Removing crap from a fuel tank

[James83]

So, short version - Put reserve fuel on, crap got in the carbs, had to strip and clean them.

I now have a couple of replacement filters and I figured if I've got to drain the thing anyway, I ought to clean whatever is in there in the first place. So, the question is, how do I do that? Google told me that distilled water and fine grade sand works shaken up works? Any other methods? I would be pretty paranoid about accidentally leaving sand in there.

[Pete.]

Don't put sand and water in your tank ffs. Get a gallon of diesel or paraffin. Drain your tank of petrol and remove the fuel tap. Stick a couple of pints of (white) diesel into the tank, slosh it around a good bit and drainit into a clear pot. When the crap has settled pour off the diesel, tip out the crap then do it again with the same diesel. Shake the tank about to wash the crap off the sides and keep it suspended.
When the diesel comes out clean take a few feet of vanity chain, that thin stuff you buy from hardware stores, dump that in the tank with half a gallon of clean diesel and do the business again so that the chain dislodges any stuck-on dirt or rust. Repeat until you get no more crap coming out when you drain it off.

Oh, wear old clothes that you can throw away, coz they are gonna stink when you've finished and if you're daft enough to put them in the washing machine they will really stink when they come out, as will all the other washing that week.
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a.k.a 'Geri'

132.9mph off and walked away. Gear is good, gear is good, gear is very very good

[BTTD]

Last tank I cleaned out was aluminium - garage had replaced in tank hose with non-fuel proof hose which turned gooey, fell apart and killed the fuel pump.
I took it off the bike and used a paraffin gun to spray inside the tank to dilute the sludge goo and shift it. Then it was washed out with the garden hose.
Dried it out with a hair drier left on for a good hour.

[The Artist]

You need diesel + something abrasive and big. As Pete said, a chain or I have used a few handfuls of gravel to do the same thing. Don't use fine stuff like sand because you may leave some in there.

Pressure washer is also a good idea if you have one.

[cb1rocket]

There is also the coke/soda crystal and electrolysis method too
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Honda H100S2 Rebuild - https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=253852

[roadracejoe]

Apparently white vinegar is the job for cleaning rust from inside a fuel tank, dunno, haven't tried it, but I do have a gs500 tank that needs cleaning so may give it a go and post the results

[Robby]

Fuel tank cleaning, my pet subject.

Don't try putting something abrasive in the tank to clean it. You may scrape off some of the bigger chunks, but you won't do a good job. The engine result tends to be even more tiny bits of crap floating around to clog your carbs or filter.

This howto: https://www.realclassic.co.uk/techfiles/petrol_tank_cleaning_and_rust_removal.html is the best one I've come across yet. I did it this weekend on a rusty tank, total cost was about a tenner at the local hardware store for chemicals. Did a fantastic job.

Remember that acid will dissolve any alloy parts fairly fast, so don't leave the fuel tap or fuel cap connected. Replace the fuel tap with a bit of steel, and only put the fuel cap on when you need to swill and invert the tank, then take it off afterwards and dunk it in a bucket of water.

Always a good idea to fit a fuel filter afterwards, and then watch it never get clogged.

[BTTD]

Is it rust, and how rusty is the tank? If the tank has rust flaking off then you will need to deal with it sooner or later. Electrolysis is my favourite - plenty of youtube how to videos.
If it's just some other sediment at the bottom of the tank with no notable rust issues, then you just need to flush it out (garden hose option).

[dansp1]

https://www.bilthamber.com/fuel-tank-cleaning-kit

I have used this kit with great success on a very rusty tank

[James83]

Well the good news is that it doesn't appear to be a dirty or rusty tank Thanks for the info on cleaning it though.

Reason I say that is that I drained the tank to find out if I was dealing with rust or sediment, and, well, here is what I found.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUVI4DhXSco

I did notice one thing though. I first drained the main line, then switched to reserve. The main line drained clear the entire time, but the reserve was milky to start with, then went clear. My assumption is that the milky crap was sediment? The tank seemed to be clear by the time I figured out to use my phone to see inside. it, so don't know what it looked like before I started filming.

[Pete.]

Looks damn near perfect to me. Flush it out, change the filter and crack on.
____________________
a.k.a 'Geri'

132.9mph off and walked away. Gear is good, gear is good, gear is very very good