85 VF700f Reserve Tank full of crud

My tank is full fo rust and crud, and I cleaned out the main tank pretty good with a hose and I'm going to clean it with vinegar to get the rest of the rust out. But there is a ton of crud in the reserve tank. I took the fuel selector out and it wasn't much help. I also took the fuel sensor out not much came out either. How do I drain the reserve tank. Can't pump it out because there is to much stuff in there. I would really like to not cut it open if I don't have to. Ant help would be greatly appreciated.

 

From the photos I have seen of the inside, there is not a separate reserve tank, but two two separate convoluted pipes that pick up the gas at different heights in the tank. I faced the same problem with tank from my 83 which sat with gas for too long and then rusted. I was fortunate to find a pristine tank used, but not the same color scheme. There is a U-Tube video of a guy using muratic acid (much stronger than vinegar) to totally get rid of the rust. Once rust is gone, then you need to dissolve crud. One way I thought about cleaning the internal pipes was to put solvent in tank and use a small pump to recirculate solvent through pipes, using the selector to alternate tubes. Good luck.

 

Thank you so much for clearing that up! I took a magnet on a stick and got an amazing amount of rust out. I saw that same you then video and I thought vinegar would I be good enough but after today I'm going to go for the acid. Thanks so much for the help. I'm on my way to eventually a full resto. Bikes very rough has 40,000 miles. I did get it to run for a few seconds. But it needs a radiator. So I'm keeping my eyes peeled on eBay. Thanks for the help.


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How about a couple of pics of your bike?

 

The hose is the fuel system for now since the tank is dirty. I got it for free from a friend and I hope to have it ready for when I'm old enough to get my license in two years.


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Molasses works well on getting rid of the rust

 

Man you got your work cut out for you! Go to Harbor Freight and for about $30 you gan get a 6" bench buffer/wire brush unit that will make all your bolts and parts look clean and bright. Just finished my '83 and it was great.

 

Yeah harbor freight is going to come in handy. Still getting the chunks of rust out before I acid my tank


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The inside is pretty bad


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After getting the rust clean, are you going to put in tank sealer chemical or anything like that?

So just curious about brief little background on bike since you hope to have fixed by time you can drive. Is it project you found, inherited, given to you to fix up? Pics need a short story to them. BTW, good luck fixing up. Sure most on here will be glad to help with advice and knowledge. Welcome to the world.

 

So the story is the guy I work for had a friend that needed help cleaning out a barn he had because he was selling the house the next week. He said everything that we don't get out will go with the person who buys the house. I saw the interceptor there and thought it was very cool even in its state of disrepair and the man selling the house said do you like that bike? I said yeah I think it's really neat. He said you can have it if you want. So I talked to my parents and my dad and mom agreed to let me have it. Me and my dad went to get it before the house sold and brought it home. The guy I got it from said he bought it from a guy that said he was driving along and everything died. All I've really done is disassemble the body and hook a battery and most of the stuff works. The bike is very messed with. Including a zip tied faucet fuel pump that is wedged between the rear inner fender and the air shock. So there it sits in the basement (the garage is full of triumph cars) and when I get time I work on it. Right now I'm trying to get a good fuel system set up to run long enough to see if it's good. Then I will tear down and rebuild bottom up. Hopefully it goes well. So far I have $13 dollars into for fuel line and some starting fluid.


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I was hoping the story went something like that. Free is always the best kind. Keep us posted on the progress and have fun bringing her back to life!

 

Muriatic acid is a 10% solution of HCl or hydrochloric acid and water. Most big box garden shops stock it. Be careful with the stuff. Nitrile gloves and eyewear is good. respirator is even better.

For dissolving crud that is not metal, try some of the degreaser concentrate that Walmart sells as "Purple Power" . Also good is " Gunk" concentrate (NAPA) mixed with #2 diesel or paint thinner. Not a clue what is in the stuff but it's been around for decades. Turns the crud to soap. Some of that oxidixed steel can be removed with sand or shot.

Not easy to find but I have done a couple of rusted tanks using the shot method and hooking up the tank to a paint shaker.. Cool if ya like Salsa..

 

Hi jayg220,

you have a fair bit of pitting corrosion in there. Once you get it clean I would suggest having a mechanic inspect it to be sure that it isn't going to leak. They may recommend a coat of a sealant inside or sourcing a better tank. With respect to the cleaning, muriatic acid is really nasty stuff and I wouldn't recommend it for a steel tank as it can make the corrosion much worse and it's also dangerous to handle. Vinegar is slower but it will work and it's safer to handle. Shaking the tank with an abrasive in it (sand/shot) can work too if the rust is loose and flaky. If you're going to go with strong acids like muriatic, then I would suggest that you work someone who is familiar with handling them.

Once the tank is clean, rinse it several times thoroughly to get rid of any residual acid and chloride. You can blow dry it with compressed air. Once it's clean and dry you may want to consider getting a coat of sealant onto it to prevent any further corrosion as it's unlikely to get much fuel in it while your working on the bike.

 

Hi jayg220,

You are probably already on top of this so please feel free to ignore this but I was just looking at your fuel set up. Looks like an open funnel on a hose. I may be wrong I can't see it very clearly. With the funnel and hose, you have an open fuel container in what looks like an enclosed space, where fumes can build up, usually at floor level, one spark off your clothes or the bike and you could blow yourself up. It's also quite easy to spill gas when you're filling an elevated funnel from a fuel can.

For testing the fuel system, it might be worth grabbing a fuel tank for a small boat, they're basically a fuel can with a hose and gas tap and a vent. You may be able to borrow one if you have friends with boats. Workshop ones for this sort of job hold about half a pint and are pretty cheap. Ones designed for a small outboard motors are typically around 20L and you can pick them up for about $40 second hand. They're not that expensive and ensure that the fuel is contained. You can always sell it on after you're finished with it. If you do get it running, ventilation is important again, don't want to gas yourself.

 

I do have ventilation there's a door and I set many fans. And yes purple stuff is very good and I will try that. Also I think ill go with the vinegar instead. Thanks for the help.


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Also I will coat it what the best one and where do I get it


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Jayg220 what a great project! You must have done a lot of mechanical work in order to be so brave to take on this project, yes? Please keep us updated on the bike, your motorcycle endorsement, the whole shebang.

 

Muriatic being 90:10 solution of water to HCl. can be hazardous. It can also be diluted with water to say a 95:5 strength. Household vinegar is +/- 5% acetic acid. Great for washing windows ect., and really bad for salad dressing.. For a much stronger and milder acid that is similar. Glacial acetic acid. Kodak has it.

Some dudes get hydrochloric confused with hydrofluoric, the latter being some really bad shit. Great if you wanted to dissolve the whole tank and your garage floor..