Help me Obi-wan...ya'll are my only hope!

[URLOOZN]

Hello oh vast deposit of knowledge for fixing junked up bikes!
Here is the latest eppisode in the repair world of Kenny's life:
I have this guys 'Busa at my house. I checked it out and found the fuel pump locked up tighter than Dick's hatband. I bought a new one ($500 at the stealership, $230 at Bike Bandit) and replaced it. The guy said it had been sitting for a while and the gas may be bad so I drained it out of the tank before going forward. It smelled like paint and was almost the consistency of milk. As in flowed a little slower than it should and was a nice golden brown clear color. So I plumbed everything up and used my special tool that I got to enter the 'dealer mode' in the ECM to clear the codes. Pump comes on, everything ready to go. Then I went to add some fresh gas to the tank so I could fire the beast up and I found another REAL bad problem. The gas cap was hard to open because of all the crap that is lining the tank! It looks like about a 1/16" layer of goop in there. Sure, I can pull all the other parts off and clean them up with kerosene or the like but the question is what do I use for the tank? Is there something out there on the market that is made specifically for this? I could take a gallon or two of kerosene or mineral spirits and shake it up in the tank but I'm afraid to damage the paint. This is going to add a lot of time to the repair process but I refuse to let anything out of my shop that still has any problems. So whatever suggestions, information, thoughts ya'll can give me will help out a lot.

Thanks!

[bayoubikebruiser]

muraatic acid for cleaning pools and a handful of old nuts from the hardware bin in your shop. Rattle it around, rinse, repeat, then use "Cream"in the tank to line it and you're done.

[URLOOZN]

What kind of 'cream' are you refering to? And won't the nuts and such damage the lining to the tank? I didn't think of muratic acid but I guess that would work pretty well. How bad would that screw up the paint on the outside if I were to spill some on it?

[CajunRider]

I'm thinking the 'cream' he talks of is for the purpose of repairing the damage done to the inside of the tank during cleaning.

I used something like that once to repair a tank on and old dual sport (TW200). The inside the tank was rusting and wouldn't stop. The 'cream' stuff (can't remember the name) coated the inside of the tank, stopping rust. Worked great!

[scootertrash]

I would say go get some 93 octane fuel and a pack of BB's. Put about a gallon of the 93 and the BB's in and just shake it for awhile. Repeat till you are satisfied.

[URLOOZN]

Well that would all be well and good if it was just rust. It's like sludge or something. I had to scrape it off of the gas tank cap so it would work again. It's the consistency of play dough. Will these procedures work for that stuff as well or is that just for flaky rust type material?

[Dirty_Sanchez]

muraatic acid for cleaning pools and a handful of old nuts from the hardware bin in your shop. Rattle it around, rinse, repeat, then use "Cream"in the tank to line it and you're done.

EJ, you beat me on the draw.

I used to do the very same thing when I restored old Vespa Scoots.

Nuts and bolts, or even pea gravel and muratic acid from the swimming pool section at Home Depot or Lowe's.

Worked like a champ every time, but I always had to creem the tank afterwards to seal the metal to prevent the rust from coming around again.

Dirty

[scootertrash]

Trial and error! I would try the gas and bb's first. If that doesn't work, I would then go to the Muratic acid and other stuff mentioned..... God Speed! lol

[URLOOZN]

OK then. I'll try those things and let ya'll know what the outcome is. Of course, nobody has given me a name for the 'cream' product or even a manufacturer name to work from. Anyone? Anyone?

[Dirty_Sanchez]

OK then. I'll try those things and let ya'll know what the outcome is. Of course, nobody has given me a name for the 'cream' product or even a manufacturer name to work from. Anyone? Anyone?

Oh, lord, no, not the "Who's on first" schtick.

Creem IS the name of the product. Google it or go to Rad's. He usually keeps it in stock behind the counter.

I've been thinking about this goo in the tank.

When I've run across that problem, I used a stick or long flathead screwdriver to get the goo loosened up. Vespa tanks don't have near the nooks and crannies that 'Busa tank has, but it's worth a shot.

Gas is what created the goo, so gas coupled with a scraper stick might just reconstitute the goo into some semblance of a pourable gruel.

Dirty

[SVTFreak]

I would try Chemtool B12 before going for the HCL (Muratic acid=hydrochloric acid). Anything in that tank could corrode from that. The chemtool will loosen it, and use either nuts and shit, or pea graval, or copper BB's in the chemtool. That should get it out nice.

[thedrizel]

http://www.instantop.com/CyclePage/Kreem.htm

[URLOOZN]

Thanks boys! That straightens me out nicely! Once I get the tank cleaned out and the beeatch running I'l have Tiffany take pics of me riding it up and down the treet with no bodywork and sitting on a rolled up towel!

[URLOOZN]

Ok here's an update:
I spoke to a friend of mine who restores old Gold Wings and he recommended another product called Por 15. He has experience with all of the methods ya'll presented and swears by this stuff. I checked the website out (www.por15.com) and it looks like the most complete and thorough of the options. Plus it really isn't all that expensive so I ordered a kit to try when I get home. I'll post the results for everyones benefit once it's all said and done. Again, thanks for all the input!