you are a freaking genius! Solved my tank issues after 10 minutes with just watching this video. We have been so conditioned to just go the "purchase a solution" route that I have actually spent quite a bit of money, probably hundreds throughout the years on "rust reformers" and "tank liners" and this shit works just fine. You just saved me a crap load of money. Thanks for posting this buddy.
Just took your advice and in less than 5 min all the rust was gone. My tank wasn't that bad but holy crap this stuff works! No dilution just make sure you have baking soda diluted with some water on hand in case you get some on your self you can neutralize it. I used an empty 2 liter bottle of soda with water about a 1/4 cup of baking soda mixed in.
We did this today on a badly corroded DL650 fuel tank and it worked a treat. Tank is almost like new. Thanks for the video, you inspired us to give it a go and we are very glad we did.
Brought back fond memories of my Dad ,since he used to use Muriatic Acid for tackling cleaning /renewing jobs a lot ! Yet this hadn’t rekindled in my memory till I watched your video !Peace brother .
God richly bless you for sharing this corrosion removal hack !Was on my way to Publix to purchase White Vinegar,Lemons,Salt,Coca Cola and whip up a brew for tackling some rust in my DEK 5000 Generator fuel tank and decided to look at some TH-cam videos .Your video was heaven sent and that statement lol was awesome ! Didn’t have to go to the store since we had Muriatic Acid for the swimming pool !Double thumbs up from me to you sir !
Years later still is a great how to. Just got done with a KLR tank, perhaps fifteen minutes total sloshing a gallon around in that big tank and it now looks new. Rinsed with water to dilute the acid, then rinsed with Baking Soda solution to make sure it was neutralized, drained as best I could, and then WD40 in their "Big Blast" can which is seemingly made for the purpose. After sloshing the WD40 around for a while what drained was a milky liquid that I'm thinking is the remaining water emulsified by the WD40, I suspect not much water left to worry about. Then poured in a half of a quart bottle of Marvel Mystery Oil and sloshed that around...hopefully no flash rust as it will be a few days before I can fill the tank with gas. THANKS, RM!
This is an awesome video. Just got my XL250 slightly rusty tank. I was thinking coating the inside might cause problems later on if I did not do it right. Then I thought about the slosh of oil and you did just what I thought. Your whole method on cleaning the tank is what I am going to do. Thank You.
I just did this on a 1964 chevy van gas tank. The van was last registered 1983. I pulled it out of a field where it was buried up to the axles in mud. The tank was disgusting -- full of scale and nasty rust. I actually poured chunks and flakes of dried rust out of the tank. I used straight muriatic acid like in the video. I let it sit in there about half hour and sloshed it around every now and then. It got it clean! You can look in there and see clean metal, where previously it was all scaly nasty rust and crud. I was amazed. It really worked well. Thanks alot for the video. Very helpful.
Awesome! I just cleaned, etched and coated a tank this morning. The muriatic acid made the cleaning part so much easier and quicker. I used POR15 Metal Prep and Tank Sealer after cleaning and drying. Glad I found this video!
Just did today after watching this video on my 1985 Honda ATC 250SX and it worked great. I definitely used gloves and glasses though. After rinsing out with water, I followed what you said and used some of my pre-mix gas since it has oil in it. Worked perfect. Showed me the leaks too, lol. I've used Por15 before but gonna try the Kreem this time around. Thanks for the video.
Hello, the bottle of acid I have reads 20 degrees baume commercial [31.45%]. On the bottle it says to dilute acid with 4 parts water to remove rust from steel, followed by a thorough water rinse. What are your thoughts on diluting? It seems that you were using undiluted from the bottle but maybe your acid was not as concentrated as mine. I have approx 2 cups of acid in a very old bottle. Given the fact that you left it in a very short time in the tank maybe undiluted followed by a flush is the way to go. Also, I have an old kitchen scrub brush (pole style with metal stem and plastic brushes) which is near the end of its life cycle so I am using that to loosen/remove rust as much as possible before trying acid. I also am using a narrow beam flashlight to see down into the tank. That way I can see the before and after. Many thanks, David.
i found a 5hp tiller that someone threw out in the trash. tank full of rust chunks and by the smell they had tried to clean it with brush cleaner! tore it down, new carb coming for $20 so just need to clean the tank and should be good after that 😁
Thanks for this video: I was wondering how best to clean the rust of my newly acquired 1978 Kawasaki KZ750: its been left sitting in a damp garage for the past 18 years so the inside of the tank was thick with rust. As you promised, this stuff did the job in 10 minutes, so thanks - you have saved me a trip to a specialist. If anyone is watching this in the UK and is wondering where to get the chemical mentioned, well it can be found in Homebase for £3 and is called 'Spirits of Salt'.
I tell you I had no time to wait for all the "products" to clean out tanks that take anywhere from hours to days... I had one day & this worked better than I could of ever hoped for! I wish I would have taken a video of it. i wasn't even going to worry about the outside of the tank but this worked so well & was so easy I did the outside of the tank as well!! the before & after photos are almost non believable. Not sure how to post them here but this is a must know for anyone who works on "old things" oh ya, love the tee shirt slogan!
This is the best way to clean a gas tank and no it won't harm the paint in a metal tank. I used it on a motorcycle tank after trying just about everything from rust remover to Apple cider vinegar, but in 7 minutes with this stuff clean as new
Amazing result and so fast. I used hydrochloric acid (basically the same thing). For those about to try this though, wear gloves, and watch the fumes.... phewee!!
Muriatic Acid is the KING! Been trying to tell people for years!........my personal favorite is Naval Jelly, good balance of Power and slower burn rate(maybe 1 or 2 hours)....good for thinner, or higher end tanks, No risk of burning holes.....also leaves Lots of chalky Residue, so won't flash rust...and it stops eating once you drain water! Great stuff also.
