hydrolock - probably caused by rust in tank

[Anthony]

as we were preparing for a trip with the VRCC lowlands this weekend,
i got a call from a friend who was also coming to the meeting, saying that 'he heard a strange noise when he pushed the starterbutton'   
which sounded like what i had described to him before.

went out to his place to inspect,
pulled the plugs : plug 1, 3 and 5 were wet, nr 5 dripping wet.
pushed the bike to turned the engine over : fountain of fuel 

a typical hydrolock scenario.

removed the startermotor, to find this :   



(luckily only ) 3 teeth broken off from the 2nd gear.
gear is still in right place, the rod is not bend, case is not broken or anything worse.


1 week before, he just had a new to him I/S tank installed on his standard.
kept his petcock, but installed a new petcock screen.

mmh that's a coincidence !
when looking into the full tank ( ready to take a ride)
i see a lot of small rust spots.

i am blaming the tank :
i assume some rust particles came loose, tore the diaphragm in the petcock, and caused the float needles to stay open.


bike is at the dealer now, he is going back to the std tank for now.

any advise on how to clean rust spots out of a tank ?
shaking with chips, used in rotary vibrator, inside ?

Anthony

[salty1]

What a bummer!!!  My suggestion is to clean that Interstate tank using Evaporust, it's available at Harbor Freight. It's paint safe and easily disposed. I use it for everything and it has always worked well. Put a couple gallons in the tank with all of its orifices plugged. Rotate the tank every 24 hours until all surfaces have been cleaned, then recycle the Evaporust, rinse the tank well with water, follow up with some alcohol to remove water residue and then put some light oil in to cover all the surfaces. Once the tank goes into service try to keep it full if the bike is stored for any period time. Good luck on the rest of the repair.

[old2soon]

Salty 1 i'm wondering if they have H F in Belgium?? RIDE SAFE.

[Anthony]

Salty 1 i'm wondering if they have H F in Belgium?? RIDE SAFE.

the answer to that is : NO

but if that product exists over there, i am pretty sure a similar product can be found here as well.

anthony

[F6BANGER]

I have a friend that bought a gallon of vinegar and poured it in the tank. Tape the openings closed .He propped it to one side for a day, then to the other side, front, back, etc..... The tank was very clean. Vinegar is cheap. Make sure you neutralize the tank with water/baking soda solution. Rinse well and let dry.

Gas Tank Rust Removal --- CIDER VINEGAR WORKS!

Do some research on it. Good luck.

[salty1]

Salty 1 i'm wondering if they have H F in Belgium?? RIDE SAFE.

I guess I missed the location of the tank, duhhhh.