Topic: Best way to keep a tank from rusting

[Kannon]

I just bought a CB750F that has been sitting for several years but much to my suprise the tank has absolutely no rust inside - just spotless shiny steel even in the seams.  I drained all the old stale gas out and removed and cleaned the petcock but now I'm going to store the tank and want to preserve the no rust condition.  I expect it may take a year or two to finish this project and the tank will sit unused for that time.  The tank will be stored in a heated/airconditioned shop but I'm unsure as to weather to try to coat the inside with something or leave it dry.  If coating the interior is a good idea what do you think about fogging it with WD-40 or similar product?  Any other suggestions?

Thanks,

Bruce B.

[joeb]

I would say fill it with gas but I am sure someone else here has better ideas. And probibly cheaper.

[Kannon]

I did think about filling it back up w/ gas but decided not to because I would again face the problem of getting rid of the old stale gas when it comes time to put the tank back into service.  But, being full of gas sure does seem to keep everything nice inside, so if I don't find another solution then that's what I'll do. 

Thanks,

Bruce

[ekpent]

Just drain it out in the spring into a seperate container and use it in your lawnmower or if its clean and rust free toss it in your car.

[crazypj]

spray the insides with light oil, its easier to wash out

PJ

[rostosky750]

One idea is to use a bottle of two stroke oil..........every so often just turn the tank upside down and swill it around.....then when you want to fit it to your [hopefully] wonderfully restored bike, [which will probably be one of the last jobs anyway] just rinse it out with fresh gas, till its clear of two-stroke oil and away you go...hope this helps,i have done the same movie and can attest to the fact that oil does indeed stop metal from rusting.

[hondalav]

Bruce,

Don't know how gasoline in your area is made, but over here in Europe all gasoline seems to consist of at least 10% water. I drain any tank and carbs of fuel if they are not used for a while and try to store the tank in a dry environment, free from humidity. Seen several tanks rust away on the bottom if they were topped off with gas before storage. Ask any Ducrappi owner about topping off a tank with gas before storage!

Regards,
Gerald

[BeSeeingYou]

Two stroke oil would work well.  Another option would be to use transmission fluid as it will burn without causing any problems.  Just a cup and occasionally swill it around.  I have a tank sitting in my basement like this for six months now and no problems.  Drain out what you can when you are ready to use, the little left will not cause problems.

[bucky katt]

maybe get a couple of bags of desicant like the ones you see in the box when you buy electronic and hang the bags under the closed cap? dont know where this idea came from, it just kind of popped into my head after looking at the 2 bags that were in the box with the new satelite reciever

[razor02097]

seal bottom of tank up tight.... fill with argon gas... seal the top of the tank tight.

 argon gets pushed out when you fill the tank with gas.

You can get argon gas with tank and hose at a welder supply shop. Many many other uses also.

[lone*X]

seal bottom of tank up tight.... fill with argon gas... seal the top of the tank tight.

 argon gets pushed out when you fill the tank with gas.

You can get argon gas with tank and hose at a welder supply shop. Many many other uses also.

Sounds like a $20 dollar solution to a 20 cent problem.   
Any good oil will work. Just roll it around a bit to coat the tank.  You have already said it will be stored in a climate controlled environment.

[Bodain]

If it sat for years with no rust. What makes  you think it needs something now? It certainly can't hurt to coat it with oil. Still even if you coat it with oil, that's no guarantee it won't start rusting.

It all depends on the environment. You need two things for rust to happen. Oxygen and moisture. You can store bare metal in a climate controlled environment for years with no rusting effect. On the other hand you could have bare metal in in your standard none heated garage and it will start to rust pretty quickly. As the temperature changes, condensation forms. Repeat this cycle for a year with standard weather changes and you have a rusted tank.

[razor02097]

seal bottom of tank up tight.... fill with argon gas... seal the top of the tank tight.

 argon gets pushed out when you fill the tank with gas.

You can get argon gas with tank and hose at a welder supply shop. Many many other uses also.

Sounds like a $20 dollar solution to a 20 cent problem.   
Any good oil will work. Just roll it around a bit to coat the tank.  You have already said it will be stored in a climate controlled environment.

Or if he knew someone with a welder.  He wants to store it for a year and by using a heavy inert gas will provide storage without having to swish oil around every few months.  Just a suggestion.

[IHWillys]

One idea is to use a bottle of two stroke oil...