Hi, random mechanic is that a batavus? My dad and me had long time ago a Horex and he cleaned his tank , someway like yours. Only he used small grind ftom the garden and gaz, My job was to shake the tank and ik worked! Nice to see someone not using fancy stuff but American brain.
You should neutralize the acid when done by soaking the tank in a solution of baking SODA and water for 10 or 15 minutes right away. Then get it dry quick.
Hi, I have a Harley 2 piece gas tank that is partially rusted inside. I shook loose the stuff that was jingling around inside and see that one of the half tank has substantial rust. The material which fell out was like a very thin film, almost like jelatine. I know these gas tanks come coated inside with some kinda material. I am worried perhaps the muriatic acid may destroy the rest of the lining? Any comments? Seems your process is fantastic way of cleaning out the tanks, just not sure if it can apply for me in this case. Cheers, Greg . . .
Bro! Thanks for the info! Tried this on my rusty gas tank and it worked flawlessly! When you shook my tank, it sounded like a salt shaker! That's how bad mine was. Now it's like a new tank! Thanks again.
I've got an old Jeep Gladiator pickup truck that has been sitting for a long time. I'm going to clean out the gas tank using one fo these methods but do I need to be worried about anything in my gas lines? I really don't want to screw up this motor.
OK you safety guys out there, YES you should wear safety equipment. Secondly, if you let air into anything that is "clean metal", it is going to rust. This video is great and I beleive intended to clean a tank that will be used very soon. The oil coating he puts in will slow down the corrosion process but will not stop it. I have filled mine with ETHANOL FREE GAS after cleaning the way this gentleman states and have HAD NO PROBLEMS !!!. Also I would recommend (no I don't have any investment in this product) using Yamaha Ring Free in all your engines. Check it out on You Tube. I have had amazing results. No I don't work for any associated companies wit this product .... It just works. Keep the air out of those tanks and they won't rust. Thank you again for this helpful video. PS to the guy who used the drywall screws ... Good idea, I used BB's lol
Dry wall screws are pretty dang sharp - on an older, heavily rusted tank, I would be leary about using them for fear of them poking a hole in the tank when shaking them around.
Great video, thanks for posting it. My tank is larger and more awkwardly shaped, the motorbike started to have poor performance I found water in the fuel filter, I suspected it was from the gas station, we just had hurricane Ian come through, I replaced the gas, it worked fine for the five minutes and went back to starving, I changed the filter, same thing. I ran it without the filter, same thing, I cleaned the carbs, ran okay for 5 minute and started to starve again. When looking through the gas we noticed a spot of rust in one of the bends at the bottom of the tank, it was not big at all. I did the vinegar clean first, tons of rust came out along with flakes, it looked like someone crushed a cigarette inside, also some mold looking stuff that was at the top inside of the tank, it came loose because i filled the entire tank with vinegar. after removing the vinegar i rinsed it with baking soda and water, then water along, then i dried it with the heat gun. It was all rusty worst than before. That was when i came across this video. I watched it, I read all the comments. I got me a gallon of muriatic acid, plugged up holes with rubber and makeshift caps that i made, I put the acid in, shook the tank, got a timer, turned it as needed. Then I dumped the acid, immediately dumped inside a 1/2 a gallon of gas (from a different gas station) mixed with 10w40 synthetic oil, shook the tank around all possible ways and got rid of the gas, which came out black, I repeated this rinse one more time. I reinstalled the float with sensor and petcock, added about 2 gallons of new premium gas, fired up the thing. it sucked so bad, worse than before. I disconnected the tank and run it on gas from a separate container, it ran better. The inside of the tank was completely rusted, even worse than the first time it flashed. I had done some rusty tools that i had around, used the same process, they are okay, no rust on them. Even with the humidity brought by the next storm, Nicole. Now I have 2 gallons of muriatic acid diluted in 3 gallons of water, my tank hold 5 gallons, it is filled to the top, I figure that the last time as I was turning it I must to have missed a side. it already removed the rust that was on the tanks cap hole neck. What do you recommend, I do different this time, after I remove the acid wash?
Just did this over the weekend on a 40L/10gal Acura Integra tank. Took 12L/3gal worth of Acid but it worked flawlessly. Thanks for saving me a ton of time and headache, not to mention MONEY!!
Yeah, so after letting it sit on all sides you just drained and swooshed it in a little more acid? I don't have access to water hose, so wondering how to purge the gunk leftover after the first clean...
I just tried this and it worked very well for my needs. Before the acid I filled the tank with drywall screws and made each of my 3 kids take turns shaking it for 5 minutes to break up the rust first. I then flushed it out with distilled water and added some gas mixed with oil to hopefully help coat the surface from rusting again. All in all it worked very well, thanks for the video!
I tried this cleaning technique on a really nasty rusty Harley-Davidson Sportster fuel tank, I filled it to the brim with the acid, I actually had to let it sit for four days before all the rust was dissolved, that’s how bad it was. However the result was spectacular! My advice is to siphon all the acid back into its original plastic jug with a cheap plastic siphon then flush with a garden hose. Just coating the inside with oil won’t prevent rust from returning. I recommend following up with a tank liner product immediately! Then your good to go. Word of caution: you need a good respirator because the fumes carry out to about a 15 foot radius. Also, you need good wrap around eye protection goggles and rubber gloves plus your garden hose handy! The reason why I used a siphon was to protect the paint job on the fuel tank and it’s much safer and cleaner transferring the acid back into the original container. Of course all of this is done OUTDOORS! Away from kids or critters.
Tank liners are a joke and don't last long, chip off and are harder to remove than rust. Just add a half ounce of 2 stroke oil every few tankfulls and you wont have a rust problem.
