The Hodaka Club Forum

Have a friend with a really badly rusted tank. Not enough to leak but bad enough to need cleaning.

I’ve read on this topic here before, but I only got 4 posts on my search. So what treatments do Hodaka folks like for rusty tanks? Shake & rattle with something inside the tank? A chemical rust remover? Need some good starting points. This is a no premix tank we are talking about. Thanks! Victor

Hi Victor, I really like and frequently use Evaporust. I know a lot of people swear by elecctrolytic derusting, but having tried it, it works no better than Evaporust and does require a bit of fiddling around. Don't be surprised if pinhole leaks develop after the derusting process. If that occurs, Caswell 2-part epoxy tank sealer is an excellent fix. I've resurrected several tanks with this combination with great results and durability.

It may have been here, but I'd seen apple cider viniger mentioned to remove rust inside of gas tanks. I gave it a try along with some loose bolts and nuts and the stuff worked out pretty well. Your friend might want to give it a try.

clean out all the old gas and varnish with carb cleaner..use the screws/nut/bolt procedure to get ride of the big rust flakes...then soak with Evaporust..if it's cold put the tank under a heat lamp...if nice and sunny and warm out set it outside in the sun....the product works best above 75 degrees F...I tried Metal Rescue once...Went right back to Evaporust...

As the squid said, cleaning out the old gas oil sludge and varnish is a must. I use Lacquer thinner for that with the nuts screws ect with the shaking. --------------Clarence