Tried out electrolysis on my rust fuel tank and she
cleaned right up. For those of you who are on a budget it will cost you
next
to nothing to clean your tank. First of all you will need a plastic 5
gallon
bucket, add 1/2 cup of Arm and Hammer Washing Soda. This is important
it’s
Washing Soda not baking soda (see note 1 below). Fill
the bucket with water
and
mix it well. Pull the tank and drain the fuel. Remove the petcock and
wash
out the tank with lots of water. Fashion a cover to block the petcock
orifice.
I used a strip of 1/8" aluminum and used an old inner tube as a gasket.
I
set the tank on a piece of carpet and blocked it up to get it as level
as
possible. I then filled the tank with the washing soda solution. Then I
took
a coat hanger and fashion the sacrificial anode. You say what???? Ok
this
is the trickiest part of the procedure.
A little background on how electrolysis works (see actual photos below):
Its very simple really. As current
passes through an object it moves from negative to positive, so what
you are doing is passing a current through the rust on the tank, which
breaks its bond, and the rust then flows and attaches itself to the
positive charge on the sacrificial anode. Or at least it releases the
rust from the tank and floats around in the washing soda solution. The
idea with the sacrificial anode is
to insure that it does not touch the tank anywhere, you must insure it
only
come in contact with the washing soda solution or you will have a
direct short.
For my project I found a nice little plastic
cap and drilled two 1/8" holes in it about 1" apart. I then took the
coat hanger and bent it over and over until I had four loops on one end
that spread about 1" when grouped together (see fig. 1 below). Think about the
business end of a fork that you eat with, that’s what it should look
like. Then about 4" back from the business end of the fork make a
90-degree bend in the two wires and run them up through the plastic
cap. Put the sacrificial anode into the tank and spin it around to
insure the anode is not hitting anywhere on the tank (no short
circuits) (see fig 2 below).
Then using a 12-volt battery charger hook the positive lead to the
sacrificial anode and the negative lead to the fuel tank. I used the
mounting flange that
sits under the seat (see figs 3 and 4
below). Let her cook for several days. Mine took three days.
I pulled the anode twice a day and cleaned it with a wire brush. I have
a
small battery charger so it may take less time with a larger charger.
Anyway
my tank is back on and this morning I rode her into work and she never
skipped
a beat.
Update: Some of you have asked what did you coat the tank with to stop
further rusting? Nothing. Its bare metal. Some of you guys have
suggested two ways of coating the tank. 1. Use phosphoric acid and
slosh it around to coat the tank. 2. Use POR-15, I have heard this is
the stuff to use. I was also told to stay away from Kreem. The Suzuki
T-500 I own had a fuel tank coated in Kreem and it is crap, so I would
agree.
-Ken for questions, email me at cfsboy@sbcglobal.net
Note 1: ARM & HAMMER®
Super Washing Soda is 100% sodium carbonate and is used as a laundry
booster and general household cleaner. ARM & HAMMER® Baking
Soda is 100% sodium bicarbonate and has a myriad of household
cleaning, personal care, and deodorizing uses, as well as being a
leavening agent.
Note from Clay: The photos are mine. I used this method on
rather rusty Kawasaki tank I had, and it worked wonderfully. I
lined this tank with the Yamaha brand tank rusr remover/protector
(about $14.00 at my local dealer) and it is holding up well.
Figure
1
Figure 2
Figure
3
Figure 4