I'm restoring an old Honda and had some hydrochloric acid in my shed. I just tried this process with a 40yo Honda tank and it cleaned up 99.9% of the rust within 20mins. I'll leave it to sit another 30mins and it will probably dissolve the rest to look perfect. It did however expose two pin holes which I'll lead solder. Use both sides of your brain, be careful, wear gloves and don't drink the stuff.
I'm about to do this with my son's '71 Honda with gas that has been in there for a very long time! Thanks fo rposting your video!! Will update after we do it.
+The Random Mechanic Ok, I took the apple cider vinegar approach instead because I felt it was a little safer than using acid. I will say it got rid of 95% of the crap inside. If I used the acid it probably would've gotten the whole tank clean.
I have an old 1982 xj1100 that I need to do this bad How would I go about the petcocks being that there are 2 just take them off and find a way to close them off could I use maybe a piece of plastic and tape or what would you recommend? thank you for this VID!
+Kyle Shalley if they are the bolt on type i usually remove them and find a piece of wood or metal and i make a plate that i can bolt on over the hole with a gasket made from old cereal box or whatever i have laying around . you can also go to a hardware store like ace and pick up small rubber plugs or corks from the assorted hardware bins and just plug them off
+The Random Mechanic So I made the plates and at the end you state about putting oil in the tank see my tank being a way different shape im trying to figure out how to put it on its side
+Kyle Shalley normally with bolt on petcocks il make a plate that bolts in place of the petcock sometimes il make it out of wood or metal and just use some roll gasket from the auto parts store to seal it once bolted in place . the thread on type i just shove a large fuel line over the threads and put a bolt in it , you can also just go get a rubber plug from the hardware isle of ace hardware and plug it off
dude that was a great video works great !!!!! i used it to clean my ceptic tank looked brand new ,, the next morning i pumped it out of the tank on the fence line and it got rid of all the field mice in 2 hrs
I’ve got to try this! I have an old 1958 David Bradley Roto Spader with a Briggs model 8B engine and the tank looks like it’s had old gas left in it for 60 yrs. Full of rust and the usual suspects. I tried vinegar and added some nuts and bolts to shake it around and got a lot of the chunks and rust out, but it takes too long and I can’t shake the thing for hours to get it done. A paint shaker would be great though. There’s still a lot of “surface” rust in the tank and it’s gotta go! Hope this does the trick because I’m ready to put this thing back together and see if it’ll run after it appears it’s not ran in at least 20 yrs!
Bought some muriatic acid today after work. Put a little in, rotated the tank around a few times, rinsed it with baking soda and water, then 2-stroke mixed gas, then a little oil. The acid worked like a charm and I didn’t get any flash rust whatsoever! So glad I came across this video. An $8 jug of acid and some common sense saved me a lot of money and time trying to do it any other way! Thanks!
i have a question i have a big tank that someone put diesel and let it sit for at lest 10 years and i have a major build up of rust and a tar like sludge will the acid git rid of that
+Phiobi sammons you will have to pour barryman's b12 chemtool in the tank and let it sit for a while to break up the old diesel sludge first then the acid should be able to clean it
Just wanted to give an update on my old Briggs and Stratton fuel tank, I used the stuff from Walmart which is weaker and I went 50/50 and soaked it for about 3 1/2 hours and it worked great. Thanks for this video.
Cool Video! When you said "put some oil in it then you're ready to go" were you referring to starting it up regarding a 2 stroke? or does the oil have to do with the cleaning process? just making sure, thanks.
Will this break up metal chunks in the tank? I was going to use acetone in my tank to break up the first failed sealer I used, but this might work better than that.
Muratic acid is what we use to clean driveways for those wondering what to do with it.. Dilute it with water and pour it on your driveway and scrub it with a pushbroom. Hose it off after ten minutes. BTW, it is also found in your stomach. It is what digests your food.
haw do i get my gas tank to stop flash rusting. i cant keep gas in my tank yet petcock needs replaced and i follow all watched steps and it worked great but i can get it to stoo flash rusting. i put gas in to when clean and come back hours later and it rusts.please help thanks
i would skip the water and oil step , i now rinse the tanks with 2 stroke gas , works alot better , if the petcock is aluminum you have to take it off or it will dissolve
my question is how do you keep the gas tank from rusting after you did all the steps and 3days or so have past.. it seems like no matter where you get your gas or what kind after time the tank has residual rust ..not any flakes but it's like powdered rust..it's fine enough to pass through the screen tank filter and also the inline fuel filter..is there a additive you can buy to put in your tank..I've tried seafoam and it doesnt seem to work..any ideas?
POR-15 or Kreem. I had a tank Kreem'd many years ago and it was fine the rest of the time I owned the bike. I am working on an old bike for a friend and I will be using this method and then POR-15 in the tank.
the acid is for cleaning swimming pools and driveways , you can find a spot out in the driveway to pour it out and hose it down to neutralize it , or you can just dump some baking soda in it to neutralize it and toss it in the trash
usually i just run up to the hardware store like ace hardware and look at what types of plugs they have or if i dont feel like going i will take a piece of fuel line that fits tightly in the hole in the tank and jam a bolt in it
I got my tank full of white vinegar right now yours was still very usable the tank I got is from a motorcycle that was sitting in the rain for a year and a half with no gas cap on talk about rust it is full it's been one day now tomorrow I'm going to clean it out and it still doesn't look new I'm going to do this
I was about to spend 360 at the shot to get my rusted tank fixed. Im definitely gonna try this. Seems legit. I got 2008 honda CBR600RR, just gotta figure out its its an aluminum tank. 🤔
I’m needing to do this to my tank very badly. But once I take out the acid. What kind of oil do I need to put into the tank to prevent flash rusting. That was the only vague info of the video. And I really need that info
Like engine oil , 2 stroke gas will work , it will rinse it out and lightly coat the tank in oil do this a few times , pour some in shake and dump it out ,
So...what about neutralizing the metal w/a mixture of baking soda and water prior to oiling (diesel fuel works good) and then rinsing w/gasoline. Not necessary?
im glad i was able to help you out & that would make an awesome T shirt wouldn't it ? i may have to talk to someone about making me one , the cx500 is a nice bike you gotta love old honda's . are you going to post any videos of the bike ? if so i would love to check it out .
nice - I just got a Honda ATC 185S - and the tank is a horrorshow inside! Would you recommend doing a bit of a shake-around with gravel/old bolts first, to remove the biggest flakes?
the acid should eat all of it off but it might help to knock some of the crud loose and dump out what you can just so the acid isnt having to eat through layers of crud it would definitely help cut down to cleaning time .
