Gas tank care

[Jabooneky]

My bike has been stored for a few years and I’m getting it going again. Before storage I put a little oil in the tank to coat the inside. My question is does this tank need nothing, need cleaned, or need to be recoated? The whole inside of the tank looks like what’s in the first picture. I’m hoping it just needs to be cleaned. If so how do y’all clean your tanks?

 

[member28833]

Can you with a small good flashlight get a direct line of sight in the fill hole to the petcock screw holes in the back corners ? That is where I’ve found sediment pile up. Rusty grit which could plug and deteriorate the fuel screens.
Looks pretty good what you did show though. If your petcock screens look trusty it may just be a go the way it is.
Or a solvent rinse at least.
-RT

 

[ckahleer]

It doesn't look too bad. I would fill with white vinegar and let set overnight. Drain and flush with water several time. Use a shopvac/blower and blow the inside of the tank complete dry.
I find there is no need to coat the tank on a bike you use fairly often. (I don't think they come coated from the factory).
If your bike is likely to sit unused for a long time, It might be best to coat it.

 

[Jabooneky]

Thanks for the reply. I took the petcocks off and cleaned them. They looked good just a little bit of crud that I blew out. What solvent do you use? I’ve read about cleaning with dish soap and shaking nuts or gravel in water around in there

 

[member28833]

. I would fill with white vinegar and let set overnight. Drain and flush with water several time.

Wouldn’t do that ever again. Because the next battle is with the flash rust lol.
All the rinsing and drying too. More trouble than its worth.
Solvent or gas oil mix is much easier to rinse out. You may just get away with a Solvent flush. Petcocks not even removed. Avoiding the petcock leak after removal issues as well.

 

[5twins]

According to the parts diagram, there are filter screens attached to the fuel line nipples in the petcock. I would pull the nipples w/ attached screens out and inspect them. If they're good I'd say a cleaning with some gas is all you need. Put a couple cups in the tank, shake it all around, dump it out. You might want to take a small wire wheel in a Dremel and clean all the rust off the inner side of your cap too. Yes, I vote "No" for the vinegar cleaning too because of the flash rust issue. I wouldn't put any water in the tank.

 

[jetmechmarty]

You can remove the cap and drop it in this stuff. Rust gone, but no harm to rubber or chrome. Pour it in the tank and it will remove the rust with no harm to good metal. No acid etch. Great stuff. Home Depot has it, as do other outlets. I concur with others on acid/vinegar. Don't do it.