Topic: Not sure how I should handle this???

[Tews19]

I took off my tank to clean it out and I believe this is the petcock...
As you can see extremely dirty.... Do I replace or is there a trick to clean and not tear the plastic bag?

[TwoTired]

Spray off the sediment with aerosol carb cleaner.  Be gentle.
You could even back flush with carb cleaner while it is still soaked with carb cleaner.

Cheers,

[Tews19]

Carb cleaner won't ruin the bag?

[Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er]

The filter has a rubber base that fits into the large nut. Carefully remove that. Clean it off and clean the petcock out. You can still purchase the filter and the whole unit but they should be reusable. Carb cleaner will be fine.

Looks like you may need to give your tank some attention. A good flush at the least. If it gets to the point of clogging your filter often or you begin to get pinhole leaks at the seams then you'd need to use one of the tank liner kits which will clean out the rust and line the surface. Keep your tank full to prevent moisture from the air condensing and settling in the bottom of the tank. Use Stabile when it sits for extended periods. Tanks are not available new and can be hard to come by.   

[oldhondarider]

Should be a mesh bag... carb cleaner shouldn't harm it..

[Tews19]

The filter has a rubber base that fits into the large nut. Carefully remove that. Clean it off and clean the petcock out. You can still purchase the filter and the whole unit but they should be reusable. Carb cleaner will be fine.

Looks like you may need to give your tank some attention. A good flush at the least. If it gets to the point of clogging your filter often or you begin to get pinhole leaks at the seams then you'd need to use one of the tank liner kits which will clean out the rust and line the surface. Keep your tank full to prevent moisture from the air condensing and settling in the bottom of the tank. Use Stabile when it sits for extended periods. Tanks are not available new and can be hard to come by.

I just picked this 550F up two days ago.. She doesn't run so I am taking every precaution.... How should I flush the tank out? I was thinking water but dumb idea as that will creat more rust..... I will remove the rubber gasket and soak the petcock in carb cleaner...

[Greggo]

How should I flush the tank out? I was thinking water but dumb idea as that will creat more rust.....

There have been numerous threads on the subject.  Check the FAQ section, and also try searching 'tank rust' 'cleaning tank' with the search function towards the top of the screen.

[xsmooth69x]

rinse it out with gas lol

then take that gas strain it and put it in your lawn mower.

or go write your name in the neighbors yard and light it on fire.

for the petcock take it all apart separate all the gaskets and go to town on it with a shop size can of carb cleaner. chillax on the mesh part though, spray gently

[Deltarider]

extremely dirty

That's not extremely dirty. Sediment at the bottom is what you can expect. Filter did what it was supposed to do. Just rinse it with some diesel, kerosene or petrol. Handle with care, it's a good filter.

[Tews19]

Thanks all. Cleaned petcock w carb cleaner. Now I need to order carb rebuild kit.  Getting it from z1. Filled gas tank full w gasoline.