I got a rust so bad in my 73's honda CB 450 tank, it caused a leak. I just cleaned it and seal it with metal resin from the outside of the tank. Will the acid messed up the seal I just made? Thank you
+Mike Traspena i just normally just coat the tank and pour it out then ad gas if i intend on using it right away if i am cleaning it and putting it on the shelf to use later il leave the oil in it
Hey Random! I want to thank you for this video! I just happened to have a bottle of muriatic acid handy and never thought of it! I had a fuel tank on a Rototiller that was just drowning in rust and crap! Cleaned it like a whistle! Appreciate your efforts in this video!
The last step was coat the inside with oil , you can just rinse it out with mixed gas it will leave a slight oily coating that will prevent flash rust until you are ready to use the tank
Thanks for the tip on getting rid of rust in a tank! Planning to restore an old Puch VZ50 and it has rust in the tank. It also has dents. Do you got a way of getting rid of the dents to?:)
+MannenMytenLegenden Hey you can check out this video watch?v=UB0eRYHtpYo . He goes through a few methods that all work, I had great success with it and highly recommend it. Just make sure your tank is clean all loose paint, dirt and wax removed.
doesn't matter, just dump some cheap 30 weight oil in there, you can even use old oil from an oil change if you want to but run it through a tee shirt to filter out any dirt
7 years later this video is still making the world a better place
"I'm an American, I like instant gratification just as anyone else." Best statement ever.
Dralium I want a million dollars how do I get that instantly.
@@thomasmcintosh3321 Play the lottery
Hahah right
I subscribed when he said that
I looked at this comment as he said it 😂😂😂
you are a freaking genius! Solved my tank issues after 10 minutes with just watching this video. We have been so conditioned to just go the "purchase a solution" route that I have actually spent quite a bit of money, probably hundreds throughout the years on "rust reformers" and "tank liners" and this shit works just fine. You just saved me a crap load of money. Thanks for posting this buddy.
+Evelio Perez I could not agree more! I build motorcycles and if this works then its going to save me a lot of time ...not to mention $$$Maranatha~
the muriatic acid will not cause bubble the paint sir?
why do you say it's bad
Also look into electrolysis to rrmove rust
Did the rust come back?
Just took your advice and in less than 5 min all the rust was gone. My tank wasn't that bad but holy crap this stuff works! No dilution just make sure you have baking soda diluted with some water on hand in case you get some on your self you can neutralize it. I used an empty 2 liter bottle of soda with water about a 1/4 cup of baking soda mixed in.
We did this today on a badly corroded DL650 fuel tank and it worked a treat. Tank is almost like new. Thanks for the video, you inspired us to give it a go and we are very glad we did.
the muriatic acid will not cause bubble the paint sir?
You sound like his friend @andrew
Did the rust come back?
Brought back fond memories of my Dad ,since he used to use Muriatic Acid for tackling cleaning /renewing jobs a lot ! Yet this hadn’t rekindled in my memory till I watched your video !Peace brother .
instant gratification...i came to the right place
God richly bless you for sharing this corrosion removal hack !Was on my way to Publix to purchase White Vinegar,Lemons,Salt,Coca Cola and whip up a brew for tackling some rust in my DEK 5000 Generator fuel tank and decided to look at some TH-cam videos .Your video was heaven sent and that statement lol was awesome ! Didn’t have to go to the store since we had Muriatic Acid for the swimming pool !Double thumbs up from me to you sir !
Best comment ever ! Lol
about a min in i already love this dude
This video is great! I used your method to clean the gas tank in my 1983 Honda 200x and it worked like a charm!
the muriatic acid will not cause bubble the paint sir?
@@dijaslim400 inside the tank is no paint to bubble up
Years later still is a great how to. Just got done with a KLR tank, perhaps fifteen minutes total sloshing a gallon around in that big tank and it now looks new.
Rinsed with water to dilute the acid, then rinsed with Baking Soda solution to make sure it was neutralized, drained as best I could, and then WD40 in their "Big Blast" can which is seemingly made for the purpose. After sloshing the WD40 around for a while what drained was a milky liquid that I'm thinking is the remaining water emulsified by the WD40, I suspect not much water left to worry about. Then poured in a half of a quart bottle of Marvel Mystery Oil and sloshed that around...hopefully no flash rust as it will be a few days before I can fill the tank with gas. THANKS, RM!
I have a Harley original tank that has a liner will this muriatic acid eat that up?
Did it flash rust or have u experienced any issues since wirh your tank?
Awesome vid. Doing this on my rototiller tomorrow. Thanks.
This is an awesome video. Just got my XL250 slightly rusty tank. I was thinking coating the inside might cause problems later on if I did not do it right. Then I thought about the slosh of oil and you did just what I thought. Your whole method on cleaning the tank is what I am going to do. Thank You.
Just did this and it seriously worked..I had a spot inside my outboard tank that had a thick layer of rust and its bare metal now.
