If you can add heat to the tank it will work faster. Dissolving rust with vinegar is a chemical reaction. If you increase the heat by 18 degrees (10 celcius) it will double the rate of the chemical reaction. I put my tank above a kerosene heater and got it up to about 130 degrees and it worked in a couple of hours.
Good video...thanks. What you forgot to mention though was to put some fresh oil in the tank and swill it around after this process and before storing away again....that will prevent the rust starting up again.
Can’t believe how good my 50 year old Triumph tank came out, filled it to the very top with straight cleaning vinegar left it out in the weather hot and cold nights for five nights and five days. Ready for sealing.
Chris - Did you remove the petcock before filling with vinegar and if you did, did you use tape to seal the hole? Just wondering what would withstand several days of holding vinegar in the tank?
I was pleasantly surprised with how well it worked. I would recommend making sure it's thoroughly washed out and you spend enough time with the aggregate to loosen all of the rust.
There’s an air gap at the top of the tank. Vinegar won’t touch the patch of metal just by filling up the tank. You have to turn upside down to get to it. Laid a thick blanket (folded over several times over a 5 gallon bucket and set the tank on it upside down to get to this patch of metal. Vinegar is cheap but slow and literally eats the rubber gaskets on the triumph tank as well as the plastic on the tank lid. I use metal rescue metal bath. Works very fast. Won’t hurt paint or rubber. Rinsed out with ethanol free fuel then filled up. The Triumph (and any other in tank fuel pump setup) also has rubber hoses etc in the tank that vinegar will eat.
@@MyEngineeringProjects once I was washing my ss pan with white coats of minerals due to boiling water, with Citric acid granules. I found that those streaks vanished. I 've seen it cleaning old coins as well so I thought why not to experiment.
@@MyEngineeringProjects Thanks for valuable info. Please tell me: what concentration of the vinegar? To my knowledge we have 12% and 24% in our shops. Should I dilute either of them? And by vinegar I mean CH₃COOH.
I’m cleaning just some mild rust from my 10-year-old son’s 4 wheeler. Is there anyway I could just fill mine with vinegar and then hose it out without having to remove the whole tank? And yes, I’m a female…my husband has enough on his plate right now so I need to do this myself. Thanks in advance.
I’m not sure that would work. You really need to remove it to get all the debris out and if you don’t remove it from your four wheeler I don’t see how you’re going to get it all out. The only thing I can think of is to try the vinegar and blow it out with an air compressor or maybe suck it up with a wet/dry vacuum
I found that the vinegar did a good job on it's own to prevent rusting. If you keep the tanks as full as possible with gas, that will also help. Unfortunately, I allowed mine to run dry and it sat there for years just rusting away.
Go buy a can of Redkote. Follow the instructions carefully..it's a long but fairly simple process. Takes along time to dry, sometimes as much as a week. But the stuff lasts forever. Have seen dudes riding old steel tanked two strokes till the tank is eaten through the skirt w rust and the liner still held.
I've put my in a cement mixer with some blankets around it worked really well
Interesting.
Another option, wrap in blankets/foad pads etc and place in clothes dryer on slow tumble, no heat.
If you can add heat to the tank it will work faster. Dissolving rust with vinegar is a chemical reaction. If you increase the heat by 18 degrees (10 celcius) it will double the rate of the chemical reaction. I put my tank above a kerosene heater and got it up to about 130 degrees and it worked in a couple of hours.
Good video...thanks. What you forgot to mention though was to put some fresh oil in the tank and swill it around after this process and before storing away again....that will prevent the rust starting up again.
Great. Thanks for the tip.
What oil u recommend
@@Bikerted88 A cup full of any new engine oil that will give a coat of protection to the inside of the tank when shaken around.
Use a tank sealer on it
Thank you! I was wondering if you were supposed to coat it with oil afterward.
Cheap and easy ..... thanks for the film I’m on it 👍
No problem 👍
Love it thank you
I just picked up a 1980 Honda Express with badly rusted tank I'll have a try this method
Great. Let us know how it goes.
Can’t believe how good my 50 year old Triumph tank came out, filled it to the very top with straight cleaning vinegar left it out in the weather hot and cold nights for five nights and five days. Ready for sealing.
