Rust in metal outboard tank

[esarratt]

I bought a metal 6 gallon gas can. It has some rust inside.


What is the best way to clean out the rust?


Any other thoughts.

[HopCar]

Throw it out and buy a new plastic one. Anything you do to remove the rust and prevent it from rusting again will cost more than a new plastic tank. Once they start rusting, they keep on rusting.

[ahun]

You will have sooo many problems down the line with the outboard if you're going to use this tank...

Use it as an ornament in the shed and buy a new plastic one.

[Jammer]

Iron-out from the grocery store and hot water to get rid of the rust


Rinse with cold water and dry at a low temperature to avoid flash rust


Wash with denatured alcohol then wash with acetone


Remove fuel outlet assembly, clean the screen, replace any leaking o-rings and gaskets. You can get a kit with the o-rings, springs, and domed plugs on ebay for like $10 with free freight. The cork gasket for the glass, and the gasket where the outlet assembly meets the tank, are available from crowlymarine.com and marineengine.com among other sources.


There are cheap plastic tanks out there too if that's the way you roll

[Jammer]

Originally Posted by ahun

You will have sooo many problems down the line with the outboard if you're going to use this tank...

Use it as an ornament in the shed and buy a new plastic one.

I have two of them and they work great

[s/v michaela]

you can always put an inline filter on your fuel hose to catch rust particles...

[Scorpius]

Throw some gravel in, hang from a tree, and shake. Change the orientation and do it again. Repeat in various orientations. Dump out the gravel and wash out wit acetone.

Or, better, buy a plastic tank.

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by Scorpius

Throw some gravel in, hang from a tree, and shake. Change the orientation and do it again. Repeat in various orientations. Dump out the gravel and wash out wit acetone.

This and if you really want to save the tank, there are products that will line the tank with what amounts to a plastic layer.
Oh, and I think after the gravel you add acid, rinse that out, then the acetone and finally the tank Kream or whatever product you use.

https://kreem.com/fueltankliner.html

I did it on a Suzuki GS 500E that I road raced in Clubman class, lots cheaper than a new motorcycle tank.

But Google how to treat a rusty motorcycle tank, but a plastic outboard tank is easier, probably less expensive and better.
Anywhere you put that steel tank in a day or two it’s going to leave a rust ring on the deck.

[lvictorlucas]

Unless it is so badly rusted it might leak the easiest way to go is to dry out the tank, rinse it several times with water hose to get rid of the rust and dry it again. The most important step is to add a good clear fuel filter to the line before your current fine filter to catch any remaining particles.

[foufou]

If the rust is only superficial you can paint it with Ospho, a rust converter, then paint it with epoxy and you likely have a good fix. And as noted above put an inline filter for insurance

[esarratt]

Many thanks for the ideas! I am going to try to clean out the rust and coat the inside + a couple inline fuel filters. If that does not work well enough I will seek out a high-end plastic one.

[Chayal]

OP, check out POR-15. They make a product specifically for these issues. I’ve used them several times on rusty vehicle fuel tanks. ~15-20$ cad.

I’m sure there’s plenty of other products too.

That’s a nice tank worth saving and keeping out of the scrap ^

[Ssas5342]

Ball bearings, nuts, bolts, anything that will knock the rust off. Chuck a bit of diesel in and shake the bejeezers out of it. Pour it all out and rinse with diesel again.

[Wotname]

Red-Kote is made to do this job! I dunno if it is available north of the equator but if not, there must be a similar product. Widely used by vintage motorcycle restorers to restore rusty fuel tanks.

Fuel Tank and Radiator Service - Red-Kote® - Overview

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by HopCar

Throw it out and buy a new plastic one. Anything you do to remove the rust and prevent it from rusting again will cost more than a new plastic tank. Once they start rusting, they keep on rusting.

Get rid of it now before it clogs up your Carburetor

If you can afford a 31' sailboat, you can afford to buy a clean plastic gas tank.

I had one just like yours in ........1971!