Thank you very much I had great results tank looks like brand new
I just did this on a 1964 chevy van gas tank. The van was last registered 1983. I pulled it out of a field where it was buried up to the axles in mud. The tank was disgusting -- full of scale and nasty rust. I actually poured chunks and flakes of dried rust out of the tank. I used straight muriatic acid like in the video. I let it sit in there about half hour and sloshed it around every now and then. It got it clean! You can look in there and see clean metal, where previously it was all scaly nasty rust and crud. I was amazed. It really worked well. Thanks alot for the video. Very helpful.
That's awesome ! Glad i could help .
Great video man. Thanks for the tip. Gonna try this on my R6 tank. It rusted while doing engine race mods and a rebuild.
Thanks I'm going to try this tonight after work on a chopper tank I just purchased.
thanks for taking the time to do that. My buddy does it but he adds water with his.
Awesome! I just cleaned, etched and coated a tank this morning. The muriatic acid made the cleaning part so much easier and quicker. I used POR15 Metal Prep and Tank Sealer after cleaning and drying. Glad I found this video!
After you used the muriatic acid, did you wash with water and then dry and use the por15? Or wash with gasoline and then pour the por15
thank u so very much. iwork on old harleys and u know i've never thoughjt of using pool acid well never had a pool
Boutta try this on my sportster tank. Thankyou much!
Tyler Antinovitch did it work ??
Thanks man i have project bike im going to try this on
Just did today after watching this video on my 1985 Honda ATC 250SX and it worked great. I definitely used gloves and glasses though. After rinsing out with water, I followed what you said and used some of my pre-mix gas since it has oil in it. Worked perfect. Showed me the leaks too, lol. I've used Por15 before but gonna try the Kreem this time around. Thanks for the video.
No problem
The Random Mechanic how often would you recommend doing this
I did this and then used Red Kote Sealer
Nicely done!
Hello, the bottle of acid I have reads 20 degrees baume commercial [31.45%]. On the bottle it says to dilute acid with 4 parts water to remove rust from steel, followed by a thorough water rinse. What are your thoughts on diluting? It seems that you were using undiluted from the bottle but maybe your acid was not as concentrated as mine. I have approx 2 cups of acid in a very old bottle. Given the fact that you left it in a very short time in the tank maybe undiluted followed by a flush is the way to go. Also, I have an old kitchen scrub brush (pole style with metal stem and plastic brushes) which is near the end of its life cycle so I am using that to loosen/remove rust as much as possible before trying acid. I also am using a narrow beam flashlight to see down into the tank. That way I can see the before and after. Many thanks, David.
You absolutely do not want to breathe any of the fumes from this thing. Or get any of the smoke from it in your eyes.
Good stuff man, I'm going to try it if I can find any place that sells it.
This is awesome, thank you so much, just what I was looking for a way to fix my tank fast.
i found a 5hp tiller that someone threw out in the trash. tank full of rust chunks and by the smell they had tried to clean it with brush cleaner! tore it down, new carb coming for $20 so just need to clean the tank and should be good after that 😁
"American Fast!"
Thank you for getting to the point
"Instant gratification!" LOL! Getting straight to the point. I also hate the guys that like to hear themselves talk. I skip those videos.
Thanks for this video: I was wondering how best to clean the rust of my newly acquired 1978 Kawasaki KZ750: its been left sitting in a damp garage for the past 18 years so the inside of the tank was thick with rust. As you promised, this stuff did the job in 10 minutes, so thanks - you have saved me a trip to a specialist. If anyone is watching this in the UK and is wondering where to get the chemical mentioned, well it can be found in Homebase for £3 and is called 'Spirits of Salt'.
CeeJay1972. Im picking one up next week that has this issue thank you for confirming that it will work
I just got my 750 today and have the same issue, gonna give this a go tomorrow and pray it works
I love you,thanks I've been trying to find this stuff for ages,you absolute friggin hero!!!
I tell you I had no time to wait for all the "products" to clean out tanks that take anywhere from hours to days... I had one day & this worked better than I could of ever hoped for! I wish I would have taken a video of it. i wasn't even going to worry about the outside of the tank but this worked so well & was so easy I did the outside of the tank as well!! the before & after photos are almost non believable. Not sure how to post them here but this is a must know for anyone who works on "old things" oh ya, love the tee shirt slogan!
I need to have a shirt made with that saying on it for sure , glad to hear i was able to help you out .
This is the best way to clean a gas tank and no it won't harm the paint in a metal tank. I used it on a motorcycle tank after trying just about everything from rust remover to Apple cider vinegar, but in 7 minutes with this stuff clean as new
Amazing result and so fast. I used hydrochloric acid (basically the same thing). For those about to try this though, wear gloves, and watch the fumes.... phewee!!
Lol can't beilive how well it worked....tysm... amazing
Muriatic Acid is the KING! Been trying to tell people for years!........my personal favorite is Naval Jelly, good balance of Power and slower burn rate(maybe 1 or 2 hours)....good for thinner, or higher end tanks, No risk of burning holes.....also leaves Lots of chalky Residue, so won't flash rust...and it stops eating once you drain water! Great stuff also.
Hi, random mechanic is that a batavus?
My dad and me had long time ago a Horex and he cleaned his tank , someway like yours.
Only he used small grind ftom the garden and gaz, My job was to shake the tank and ik worked!
Nice to see someone not using fancy stuff but American brain.
You should neutralize the acid when done by soaking the tank in a solution of baking SODA and water for 10 or 15 minutes right away. Then get it dry quick.
See, I gotta say it.... I told ya' so....! 😂
Gonna give this a go on a 70's Motobecane Moped
Just bought an ‘80 Garelli and I’m gonna do this on Monday.
Hi, I have a Harley 2 piece gas tank that is partially rusted inside. I shook loose the stuff that was jingling around inside and see that one of the half tank has substantial rust. The material which fell out was like a very thin film, almost like jelatine. I know these gas tanks come coated inside with some kinda material. I am worried perhaps the muriatic acid may destroy the rest of the lining? Any comments? Seems your process is fantastic way of cleaning out the tanks, just not sure if it can apply for me in this case. Cheers, Greg . . .
