Gas tank cleaning with acetone

[lrcormier]

I'm getting ready to remove the kreem coating inside my gas tanks (paint not an issue) but can't find anything that is acetone resistant in order to seal the various openings. What are folks using and where can I find it?
Louis

[HDSmitty]

I don't know if they're acetone resistant or not, but how about rubber stoppers from the hardware store? Hope this helps.....Smitty

[slamiste]

I use an old gas cap with a cork or old rubber gasket for the gas fill area. For the other openings I use rubber stoppers or plastic cap plugs. None of these materials is acetone resistant for long term exposure but will work OK for the short time it will take to dissolve the creme. You will likely get some pressure build up during the process so open the gas cap slowly when you check the progress. Unless you're very careful, you'll also get some of the solution on the outside surfaces of the tank when you remove the gas cap but since you don't care about the paint that's OK. Just a bit messy and stinky.

[lrcormier]

Thanks for the inputs. It turns out I have really been over thinking this. I read someplace that acetone does not effect cork, I had a large chunk of cork in my garage so roughly cut the size I would need to plug the gas line connection holes and filled one of the sides to the brim and put a gas cap on with rubber gasket. The rubber gasket will be trash but those are cheap enough. I'll give the acetone a day or two and see how it turns out. It's a good thing the paint is no concern because those cans the acetone comes in do not pour very well.

[Steve Slocombe]

The expensive tank sealant remover I bought turned out to be carbon tetrachloride rather than acetone. Having an economical streak, I later used the contents of old Pyrene fire extinguishers, which is the same stuff. It took more than a day or two per tank, and you may need help such as shaking the tank with a handful of nuts and bolts inside. The modern gas is very aggressive, so you need really clean tanks to get a good bond for the new sealer.

[lrcormier]

So, after I've removed the old kreem liner I'm undecided on what product to use as a new coating. I've looked at red kote and por-15 and both seem like good products, but. There are some folks who don't recommend using any type of liner and I know Cotten mentioned using a phosphate coating on another thread. I've searched the internet and can't find what or how to do this. So Cotten, what product would I use to phosphate coat my tanks and how to you apply it?

[pan620]

Why coat them again?

[Lyle Manheimer]

I have been using Red Kote for quite a while with great results. Be careful when you use it as it will build up pressure in the tank while you are rotating the tank around with it fully sealed. Due to ethanol in modern fuels, the fuel tends to attract moisture and causes rust in the tank. I am lazy and do not feel like running to the airport for ethanol free fuel every time I ride an old machine.

[Steve Slocombe]

I've used a two component tank sealer here in the UK on maybe four sets of tanks, but one of them was lifting a year later. The tanks have to be completely clean and dry, you need to warm the tanks as you slosh round the sealer, then it needs to cure for a week at a warm room temperature. The modern wet gas also rusts the steel plugs in brass Harley gas taps, so after a long period standing you cut rust into the valve body the first time you turn it on.

[Jerry Wieland]

I would never just coat them because it is 'a good idea'. If they don't need it - don't coat them in fact I go to the ends of the earth not to coat them.

Jerry

[HDSmitty]

I also used Red Kote with great results, no deterioration yet and it's been 2 yrs. (knocking wood) It's quite an elaborate process to prepare the tanks as they want, but I was told to follow the instructions exactly and I would get the desired result. That proved to be true in my case and I would recommend this product. Good luck with whatever you choose. Hope this helps......Smitty

[lrcormier]

I've been going back and forth, coat or don't coat and RED KOTE would of been my product of choice. I've got the left side completely cleaned out and there really is very little rust. I just put some metal rescue rust remover in it and will rotate the tank in various positions to try and reach all areas and remove the little rust in there. I first thought that I hadn't got all the KREEM out because most of the inside still had a grayish look to it. I had read some RED KOTE instructions on the web that said HD did coat the inside of some tanks with an epoxy paint and MEX or ACETONE will not remove it. Is it possible that my 52 PAN tanks would have such a coating? If so then leaving them uncoated is what I'll do because the RED KOTE instructions said you need to put a bunch of shot/chain in the tank and slosh it around to get any loose stuff out otherwise RED KOTE WILL not stick properly. It just seems that no matter what you still are taking a chance that the coating will not fail.

[Highlander]

I am with you Jerry on the, "why coat them"? If you do have a problem later the coating is a BIG problem to remove! Or the coating "has been known to come loose". Can't weld a tank with a coating applied...

[HDSmitty]

I coated mine because they are soldered together not welded and with the double wall divider between the gas and oil sections (VLD Tanks), the hand oil pump tube going through that double wall, as well as 2 fuel petcocks and 2 oil outlets I just didn't want to take the chance of any leaks. It was also recommended to me by someone who has much more experience with these particular type of tanks than I do. If they were another welded type and had no other issues I would avoid any type of coating. JMHO. ......Smitty ..PS I just used a bunch of 1/4" nuts and bolts to loosen any bad stuff inside.(and counted how many went in and came out!)

[jim d]

I have used about a cup full of # 8 x 3/4" sheet metal screws. I just picked a big jar of them up at a flea market one day for a few dollars. But any around that size should be fine. I would just pick it up and shake it around for a few minutes when I was in the shop over a couple of weeks. It worked really well. I then put a piece of heater hose on my shop vacuum and cleaned most of rust residue out. Then a trip outside with a long extension on a blow gun to finish it up.