My humble apologies if this has been beat to death, but there's a ton of conflicting information out there on the web. Some say use acetone, but then others say it melts fiberglass. Some say mineral spirits is fine and is gentle enough, but some say no. All agree Dawn dish washing liquid is good, but doesn't provide the instant gratification. Some say Brakleen, but it has to be the green can, etc...etc....
My tank isn't bad. No huge sludge lumps or anything like that, just the normal sticky old slime lining the inside of the empty tank. I really don't want to run that slime through my engine, brand new oil lines, and external oil filter. I thought about getting a big bucket filled with hot water and Dawn, and let it soak overnight, but....but...but....
Any knowledgeable input would be great. As my Starfire gets closer to its Launch Date, I really don't want to melt this clean, original tank, or send any resins through the oil system.
I certainly wouldnt put pump petrol in a fiberglass tank. Modern fuels will cause the seams to fail.
Sorry. Misready the initial post. Dont be tempted to uze petrol to wash it out.
The only way you can use a fibre glass petrol tank with modern fuels is to line it first with POR-15 or equivalent otherwise the fuel will dissolve it. If the tank appears to have been lined already, I would definitely clean it out thoroughly and consider adding another layer of sealant, just to be sure. To clean it out thoroughly, I would be tempted to consider caustic soda as this will dissolve most things but should not attack the fibre glass although I would double check this first!
Hi,
Is the oil tank still on the bike? If not then easy to flush with WD40 and brake cleaner to loosen things up followed by hot soapy water and then a hose. Allow it to dry or use a hair drier to speed things up.
I have just cleaned my oil tank in situ on an A65.
I first spayed in plenty of WD40 and used a bottle brush to stir things up. If you poke a rag in to soak some of this dirty WD40 that will help. Do this a couple of times and if you have one, use an air line to blast it all out. When looking cleaner inside, use some brake cleaner to finish it off and blast the residue out with an air line but check if the brake cleaner is OK for fibre glass as my tank is steel.
If the engine was previously fitted with an external oil filter then that could account for the lack of sludge or it has not done many miles. With the filter fitted use a detergent oil so that any contaminants are carried to the filter and not 'stored' in the sludge trap.
Dave.
Thanks for the info, Dave. I added the external oil filter just last week. The tank is amazingly clean for a bike that has never run an external oil filter. That said, the PO drained all the fluids prior to its long-term storage and the odo shows very low mileage, though I'm not sure if it's original. I'll try the brake cleaner/WD40/hot soapy water method and keep my fingers crossed.
Quote from: Spaceman on 04 Feb, 2023, 06:54
The only way you can use a fibre glass petrol tank with modern fuels is to line it first with POR-15 or equivalent otherwise the fuel will dissolve it. If the tank appears to have been lined already, I would definitely clean it out thoroughly and consider adding another layer of sealant, just to be sure. To clean it out thoroughly, I would be tempted to consider caustic soda as this will dissolve most things but should not attack the fibre glass although I would double check this first!
sadly por 15 isnt reccomended for grp or plastic tanks.