Bro! Thanks for the info! Tried this on my rusty gas tank and it worked flawlessly! When you shook my tank, it sounded like a salt shaker! That's how bad mine was. Now it's like a new tank! Thanks again.
I've got an old Jeep Gladiator pickup truck that has been sitting for a long time. I'm going to clean out the gas tank using one fo these methods but do I need to be worried about anything in my gas lines? I really don't want to screw up this motor.
OK you safety guys out there, YES you should wear safety equipment. Secondly, if you let air into anything that is "clean metal", it is going to rust. This video is great and I beleive intended to clean a tank that will be used very soon. The oil coating he puts in will slow down the corrosion process but will not stop it. I have filled mine with ETHANOL FREE GAS after cleaning the way this gentleman states and have HAD NO PROBLEMS !!!. Also I would recommend (no I don't have any investment in this product) using Yamaha Ring Free in all your engines. Check it out on You Tube. I have had amazing results. No I don't work for any associated companies wit this product .... It just works. Keep the air out of those tanks and they won't rust. Thank you again for this helpful video. PS to the guy who used the drywall screws ... Good idea, I used BB's lol
Dry wall screws are pretty dang sharp - on an older, heavily rusted tank, I would be leary about using them for fear of them poking a hole in the tank when shaking them around.
Great video, thanks for posting it.
My tank is larger and more awkwardly shaped, the motorbike started to have poor performance I found water in the fuel filter, I suspected it was from the gas station, we just had hurricane Ian come through, I replaced the gas, it worked fine for the five minutes and went back to starving,
I changed the filter, same thing. I ran it without the filter, same thing, I cleaned the carbs, ran okay for 5 minute and started to starve again.
When looking through the gas we noticed a spot of rust in one of the bends at the bottom of the tank, it was not big at all.
I did the vinegar clean first, tons of rust came out along with flakes, it looked like someone crushed a cigarette inside, also some mold looking stuff that was at the top inside of the tank, it came loose because i filled the entire tank with vinegar.
after removing the vinegar i rinsed it with baking soda and water, then water along, then i dried it with the heat gun. It was all rusty worst than before.
That was when i came across this video. I watched it, I read all the comments. I got me a gallon of muriatic acid, plugged up holes with rubber and makeshift caps that i made, I put the acid in, shook the tank, got a timer, turned it as needed.
Then I dumped the acid, immediately dumped inside a 1/2 a gallon of gas (from a different gas station) mixed with 10w40 synthetic oil, shook the tank around all possible ways and got rid of the gas, which came out black, I repeated this rinse one more time.
I reinstalled the float with sensor and petcock, added about 2 gallons of new premium gas, fired up the thing. it sucked so bad, worse than before. I disconnected the tank and run it on gas from a separate container, it ran better.
The inside of the tank was completely rusted, even worse than the first time it flashed. I had done some rusty tools that i had around, used the same process, they are okay, no rust on them. Even with the humidity brought by the next storm, Nicole.
Now I have 2 gallons of muriatic acid diluted in 3 gallons of water, my tank hold 5 gallons, it is filled to the top, I figure that the last time as I was turning it I must to have missed a side.
it already removed the rust that was on the tanks cap hole neck.
What do you recommend, I do different this time, after I remove the acid wash?
I'm going to try this on my 82 Kz 1000ltd!
Rinse with two cycle gas. Done!!
Just did this over the weekend on a 40L/10gal Acura Integra tank. Took 12L/3gal worth of Acid but it worked flawlessly. Thanks for saving me a ton of time and headache, not to mention MONEY!!
Thanks for that tip... that’s Fantastic. I’m going to try that tomorrow on a rusty tank o have off my generator 👍
Cool let me know how it goes
What's the result
@@vtp157 he’s still working on it
Great Instant "G" Solution Thanks Very Much...!!!
Dude, killer. Thank you!
This worked perfectly. Mine ended up nearly spotless. All I did was tip the tank around to wash it in acid.
Yeah, so after letting it sit on all sides you just drained and swooshed it in a little more acid? I don't have access to water hose, so wondering how to purge the gunk leftover after the first clean...
Would "Petseal" be good to treat it with afterwards to seal the tank and stop it from re rusting ?
How can you tell if your tank is chrome or aluminum - I have a 97 Suzuki marauder tank I need to clean and fix a couple pinholes
I just tried this and it worked very well for my needs. Before the acid I filled the tank with drywall screws and made each of my 3 kids take turns shaking it for 5 minutes to break up the rust first. I then flushed it out with distilled water and added some gas mixed with oil to hopefully help coat the surface from rusting again. All in all it worked very well, thanks for the video!
Had me sold that instant gratification
thanks for posting this...
I tried this cleaning technique on a really nasty rusty Harley-Davidson Sportster fuel tank, I filled it to the brim with the acid, I actually had to let it sit for four days before all the rust was dissolved, that’s how bad it was. However the result was spectacular! My advice is to siphon all the acid back into its original plastic jug with a cheap plastic siphon then flush with a garden hose. Just coating the inside with oil won’t prevent rust from returning. I recommend following up with a tank liner product immediately! Then your good to go. Word of caution: you need a good respirator because the fumes carry out to about a 15 foot radius. Also, you need good wrap around eye protection goggles and rubber gloves plus your garden hose handy! The reason why I used a siphon was to protect the paint job on the fuel tank and it’s much safer and cleaner transferring the acid back into the original container. Of course all of this is done OUTDOORS! Away from kids or critters.
Tank liners are a joke and don't last long, chip off and are harder to remove than rust. Just add a half ounce of 2 stroke oil every few tankfulls and you wont have a rust problem.
