I know I have started other threads on cleaning a gas tank, but one of them is very old and I didn't want to resurrect. The most recent was regarding lining, which I have thus far decided I am not going to do.

My tank seems to be endlessly rusty. I did several cider vinegar baths and got literal cupfuls of rust out of the tank. I had removed all of the loose particles, though the surface still appeared rough and rusty. I fogged with oil beucause it was shelved for several months. Recently I have shaken the tank for 10-15min with sheet metal screws, and rinsed with gasoline until it flowed clean. The inside is still not shiny metal, but doesn't appear too rusty or flaky. I've started running the bike, and it continually clogs the petcock. After maybe 30 minutes of total run time, the inline filter is full of bits of rust. Obviously the tank is not ready.

I think I am going to try the electrolysis route now. Seems pretty straightforward, share your experience if you have any.

Yes, phosphoric acid is the most common method, get it at hardware store, sometimes it will re-rust, any tank I do now will be the electrolysis method, I use a soultion of sodium carbonate, ( pH increase for pools and spa) and water, a copper wire with a zink plated bolt for the anode, remove and clean the bolt each day, it will dissolve after a week, replace the bolt about half way through, using an old school battery charger with copper windings for the voltage, a week to 10 days to get it right, use a block off plate for the petcock , disolved the petcock internals on the first one, the beautiful thing about this method is that the process etches the metal with black oxide and so far have not had a re-rust

Did you feed it after midnight or get it wet?

Using a bolt works, but takes a while. I use fence wire that you can buy in rolls at any Lowes/Home Depot/Ace. I cut to length, then wind loops until long enough, then poke through a expandable freeze plug, shaped to a cone to fit and stay put in the tank opening. The longer anode gives you more surface area in the solution and speeds the process.

See post #3 in this forum thread.

yamaha-enduros.com/index.php/forums/1972...ck-c-brown-shoes-at2

I may be the only one who didn't know this, but if your battery charger is "fully automatic" it won't work. It thinks it has been shorted and turns itself off.

So now I need to invest in another battery charger.

I have a spare 12V battery for my FZ6 that is fully charged. I'll try putting that in the loop.

been wondering about using a battery and modern automatic charger , keep us posted

I used an old laptop charger to make my electrolytic cleaner a few years ago. +1 on using wire fence pieces that was my sacrificial material of choice.

Last time used it was for a 2 piece go kart clutch that was rusted together. Took about 2 days for it to free up.