Jim's $400.00 1986 VF500F

Discussion in '1st & 2nd Generation 1983-1989' started by Jim McCulloch, Jun 25, 2019.

  1. Jim McCulloch

    Jim McCulloch New Member

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    Impressive, going to have to look into that.
     
  2. Simon74

    Simon74 New Member

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    I was skeptical, but it's, frankly, some sort of voodoo black magic science.

    For a petrol tank, it's easy. Remove the petcock and bung the hole, fill tank with washing soda mixture, the only difficult part is making sure your sacrificial electrode doesn't touch the surface of the tank. A bit of thin rebar will do the trick. The electrolysis happens more or less "line of sight", so you might have to move the electrode around during the process (with the power off, obviously). A battery charger is enough to power the process, when the amperage drops close to zero it's time to pull the electrode and clean it. I have been known to use a DC welder as a power source, 20A instead of the ~1A my charger throws out, which speeds thing up, but it's violent - things get hot, fast. I did the bed of that lathe with the welder, it took 4 hours instead of the 24 hours I left the tailstock in for, but the solution was almost boiling at the end.

    Oh, and don't use anything chromed or stainless as the sacrificial electrode. Hexavalent chrome in solution is bad, mmmkay. See "Erin Brockovich".
     
  3. Diving Pete

    Diving Pete Member

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    I'm always up on any process that works..

    Simon, do you have any links to follow - have another tank to play with as well as some spare pegs..
     
  4. Captain 80s

    Captain 80s Member

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    I've done electrolysis on a half dozen tanks now. It is simple and simply amazing. The best thing is it doesn't hurt the finish on the outside. No chemicals or acids.
     
  5. Jim McCulloch

    Jim McCulloch New Member

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    Hardest part is hanging the electrode without it touching the tank. On newer fuel injected motos (fuel pump in the tank) this would be easy but older tanks look to be tricky.
     
  6. Captain 80s

    Captain 80s Member

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    I just take some firm foam and carve into a cone shape to fit the filler opening and drill a hole for the anode. Put a bend on the anode a little after it exits the foam so it heads back and doesn't touch the tank.
     
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  7. Simon74

    Simon74 New Member

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    And don't forget to leave a vent for the gases produced...

    Links?

    http://antique-engines.com/electrol.asp

    or even (although the "rust and muck that came out of the tank" he shows towards the end is mostly from his sacrificial electrode, misunderstandings ahoy!)

     
  8. Captain 80s

    Captain 80s Member

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    I usually use a piece of mild steel tubing for my anode. If not I carve a notch for the vent.
     
  9. jeremyr62

    jeremyr62 New Member

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    Have a look at this too.
     
  10. Jim McCulloch

    Jim McCulloch New Member

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    Well, I got it done today and wow did that tank get hot. Ended up with about 5mm of gunk on the bottom of the tub. And this is after I tried the Cider vinegar treatment. The tank was really bad. Will post pictures later.
     
  11. Jim McCulloch

    Jim McCulloch New Member

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    Here is the byproduct from the tank. Nasty sludge though I am sure it is completely inert after neutralizing with the baking soda.

    IMG_9433.JPG
     
  12. deja vu

    deja vu New Member

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    Keep the faith. IMHO, POR15 works well after a good episode of electrolysis. The chemistry (even after all these years) is very cool to me - just a geek at heart. If it helps, I'll be happy to share some details on a recent rehab of an '87 VFR700 tank. This was, in fact, my first rodeo and I daresay it turned out fairly well.
     
  13. Jim McCulloch

    Jim McCulloch New Member

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    I am always wide open for information regarding rehab of tanks. I seem to be stuck on rehabilitating 80's vehicles and it ain't easy!
     
  14. sixdog

    sixdog Member

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    You know I have used this stuff in 5 diffrent fuel tanks and a couple were extremely bad and I have had great success...

     
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  15. Jim McCulloch

    Jim McCulloch New Member

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    So the petcock repairs are working (For now anyway) and I installed it on the tank. Took a bit of oring changing but it does not leak.

    The next step is to figure out how to make a transition from the large diameter '86 carb fuel feed to the small diameter '85 petcock. This is what I came up with thanks to Home Depot plumbing department.

    IMG_9437.JPG

    The barb end goes on the carb side and I used a piece of 5/16" transmission oil cooler hose for the petcock side. Looks ok but have not tested the integrity yet.

    IMG_9438.JPG

    The transmission hose was a tight fit into the large end of the hose barb. Not sure if it will seal but if not will try RTV on it and try again.

    IMG_9440.JPG

    A little further out view...

    IMG_9439.JPG
     
  16. NorcalBoy

    NorcalBoy Member

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    https://www.eldonjames.com/product/c5-4hdpe/ I would suggest going through these folks, they make the exact reducing coupling you need for that. You can choose the material to work with fuel. Stuffing the hose inside the coupling is not something I would recommend, unless you like fires.
     
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  17. jeremyr62

    jeremyr62 New Member

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    Yes, putting the hose into the coupling is OK for testing but you shouldn't leave it like that. It will eventually come out and then you have petrol everywhere. you need to be able to add a clip or cable tie to secure the hose. If the hose isn't designed for petrol it might dissolve too. I used some hydraulic hose and the petrol ate it.
     
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  18. Diving Pete

    Diving Pete Member

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    Just do a search for reducers on eBay - plenty of plastic versions about think I got a set about a year ago...
     
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  19. Jim McCulloch

    Jim McCulloch New Member

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    Agreed, I was not thinking this would be permanent , just for testing. I want to at least run it around the block and see if the compression starts coming back on the engine.
     
  20. Jim McCulloch

    Jim McCulloch New Member

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    So it's back together and has no gas leaks from the petcock or the test fuel line. Vacuum diaphragm is holding good on the petcock also. Fired her up on "reserve" position and ran it for 20 minutes. Still smoking but it idles fine at about 1100 RPM and has very little hesitation when I gas it. Still smoking unfortunately after the run.

    I will give it a whirl around the block when the neighbors are asleep in the morning and see how she does. Hopefully the rings will start to free up and I get some compression back. Hate to be "that guy" who smokes up the neighborhood but oh well.

    IMG_9445.JPG
     
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