I'm restoring an old Honda and had some hydrochloric acid in my shed. I just tried this process with a 40yo Honda tank and it cleaned up 99.9% of the rust within 20mins. I'll leave it to sit another 30mins and it will probably dissolve the rest to look perfect. It did however expose two pin holes which I'll lead solder. Use both sides of your brain, be careful, wear gloves and don't drink the stuff.
Do it need to remove the peacock and use something else to plug the hole or just leave it on?
I'm about to do this with my son's '71 Honda with gas that has been in there for a very long time! Thanks fo rposting your video!! Will update after we do it.
+William Bohuslaw Cool let me know how it turns out .
+The Random Mechanic Ok, I took the apple cider vinegar approach instead because I felt it was a little safer than using acid. I will say it got rid of 95% of the crap inside. If I used the acid it probably would've gotten the whole tank clean.
Good video buddy - thanks!
no problem , Thanks for watching
What concentration is the acid? I found no more than 18%. Is that going to to the job? Thanks
I have an old 1982 xj1100 that I need to do this bad How would I go about the petcocks being that there are 2 just take them off and find a way to close them off could I use maybe a piece of plastic and tape or what would you recommend? thank you for this VID!
+Kyle Shalley if they are the bolt on type i usually remove them and find a piece of wood or metal and i make a plate that i can bolt on over the hole with a gasket made from old cereal box or whatever i have laying around .
you can also go to a hardware store like ace and pick up small rubber plugs or corks from the assorted hardware bins and just plug them off
+The Random Mechanic So I made the plates and at the end you state about putting oil in the tank see my tank being a way different shape im trying to figure out how to put it on its side
+Kyle Shalley normally with bolt on petcocks il make a plate that bolts in place of the petcock sometimes il make it out of wood or metal and just use some roll gasket from the auto parts store to seal it once bolted in place . the thread on type i just shove a large fuel line over the threads and put a bolt in it ,
you can also just go get a rubber plug from the hardware isle of ace hardware and plug it off
+The Random Mechanic - the muriatic acid will not cause bubble the paint sir?
Good video. Once I recover from my case of Vertigo, I'll follow these steps.
dude that was a great video works great !!!!! i used it to clean my ceptic tank looked brand new ,, the next morning i pumped it out of the tank on the fence line and it got rid of all the field mice in 2 hrs
Gonna try it on my '72 SL 100 can't stop the rust I may coat it after
What oil do I put it in after I rinse it with the gas? I just bought my first bike, need to clean out tank and learn how to wrench on it.
I use 2-stroke oil.
Marvel Mystery Oil
I’ve got to try this! I have an old 1958 David Bradley Roto Spader with a Briggs model 8B engine and the tank looks like it’s had old gas left in it for 60 yrs. Full of rust and the usual suspects. I tried vinegar and added some nuts and bolts to shake it around and got a lot of the chunks and rust out, but it takes too long and I can’t shake the thing for hours to get it done. A paint shaker would be great though. There’s still a lot of “surface” rust in the tank and it’s gotta go! Hope this does the trick because I’m ready to put this thing back together and see if it’ll run after it appears it’s not ran in at least 20 yrs!
it should do the trick , let me know how it goes
Bought some muriatic acid today after work. Put a little in, rotated the tank around a few times, rinsed it with baking soda and water, then 2-stroke mixed gas, then a little oil. The acid worked like a charm and I didn’t get any flash rust whatsoever! So glad I came across this video. An $8 jug of acid and some common sense saved me a lot of money and time trying to do it any other way! Thanks!
No problem , im glad it worked out
i have a question i have a big tank that someone put diesel and let it sit for at lest 10 years and i have a major build up of rust and a tar like sludge will the acid git rid of that
+Phiobi sammons you will have to pour barryman's b12 chemtool in the tank and let it sit for a while to break up the old diesel sludge first then the acid should be able to clean it
thank you
Does it stuff the paint?
I cleaned my tiller gas tank with that acid, but I have a same problem t in a month, do you know what happened?
very impressive thanks
Great! Going to do this tomorrow! Thanks for the vid.
Just wanted to give an update on my old Briggs and Stratton fuel tank, I used the stuff from Walmart which is weaker and I went 50/50 and soaked it for about 3 1/2 hours and it worked great. Thanks for this video.
what kind of oil should i use once its cleaned out? and for how long? and after the oil is dumped out do i rinse it with gasoline once again?
Mili Customs HWs always put a bit of gas shake and rinse before you fill your tank for the first time
Rinse with two cycle gas. Done!!
@@twinkie27271 Scott your a damn genius!!!!!!
Cool Video! When you said "put some oil in it then you're ready to go" were you referring to starting it up regarding a 2 stroke? or does the oil have to do with the cleaning process? just making sure, thanks.
+Tyler Recchia the oil keeps the tank from flash rusting it has nothing to do with it being 2 stroke or four stroke
Will this break up metal chunks in the tank? I was going to use acetone in my tank to break up the first failed sealer I used, but this might work better than that.
it should dissolve them or break them loose ,
Thank you.
Muratic acid is what we use to clean driveways for those wondering what to do with it.. Dilute it with water and pour it on your driveway and scrub it with a pushbroom. Hose it off after ten minutes. BTW, it is also found in your stomach. It is what digests your food.
haw do i get my gas tank to stop flash rusting. i cant keep gas in my tank yet petcock needs replaced and i follow all watched steps and it worked great but i can get it to stoo flash rusting. i put gas in to when clean and come back hours later and it rusts.please help thanks
Yeah I have the same question +The Random Mechanic
Wonder what the acid % was? I have been trying to get Lime Away to work, but it's not strong enough. It has sulfamic acid in it.
how much oil do I put in the gas tank I have a 6.5 gallon tank needs cleaned out and can I leave the petcock on
i would skip the water and oil step , i now rinse the tanks with 2 stroke gas , works alot better , if the petcock is aluminum you have to take it off or it will dissolve
my question is how do you keep the gas tank from rusting after you did all the steps and 3days or so have past.. it seems like no matter where you get your gas or what kind after time the tank has residual rust ..not any flakes but it's like powdered rust..it's fine enough to pass through the screen tank filter and also the inline fuel filter..is there a additive you can buy to put in your tank..I've tried seafoam and it doesnt seem to work..any ideas?
