knight

Hi Gansh, I may be late to be of help kinda as you may have already worked on your bike's tank, well in my case I used the electrolysis method and it worked very well, unfortunately where I live,we don't get the anti-rust like the keerm or its supplement rust treatment.Anti-rust is highly recomended to be used after this process(electrolysis) has been done, but well atleast I am having some times of rust free fuel in the bike's tank and carbs too, I have also fixed in-line filter.I hope along with this the image has come ...if not let me know and will post it . Cheers!, Knight. (the image hasn't come ..and am not yet familiar on this site as to how one can upload the images ,so anyones assistantance in explaining me as to how its done will be appreciated.) :-) The process is called KEN'S ELECTROLYSIS .. and as per his instructions herebelow:- Tried out electrolysis on my rust fuel tank and she cleaned right up. For those of you who are on a budget it will cost you next to nothing to clean your tank. First of all you will need a plastic 5 gallon bucket, add 1/2 cup of Arm and Hammer Washing Soda. This is important it’s Washing Soda not baking soda (see note 1 below). Fill the bucket with water and mix it well. Pull the tank and drain the fuel. Remove the petcock and wash out the tank with lots of water. Fashion a cover to block the petcock orifice. I used a strip of 1/8" aluminum and used an old inner tube as a gasket. I set the tank on a piece of carpet and blocked it up to get it as level as possible. I then filled the tank with the washing soda solution. Then I took a coat hanger and fashion the sacrificial anode. You say what???? Ok this is the trickiest part of the procedure. A little background on how electrolysis works (see actual photos below): Its very simple really. As current passes through an object it moves from negative to positive, so what you are doing is passing a current through the rust on the tank, which breaks its bond, and the rust then flows and attaches itself to the positive charge on the sacrificial anode. Or at least it releases the rust from the tank and floats around in the washing soda solution. The idea with the sacrificial anode is to insure that it does not touch the tank anywhere, you must insure it only come in contact with the washing soda solution or you will have a direct short. For my project I found a nice little plastic cap and drilled two 1/8" holes in it about 1" apart. I then took the coat hanger and bent it over and over until I had four loops on one end that spread about 1" when grouped together (see fig. 1 below). Think about the business end of a fork that you eat with, that’s what it should look like. Then about 4" back from the business end of the fork make a 90-degree bend in the two wires and run them up through the plastic cap. Put the sacrificial anode into the tank and spin it around to insure the anode is not hitting anywhere on the tank (no short circuits) (see fig 2 below). Then using a 12-volt battery charger hook the positive lead to the sacrificial anode and the negative lead to the fuel tank. I used the mounting flange that sits under the seat (see figs 3 and 4 below). Let her cook for several days. Mine took three days. I pulled the anode twice a day and cleaned it with a wire brush. I have a small battery charger so it may take less time with a larger charger. Anyway my tank is back on and this morning I rode her into work and she never skipped a beat. Update: Some of you have asked what did you coat the tank with to stop further rusting? Nothing. It’s bare metal. Some of you guys have suggested two ways of coating the tank. 1. Use phosphoric acid and slosh it around to coat the tank. 2. Use POR-15, I have heard this is the stuff to use. I was also told to stay away from Kreem. The Suzuki T-500 I own had a fuel tank coated in Kreem and it is crap, so I would agree. -Ken for questions, email me at [email protected] Note 1: ARM & HAMMER® Super Washing Soda is 100% sodium carbonate and is used as a laundry booster and general household cleaner. ARM & HAMMER® Baking Soda is 100% sodium bicarbonate and has a myriad of household cleaning, personal care, and deodorizing uses, as well as being a leavening agent. Note from Clay: The photos are mine. I used this method on rather rusty Kawasaki tank I had, and it worked wonderfully. I lined this tank with the Yamaha brand tank rust remover/protector (about $14.00 at my local dealer) and it is holding up well.