Another vote for two-stroke oil.  My converted to pre-mix RD tank is pristine inside despite some less than desirable storage conditions at times.  I *think* it *may* be due to the oil in the gas.  I exclusively use Maxima 927 in the RD at 32:1.

As mentioned, pour some in the tank and roll it around like you would to apply a liner. No need to swish it around periodically, a film of it will stay in place inside a tank indefinitely.  Then when it's time to use the tank again, simply drain the excess and fill it up with gas with no need for concern about the residual oil that will mix with the gasoline.

A side benefit of using it in the fuel of any pre-mix 2-stroke is the wonderful smell of the exhaust.

As an alternate, I would try fogging with Break-free CLP aerosol.  One can find it where firearms/ammunition are sold.  It is a very good surface protectant against rust that occurs from condensation.  I would not trust WD-40.

Ken

[rostosky750]

Dont wan t to be picky {but i will be anyways cos its true} there is an issue with leaving the two stroke oil in, it causes the same problem as folk who think that after a rebuild it does their two stroke a "favour" to have more oil than it should......it is a common m,isconception.
"extra" two stroke oil will cause the motor to run  lean...and over heat just the same effect as too little...so a motor that shouldnt be running any two stroke oil like your honda fours for instance..do you really wanna lean out your fuel?

[razor02097]

Running the engine with more 2 stroke oil then needed isn't good cause it collects in the exhaust pipe and gums up the power valve plus it fouls your spark plug.  Lean or rich is the amount of fuel to air ratio and has little to do with the oil to fuel ratio.  With too much oil in the fuel you would have a very poor running 2 stroke motor.

In a 4 stroke it would fould the spark plug... maybe put soot in the exhaust or something.  Its not going to have an adverse effect other then that.

[IHWillys]

rostosky750, you are correct in that because two-stroke oil displaces fuel it leans out the mixure as the jets will be passing both and thus slightly less fuel for the same  volume passed.  However, I did mention "drain the excess" so the only oil in the tank that will mix with the fuel is what is clinging to the surface.  I don't know exactly how much this would be but I don't think I'd be far off base to guess in the multiple-hundreds-to-1 ratio area. 

razor02097, ...power valve... what power valve?  It's an RD400F not a later LC , hehe.  Yes, some oil collects in the Spec IIs but it's an old air-cooled engine that was originally lubed via injection and I have thousands of miles with this setup so I am hesitant to lean the oil mixture.  In addition, 32:1 is the middle of Maxima's recommended range for a ~200cc(24-40:1) and the plugs are "happy" with the jetting and the mix. 

Ken

[Retro Rocket]

I'm surprised no one has suggested diesel of kerosene, both are quite oily and do the job well.

Mick

[razor02097]

razor02097, ...power valve... what power valve?  It's an RD400F not a later LC , hehe.  Yes, some oil collects in the Spec IIs but it's an old air-cooled engine that was originally lubed via injection and I have thousands of miles with this setup so I am hesitant to lean the oil mixture.  In addition, 32:1 is the middle of Maxima's recommended range for a ~200cc(24-40:1) and the plugs are "happy" with the jetting and the mix. 

Ken

I was actually saying in response to rostosky750's comment.  Later liquid cooled 2 strokes had power valves and are not fun to clean gunk out of.  Excessive oil also collects in the pipe and saturates the fiberglass in the silencer.

Its ultimately up to you what ratio you run but with newer oil tech you could lean out your oil mix if you wanted to.

[spitfire]

My F1 sat in the garage for 10 years with the tank full, no rust at all.

Cheers

Den

[IHWillys]

... Excessive oil also collects in the pipe and saturates the fiberglass in the silencer.

Its ultimately up to you what ratio you run but with newer oil tech you could lean out your oil mix if you wanted to.

I was just joking with the power valve comment since the old AC RDs have none but the later LC RDs do.  And you are correct on the oil points.  It does collect in the pipes and saturate the silencer matting and oozes out past the slip joints at the head and at the silencer/pipe seam and the screws holding the silencer on and ...

The previous owner had it seize twice in a short period of time prior to selling it to me.  I was initially very cautious in finding suitable jetting and did so with the oil and ratio I still use.  The small mess of the oil that  occasionally requires cleaning is balanced out by the healthy engine over the past 15 years.  And hey, the pipes aren't rusting at all on the inside! haha.

Sorry for the hijack... back to scheduled programming.

Ken