POR-15 or Kreem. I had a tank Kreem'd many years ago and it was fine the rest of the time I owned the bike. I am working on an old bike for a friend and I will be using this method and then POR-15 in the tank.
Kawasaki Vulcan he says in the video after cleaning the tank put oil in it then dump it out. I've been told the same thing to a mower tank I got.
POR-15 like he said
Great vid. How do you you get rid of all the cruddy acid afterwards?
the acid is for cleaning swimming pools and driveways , you can find a spot out in the driveway to pour it out and hose it down to neutralize it , or you can just dump some baking soda in it to neutralize it and toss it in the trash
Good to know. Also, if it does flash rust would I have to do the whole process all over again?@@TheRandomMechanic
Great vid! I'll use this info on my 10 gallon '70 CJ5 with an old rusty gas tank.
Desert Logic Thanks , Glad i could help out
hey man, any recommendations for the rubber plug-in where the petcock/fuel valve usually goes?
usually i just run up to the hardware store like ace hardware and look at what types of plugs they have or if i dont feel like going i will take a piece of fuel line that fits tightly in the hole in the tank and jam a bolt in it
I got my tank full of white vinegar right now yours was still very usable the tank I got is from a motorcycle that was sitting in the rain for a year and a half with no gas cap on talk about rust it is full it's been one day now tomorrow I'm going to clean it out and it still doesn't look new I'm going to do this
I was about to spend 360 at the shot to get my rusted tank fixed. Im definitely gonna try this. Seems legit. I got 2008 honda CBR600RR, just gotta figure out its its an aluminum tank. 🤔
I’m needing to do this to my tank very badly. But once I take out the acid. What kind of oil do I need to put into the tank to prevent flash rusting. That was the only vague info of the video. And I really need that info
Like engine oil , 2 stroke gas will work , it will rinse it out and lightly coat the tank in oil do this a few times , pour some in shake and dump it out ,
Why not chrome im just finding it hard to see how it would affect it if you be super careful and don’t happen to get a drop on it
So...what about neutralizing the metal w/a mixture of baking soda and water prior to oiling (diesel fuel works good) and then rinsing w/gasoline. Not necessary?
That works too , i just didnt have any baking soda , rinsing with 2 cycle mixed gas works equally as well
What was that stuff that you used?
I dont think we have that here in the UK
You can order it off E Bay, Muriatic Acid.
I'm an American...I like instant gratification. That's a T-shirt slogan if I ever heard!
im glad i was able to help you out & that would make an awesome T shirt wouldn't it ? i may have to talk to someone about making me one , the cx500 is a nice bike you gotta love old honda's . are you going to post any videos of the bike ? if so i would love to check it out .
nice - I just got a Honda ATC 185S - and the tank is a horrorshow inside!
Would you recommend doing a bit of a shake-around with gravel/old bolts first, to remove the biggest flakes?
the acid should eat all of it off but it might help to knock some of the crud loose and dump out what you can just so the acid isnt having to eat through layers of crud it would definitely help cut down to cleaning time .
yep makes sense, less work for acid
The Random Mechanic mm
I just tried this technique today on my Honda Nighthawk tank. It worked great! Awesome results! Thanks for posting.
No Problem , Glad it worked out
I got a rust so bad in my 73's honda CB 450 tank, it caused a leak. I just cleaned it and seal it with metal resin from the outside of the tank. Will the acid messed up the seal I just made? Thank you
it shouldn't but if it does you could always just seal it again
@@TheRandomMechanic Thanks for the reply
No problem
how long do you leave the oil in for or do you just coat the tank and add gas after that ?
+Mike Traspena i just normally just coat the tank and pour it out then ad gas if i intend on using it right away if i am cleaning it and putting it on the shelf to use later il leave the oil in it
Hey Random! I want to thank you for this video! I just happened to have a bottle of muriatic acid handy and never thought of it! I had a fuel tank on a Rototiller that was just drowning in rust and crap! Cleaned it like a whistle! Appreciate your efforts in this video!
No problem im glad the video helped out , Thanks !
I can't remove the petcock should I still be fine to do the muriatic acid treatment
+Evan Jeffries it might ruin the petcock of its aluminum , you can try it as long as you don't let it sit in there too long
Thank you great video but what was the last step after you poured out the gass? Is there any steps or should i just dry it and use it?
The last step was coat the inside with oil , you can just rinse it out with mixed gas it will leave a slight oily coating that will prevent flash rust until you are ready to use the tank
@@TheRandomMechanic so if I'm gonna use the tank no need for the oil?
@@a1995iq right ,
@@TheRandomMechanic thanks man much appreciated
Thanks for the tip on getting rid of rust in a tank! Planning to restore an old Puch VZ50 and it has rust in the tank. It also has dents. Do you got a way of getting rid of the dents to?:)
+MannenMytenLegenden How bad are the dents and where are they located? Send me some photos if you like and I can advise appropriately
+MannenMytenLegenden Hey you can check out this video watch?v=UB0eRYHtpYo . He goes through a few methods that all work, I had great success with it and highly recommend it.
Just make sure your tank is clean all loose paint, dirt and wax removed.
Love my puch 1978! I'll die with it!
What type of oil did you use for the inside of tank? just regular motor oil, or does it not really matter a whole lot?
doesn't matter, just dump some cheap 30 weight oil in there, you can even use old oil from an oil change if you want to but run it through a tee shirt to filter out any dirt