. Just an FYI: When sealing the tank be sure not to let the sealer mix puddle near any of the small openings found in the tank. You don't want to clog the air breather pin hole found in the neck or the side to side flow openings. This stuff hardens like steel and I think the only way to get sealer out of tank is by using Methyl DEATH I mean Ethyl....

Is it necessary? For a rusting tank, I say yes. As for me and a new tank, I'm OCD so I had to. In general, there are many people that say you don't need to since gas is petro. Many motorcycles come from their respected manufactures without being sealed so go figure.

I wonder why some would be opposed to sealing an old tank especially one already rusting.

 

Should have mentioned I was planning on throwing some screws in there w/ the acid.

Also, the tank doesnt have any holes, so the sealer would only be for rust prevention.

So the Por-15 dries to a hard finish, not rubbery like the kreem?

 

Like steel....

 

I don't know crap about cleaning fuel tanks, but I do have a fair bit of experience in cleaning with chems. With that disclaimer....

Phosphoric acid is better at rust removal than muriatic. Harder to find, but better overall. Very fast, very efficient.
Muriatic will tend to attack the host metal much harder than the rust and in a fuel tank, may cause unacceptable pitting or weakening of the metal.

Oxalic acid (wood brightener for deck cleaning) works very well for removing rust stains. Also, acetic acid (best found in white vinegar) will work fine for light rust haze.

Can't add anything to the sealing end of it eaither..but am paying attention for my own knowledge.

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I didn't even notice they wanted to clean the tank with muriatic acid. Yeah Phosphoric acid should be used for tank cleaning. Just looked to see what acid is used in Metal Ready from POR-15 and it's Phosphoric acid as well. Good that you caught that in their post.

 

As for seal / don't seal
think about this:
less than a full tank of gas, go for a ride or sunrise [heats up / expands] , park it or sunset [cools down / contracts]
moisture in the air ends in the tank
new gas is hygroscopic (retains water) so you definitely want to seal it !