[speedy1949]

What is the best way to clean rust out of a sportster gas tank?
I have been riding the bike and it would just quit.If I got lucky it would start up and run good for a week or so then quit again.
I removed the carb bowl and checked for dirt and found only a few grains of rust.Then I turned on the petcock to check flow,cranked the engine and nothing.Pulled the tank and the petcock strainer was completely plugged up with rust! Large pieces.I cleaned the tank the best I could with just sloshing gas around and dumping it. Put it back together and now the petcock leaks.
I was wondering if they make a rebuild kit for it.It is the factory 2005 vaccume operated type.When I looked down in the tank it looked good and the metal is all clean no signs of rust. This is a 2005 883C Sportster just bought in June from Youngstown Harley Davidson,supposedly all checked out and ready to go.

[cowboy]

first off I would go talk to the dealer about this
second , sad but true in these times of hight price gas some folks water it down to make a buck & we get the bad end of the stick aka rust in tank bad running engine's , as I was typing this I went blank about the CO that sell A tank cleaner / sealer for auto's & mc but they sell all the different engine paint's & tool's for powed coating hope thats agood hint

[chucktx]

to clean it, get some rocks that will fit in the tank...not real small and not real smooth. clean them and drop in the tank with some clean gas. swish around for a bit, dump and redo until clean......the reason you are getting so much rust is that the tank sets for extended periods of time nearly empty or less than full. rust wont form in a full tank. keep the tank as full as you can and use a gas stabilizer if storing for extended periods.

[AFNurse]

I have also heard of using a handfull of marbles or ball bearings...... chuck's idea is cheaper!!!

[chucktx]

i use the rocks because of the "edge" ball bearings and marbles have none.....

[fxdxsteve]

a new stock petcock is only about 26 bucks its better to replace than rebuild

[wvak47]

is it with 05 Customs. Good luck man I have been fighting mine since before I joined this board. It has gone from a bonding period, to a POS Hardley (not mis-spelled), to someone with a trailer and six grand pulls up they own this thing, to not going to lose to this f**ker, it is now a grudge match that I ain't sure my bank account can win, but I will make this thing run again if I have to figure out how to put a suzuki motor on it. Ok that last part won't happen but it will run again.

Pulled the filter out of my tank (since I had to take it off to get the intake off to put in new gaskets) and it was coated with rust about .25" up . Cleaned that and drained the tank. Need to clean that out now before I put it all back (as usual around here still waiting on stealer to come up with parts). Like you I didn't find anything in the carb bowl when I first (oh God how many times ago was that) pulled it apart to start this project.

I thought my mom and dad took it a bit too easy that I finally bought a bike. Now I am starting to think she talked to the BIG MAN and put some prayer jinx on my ass. I hope I am only fighting gremlins and bad luck, would suck to with God, my arms are WAY too short.

Cowboy if you come up with the name of that company let us know please. Plan to repaint this winter anyway, might be a good thing to go ahead and do while I am at it.

[chucktx]

i would like to add something here about sealers....my opinion...i have painted a bunch of fuel tanks. some have had sealers in them. i have seen the sealers slide off the sides of the tank and stop up the outlets. had to use wire to get the stuff out. it came out like wet blankets. once the tank is clean, keep it full, that will prevent rust. if you do seal, follow directions to the letter. even then, the sealer doesnt get a complete seal, and will fail. i sealed one tank, will never seal another one....add 98cents to this an you will get a dollar!!

[cowboy]

Eastwood is the name of the co I was talking about , had to call my son to see if he remembered , I had a senior momet

[ironhorse]

if your planning on painting I would look in the jirehc or j-p type catalogs and you can pick up a new after market for a hundred or so and it will already be bare and ready and like chuck said keep it full and your problems will be gone, rust wise. another 96 cents and your at that dollar

[skull2007]

i having a radiator shop do some work on a fuel tank. they where telling me about puting liners in them anybody heard of that? i think they weld them in

[chucktx]

i have not heard of them, but, it they are welded into a steel tank that means they are also of steel and subject to rusting. especially at the welds....it sounds like double the trouble to me......

[Ultra Al]

I made the mistake of having a radiator shop pressure my shovel tank once and wound up with rust. Now I take them to a welding shop here and they use an inert gas to test them and BTW I will never paint another set of tanks that haven't been tested, even if they are new, another lesson learned the hard way. Instead of rocks I used some .45 jacketed truncated bullets (just the lead part) that would not chamber right, anyhow shake and pour shake and pour. A friend who owned an indy shop told me i could use Kreem but I damn well better follow the directions to the letter. That was back about 1984 I believe, i still have the bike and have never had a peeling problem. It is a two part system if memory serves me, first an etch and then the coat. AL

[skull2007]

i'm just hoping this new tank doesn't leak. seems to me this concept of putting in a liner would reduce the tank volume. it's been a nightmare

[Ultra Al]

If you have a new tank and there is no rust than I wouldn't worry about a liner. What I would do is at the very least put some gas in it before mounting the tank and let it set over night and then examine around the welded areas very carefully. i found my last bad weld after the clear coat was cured and the tanks were on the bike. My local welding shop does not charge me very much to test with Argon gas, cheap insurance. AL

[skull2007]

any ideas on what would be good to rinse the tank out with once i get it back.

[chucktx]

i would use gasoline. and no smoking!!

[CD]

Kreem peels off after a few years. Like Chuck sez, makes for a goop that is a PITA to get out.
I've used ball bearings and MEK (Methyl Ethly Keytone) and shook like hell, drained, flushed and repeated until no rust was visible and the MEK comes out clear.

Pressure test for leaks, have any leaks repaired and retest....leaks ruin paint faster than Hillary will f&ck up the country and that's pretty quick.

Like Chuck also explained if you do not ride at least weekly keep the tank full and if in storage for any length of time or your ride is infrequently ridden, use Stabyl in the fuel tank. If water in the gas is an issue or heat and humidity with cool nights condensing water vapor in the tank, a shot of rubbing alcohol every tank or two will help keep the rust gremlins away.

It really has nothing to do with HD quality at all. Ever see a rusted gas tank on a car? Same reasons.....

[skull2007]

keep in mind most rubbing alcohol is 30% water and 70% alcohol

[chucktx]

the good thing about alcohol is it encapsulates the water to remove it......