help,tank liner failure

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madoco

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I have a stock tank from a 1975 yamaha xs 650 that i "Kreemed" last year. It was rusted pretty bad and did all the prep work necessary and lined the tank. Just this week noticed rust in my float bowls, checked the tank and there is sporadic blistering and some very small pitting,along with rust on the bottom of the tank. Question is what is the best repair. Any help is greatly appreciated Thanks
 
I just went thru this with Red Kote in my Kawasaki H1 tank. Professionally done and it failed and sent red syrup all thru my petcock and carbs.
Never again...
You'll need a mess of acetone to get the Kreem out. If the paint is good you'll need to protect it with Caswell Seal Mask and then re-coat it with Caswell tank lining.
 
It would seem that you didn't prep the tank well enough, if you've got blistering and rust after only one year.

Honestly, the best thing you could do would be to remove the Kreem (should dissolve with copious amounts of Methyl Ethyl Ketone, the product included with the Kreem kit as part of the preparation process), and reline with Caswell's Gas Tank Sealer. It's a much higher quality product.

Sorry, I wish I had better news for you.
 
I have never had the slightest problem with Red-Kote. Must have been a prep issue. I always let it cure a couple of days, tho. I haven't been as impressed with Casswell's, but others have had good results with proper use.
 
These sealer/liner problems must be, applied too thick, not allowed to cure before using. I've used RedKote. I would use it again, but I would thin it, work faster and do two coats.

Scott
 
Re: RedKote. Professionally applied after the tank was boiled out. It "cured" for months before it saw any fuel. Lasted a couple of years before it became a red syrup in the bottom of my tank. I suspect it was the ethanol.
To the OP: MEK or acetone. I used both with similar results. Make sure you protect the paint unless you plan on stripping it. Oh, and put something metallic in the tank to knock stuff loose. I used steel screws.
 
Last edited:
I feel bad about your experience, and I don't have anything to offer as to fixing it,
but I will repeat what I've said so many times before,
I don't recommend any tank liner. Too many reports like yours are on record.
Clean out the rust, and then add gasoline.
 
Screw Kreem. I've removed so many failed Kreem liners.

MUCH better luck with POR-15. A few good experiences with Redkote. And Caswell comes highly recommended but I personally haven't used it.
 
If you use MEK, don't forget to read the MSDS sheets (all 8 pages)...it'll scare the :poo: out of you. Be extremely careful.
 
Removing Kreem from a Kawasaki Cop bike tank. Acetone is working well so far.
IMG_0088.jpg
 
I don't give a shit what anyone says. I'm not using any tank sealers again. I used Red Kote in a 71' Triumph tank. I used por 15 in another Benelli tank. Both were applied per instructions, and failed. I've spent the last week digging this shit out. F$!k this stuff. I had both pretty clean using just vinegar. Shoulda left them alone.
 
I'm with you JRay. I redkoted a tank as a precaution because I was investing big cash in candy paint. That did not turn out well. The cop bike I am working on now seems OK structurally so not sure why someone did such a sh*tty job putting Kreem in it. If I have to use a tank liner to save a rusty tank I would insist on something that is at least two-part like Caswell.
 
Just finished rescuing another tank with high dollar paint and graphics from RedKote.
One thing I noticed from the Caswell instructions:
Avoid the use of fuel additives that contain Methylene Chloride (Lucas Gas Treatment), or Mineral Spirits (Marvel Mystery Oil).
I have used MMO with the RedKoted tanks. I wonder if that contributed to the failures...?
 
ThatXS650Guy said:
Just finished rescuing another tank with high dollar paint and graphics from RedKote.
One thing I noticed from the Caswell instructions:
Avoid the use of fuel additives that contain Methylene Chloride (Lucas Gas Treatment), or Mineral Spirits (Marvel Mystery Oil).
I have used MMO with the RedKoted tanks. I wonder if that contributed to the failures...?
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tip. Kind of like, how bleach wrecks enamel. I use Sea Foam and two stroke oil. ???????? hmm

Scott
 
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Most people, me too, remove the rust whether they use coating or not. Some tanks leak after removing the rust, so we coat to try to save our paint. Aftermarket tank builders and peddlers suggest that you coat their tanks before painting them and using them. Many good reasons to coat a tank.

Scott
 

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