Good to hear
Funny, I'm working on a Triumph tank too. What type of sealer did you use? Will it hurt the paint?
Chris - Did you remove the petcock before filling with vinegar and if you did, did you use tape to seal the hole? Just wondering what would withstand several days of holding vinegar in the tank?
This dudes lawn is toast...
Lawn? I didn't know I had a lawn.
Lol
My gas tank is also rusted out, bought an abrasive sand blaster. Going to use vine crushed glass... Amy recommendations
I was pleasantly surprised with how well it worked. I would recommend making sure it's thoroughly washed out and you spend enough time with the aggregate to loosen all of the rust.
There’s an air gap at the top of the tank. Vinegar won’t touch the patch of metal just by filling up the tank. You have to turn upside down to get to it. Laid a thick blanket (folded over several times over a 5 gallon bucket and set the tank on it upside down to get to this patch of metal.
Vinegar is cheap but slow and literally eats the rubber gaskets on the triumph tank as well as the plastic on the tank lid. I use metal rescue metal bath. Works very fast. Won’t hurt paint or rubber. Rinsed out with ethanol free fuel then filled up. The Triumph (and any other in tank fuel pump setup) also has rubber hoses etc in the tank that vinegar will eat.
Sounds like you have an effective solution
Can we put citric acid and vinegar both?
I have not tried that but it might work. What reason would you have to use 2 acids together?
@@MyEngineeringProjects once I was washing my ss pan with white coats of minerals due to boiling water, with Citric acid granules. I found that those streaks vanished. I 've seen it cleaning old coins as well so I thought why not to experiment.
I know it’s an old video but did you leave the vinegar over night or did you rinse out after some shaking that day?
I let it soak with intermittent shaking for a few hours. All the work was done in one day.
Did the rust come back???
Not while I had the motorcycle. I have since sold it but it worked while I had it.
😍😍😍
That r using that water? Vinegar
Vinegar
@@MyEngineeringProjects Thanks for valuable info. Please tell me: what concentration of the vinegar? To my knowledge we have 12% and 24% in our shops. Should I dilute either of them? And by vinegar I mean CH₃COOH.
I used a 5% concentration
@@MyEngineeringProjects Thank you kindly!
Really appreciate the video, and how concise it is.
Thanks. I'm glad it helped.
I’m cleaning just some mild rust from my 10-year-old son’s 4 wheeler. Is there anyway I could just fill mine with vinegar and then hose it out without having to remove the whole tank? And yes, I’m a female…my husband has enough on his plate right now so I need to do this myself. Thanks in advance.
I’m not sure that would work. You really need to remove it to get all the debris out and if you don’t remove it from your four wheeler I don’t see how you’re going to get it all out. The only thing I can think of is to try the vinegar and blow it out with an air compressor or maybe suck it up with a wet/dry vacuum
what kind of screws now ?
Are you referring to the items I placed in the tank? If so, anything that won't get stuck will work.
PIck up about 2 feet of lightweight chain from the hardware store. Much easier to retrieve than a bunch of screws
let the vinegar stay in the tank overnight, no nuts bolts or screws required
That would be less work for sure
Testing that tonight! We’re gonna find out here shortly.
Did the vinegar work over night
Yes, it takes time, sometimes even longer. Don't forget to neutralize with baking soda when you get the results you want.@@moneygame4078
@@moneygame4078 vinegar was a success! Cleaning out later this afternoon and drying thoroughly. Been in for 5 days.
After the tank is clean how do you seal it so it doesnt rust in the future
I found that the vinegar did a good job on it's own to prevent rusting. If you keep the tanks as full as possible with gas, that will also help. Unfortunately, I allowed mine to run dry and it sat there for years just rusting away.
Go buy a can of Redkote. Follow the instructions carefully..it's a long but fairly simple process. Takes along time to dry, sometimes as much as a week. But the stuff lasts forever. Have seen dudes riding old steel tanked two strokes till the tank is eaten through the skirt w rust and the liner still held.
Wd40
Hillary clear video, thank you
Your welcome I’m glad it helped