Rust in Gastank

[Hillbanger]

I have a 98 B12.  For whatever reason or not, I recently discovered rusty spots inside my gas tank.  there is some damage around the petcock area and some spotting along the bottom.  I did notice some contamination in the bowls the first time I drained them, so I put an aftermarket paper filter fuel on the bike, and when I drain the bowls now, there was no sign of debris or color.  This is a quick fix, but not a solution.

I think the rust was there before I got the bike.  I didn't check... lesson learned.  I live in south Texas and I haven't let the bike sit more than a month, and then it had a full tank.

I checked with Bike Bandit for a new tank.  $540, ouch.  And there isn't a salvage yard anywhere nearby.

Is there any other options besides cutting into the tank and trying to remove and/or clean up the damaged areas?  

A friend of mine suggested trying to remove as much of the rust as possible with a steam cleaner, and treating the metal with a rust inhibitor, saying that he had done this on truck gas tanks for a construction company.  My concern would be the rust re-establishing itself.

Any suggestions?

[Maniac]

The exterior rust can be handled the standard way, just scrape the paint off, sand it, and paint it back up.

Interior rust is a little harder to remove. My tank had rust in it as well, ended up cleaning the tank as best as possible then coating it with the Kreem kit. That basically coats the inside of the tank in plastic. It doesn't remove the rust, but it seals it away where oxygen and moisture can't get to it, effectivly stopping it's spread.

[PeteSC]

I've had to use the Kreem kit, 2-3 years ago.
   So far, no problems.
 
   USUALLY, rust forms in the tank from condensation, due to the bike sitting for a while with less than a FULL tank of gas.
  There was one guy who had water in his tank from the gas tank fill area drain line being plugged.  When it rained, the water accumulated around the tank filler indent, and seeped into the tank.

   If the tank isn't LEAKING gas, I wouldn't get overly excited, but would go ahead and use a KREEM kit, or one of the other gas tank sealers.
   You'll either solve the problem, or buy a lot of time, while you search for a used tank, of the right color, or ebay.

  Do you actually have exterior rust on the tank?   I kind of doubt it's related to the internal rust.  (Otherwise you'd have gas allover the place...)

   The KREEM process will take you at least a long weekend, and is a little messy, but it's not difficult.
   I think there's still a product report I wrote on using the stuff....but you'll end up using a bunch of pennies, or washers, nuts, or something, inside the tank, with some soapy water, to knock the rusty stuff off.
  You'll seal the tank up, and pretend it's a big cocktail shaker.

http://forums.banditalley.net/viewtopic.php?t=338
  There's a least one more product, from Yamaha, that some people like.
 Some people have claimed the KREEM stuff flakes off after a couple of years, but I suspect they rushed the process.
  Mine's been in there for 3 years or more.   I did stretch the process out to a full week, giving the stuff plenty of time to dry.

[Hillbanger]

Thanks for the help here.  I found a parts shop that has it, and I'm starting tomorrow.

There is no rust on the outside of the tank.  My tank doesn't look as bad as the one in the picture on the instruction link, so I'm sure that this will work just fine.  I'm gonna do like Pete says and drag it out a week to make sure it's cured.

Thanks for the help.

[PeteSC]

Yeah, I  propped the tank up in front of a fan for the various drying periods, and used a hairdryer nozzle pointed in the filler hole, also.
  Use a couple of old towels or something cushion the tank as you work on it, and you won't scratch it up.
  Good luck!
 

[smooth operator]

We spray laquer thinner to clean the tank 1st,blow it out good. Make sure you keep roling it around covering all the nooks and crannys. A 2nd coat is recomended.