petcock removal/fuel tank cleaning

[RandallCunninghamJrIII]

got the fuel tank off my freinds YA6, ready for cleaning.

We are trying to figure out how the petcock comes off. I don't want to take a bolt off and have a bunch of springs fly out on me. anyone have info on removing that?

Once we get that off we're ready for cleaning.

1. spray with hose to get any loose stuff out

2. fill halfway-ish with some water & ball bearings/washers/whatever will "scrape" the walls and shake shake shake

3. throw in some laquer thinner and shake some more

4. thoroughly dry

5. install

i'm leaning towards NOT using a sealant (assuming it will eventually breakdown and clog the fuel system)

sound about right?

[Airhead]

not sure about the petcock...do you mean to remove it from the tank or to strip the thing down?

also not sure about using water in the tank, how about using fish tank gravel and paraffin (kerosene) or WD40? I appreciate that you wouldnt want to use something too volatile but you can toss a lighted match into a container of kerosene and it will extinguish it wont it?...waddya think?

i've never had to do this kind of work myself but if i were to go down this route i would prbably not use anything that would ignite by a lighted match............how volatile would laquer thinner be?...take care!

[RandallCunninghamJrIII]

not sure about the petcock...do you mean to remove it from the tank or to strip the thing down?

removing it. i'd like to get it off the tank so we can clean the tank without getting sludge into the petcock.

also not sure about using water in the tank, how about using fish tank gravel and paraffin (kerosene) or WD40? I appreciate that you wouldnt want to use something too volatile but you can toss a lighted match into a container of kerosene and it will extinguish it wont it?...waddya think?

i've never had to do this kind of work myself but if i were to go down this route i would prbably not use anything that would ignite by a lighted match............how volatile would laquer thinner be?...take care!

are you thinking something too volitile would be bad for the inside of the tank, or are you worried about an explosion if I'm careless? You kind of lost me with the match thing.

[Airhead]

yeah i'm thinking of the explosion risk, what if there were a spark inside...I figured rightly or wrongly that something that couldnt be ignited with a match...ie not vapourising...would be safer, I would be concered with using thinners unless it passed the lighted match test but hey I'm no expert

so how is the petcock fixed to the tank?

pehaps for safetys sake stick with water (de ionised) and then rinse out and shake some WD40 about in there to prevent rusting?

[RandallCunninghamJrIII]

the petcock isn't "bolted" to the tank that I can see. There is a bolt on the rounded bottom of the petcock, but that appears to hold the top & bottom half of the petcock together. Im worried if i take that off the inner mechanisms of it will fall apart or something. There is also a plate on the switch side of the petcock, held by 4 small screws. But nothing actually bolts to the tank.

I've read that they screw on sometimes. But the way this one is shaped (rounded rectangle where it meets the tank), I can't turn it cause it's not perfectly round.

I'll probably end up taking the one bolt off the bottom, seeing as it will most likely need a new filter anyway. So I'll do that and see where it gets us!

Thanks Airhead

[Airhead]

in the past i have rounded off the hexagon on the bowl because i used open ended or 12 point ring spanners...i learned my lesson and now i would use a 6 sided socket commonly found with 1/4" drive

[RandallCunninghamJrIII]

got it. pretty easy once I decided to just take the cap off. Just a couple screws which hold it to the tank.

Tomorrow it gets cleaned....with somethin...

[drewpy]

I soaked the Gilera tank with white vinegar, shifts any rust and leaves a clean tank inside. Just put some light oil inside and swish around to protect it afterwards

[jimmy]

If you've not done it yet, try using a length of lightweight chain. This is a hellova lot easier to remove than nuts and bolts, gravel etc.

Heres a link to an article on RealClassic

http://api.viglink.com/api/click?format=go&key=95548d06b1f9b524a1f5ab6f4eac193f&loc=http%3A%2F%2Fmembers5.boardhost.com%2Fclassicbikemart%2Fthread%2F1334732247.html&v=1&libid=1334751802379&out=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclassic.co.uk%2Ftechfiles%2Fpetrol_tank_cleaning_and_rust_removal.html&ref=http%3A%2F%2Fmembers5.boardhost.com%2Fclassicbikemart%2Findex.html%3F&title=RealClassic.co.uk%20Messages&txt=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclassic.co.uk%2Ftechfiles%2Fpetrol_tank_cleaning_and_rust_removal.html&jsonp=vglnk_jsonp_13347518085431

Sorry if posting links to other sites is verboten

[omalkhoo]

try finding some citric acid. mix 4 oz. of acid with water and fill up the tank. this will dissolve the rust and not hurt the steel. a word of caution: if the rust goes through the tank, you will have leaks. wash out tank with water and dry using a hair dryer. good luck.

[RandallCunninghamJrIII]

well, got the tank clean. I like the chain idea, jimmy; much easier to remove than a bunch of nuts.

So after getting it clean, I have a feeling using a sealer may not be a bad idea.

Some of the rust has begun to eat away at the surface metal inside. it's not rotting, but some of the silver is definitely gone, and will continue to go unless treated.

We did get a NOS petcock ordered...the original petcock was in rough shape. The neck extending into the tank had completely fallen apart, and there was no filter material left on it.

Once that arrives we'll try to get this thing fired up!

[jimmy]

Randall

If you're using a tank sealer, make sure it is ethanol proof. A lot of the sealers break down in a short space of time, giving you a thick goo in the carbs