I never have noticed that screen in any of these models I have worked on ?, maybe they were removed ?..lol. I am just glad I got a plastic tank..no more rust !..lol. I am sure the pipes inside this plastic tank will rust over time ?, but as far as the tank itself ?, yeah..done with that !. wasn't cheap ?, but man, it sure beats dealing with trouble down the road !.
86 TRX350 Fuel Tank Borescope
Hi bought a cheepy borescope for $20 about 2 years ago—I scratched the lens pretty bad, but it works better than nuttin
The attached pix are from an ‘86 TRX350 tank—showing the interior plumbing and the screens built onto them. First is the reserve pipe with the drain bolt removed; 2nd is the reserve intake screen 3rd is the plumbing that attaches to the petcock 4th is the bottom of the tank where water collected 5th shows the rust line.
Tank is not terribly rusty—you can see the some of the rust is flaking off in pretty thin pieces. I will use a vinegar soak and a pound of steel BBs to gently knock the rust off. Pics demonstrate the value of draining the tank annually and keeping it full to prevent condensation. Also important to use a flexible long handled small diameter bore brush to gently remove scale from the plumbing
The reason I use BBs is that they won’t damage the intake screens like bolts and other stuff people want to use. Even the polymer coatings that might work in straight draining tank might clog up these screens.
I checked the tank I cleaned two years ago—couldn’t take pics cuz the tank was full. I’ll drain it down maybe this weekend and show how well the soak worked.
The attached pix are from an ‘86 TRX350 tank—showing the interior plumbing and the screens built onto them. First is the reserve pipe with the drain bolt removed; 2nd is the reserve intake screen 3rd is the plumbing that attaches to the petcock 4th is the bottom of the tank where water collected 5th shows the rust line.
Tank is not terribly rusty—you can see the some of the rust is flaking off in pretty thin pieces. I will use a vinegar soak and a pound of steel BBs to gently knock the rust off. Pics demonstrate the value of draining the tank annually and keeping it full to prevent condensation. Also important to use a flexible long handled small diameter bore brush to gently remove scale from the plumbing
The reason I use BBs is that they won’t damage the intake screens like bolts and other stuff people want to use. Even the polymer coatings that might work in straight draining tank might clog up these screens.
I checked the tank I cleaned two years ago—couldn’t take pics cuz the tank was full. I’ll drain it down maybe this weekend and show how well the soak worked.
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I got a gallon of cleaning vinegar (6%) and a box of 6000 copperhead BBs: put in the rusty tank.
Taped the petcock holes and filler opening with aluminum tape; bubble wrapped tank and taped up in a cardboard box. Stuffed fed end out in my cement mixer in an off-axis orientation so the BBs would roll from front to back of the tank. let it ride for and hour and switched to end out for another hour.
Drained tank and removed BBs with a long handled magnet.
Mixed a gallon solution with 5 tbls of spa pH calcium hydroxide powder. Rinsed tank with that solution and poured out.
Dried tank with hair drier.
No flash rust.
I need to get some long pipe cleaners to ream out the fuel pipes. I would like to do it one more time but I’m pretty happy with the results
Taped the petcock holes and filler opening with aluminum tape; bubble wrapped tank and taped up in a cardboard box. Stuffed fed end out in my cement mixer in an off-axis orientation so the BBs would roll from front to back of the tank. let it ride for and hour and switched to end out for another hour.
Drained tank and removed BBs with a long handled magnet.
Mixed a gallon solution with 5 tbls of spa pH calcium hydroxide powder. Rinsed tank with that solution and poured out.
Dried tank with hair drier.
No flash rust.
I need to get some long pipe cleaners to ream out the fuel pipes. I would like to do it one more time but I’m pretty happy with the results
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Sometimes you don't need a scope to see inside , but when you do get a tank beyond repair , don't ditch it , you can cut it and make a wall hanger , there is one hanging on the patio , a bird has had a nest in the back side of the tank every year since I hung it up , so the Honda tank still brings life
I did that electrolysis thing on a 300 tank one time , you take a plastic cap to fit over the fill hole and act as a isolator , drill a hole thru the top of the cap , a piece of wood would work for a cap , put a piece of all thread with a nut on each side the cap , fill the tank with a mixture of baking soda and water , hook a battery charger to the all thread and to the tank , I went for 3 amps , the all thread attracts the rust and becomes a corn dog looking thing , on the 3rd day when I done it , it ate thru the tank and leaked all the water all over the place and made a mess , the tank was too bad to start with , never did the electrolysis thing again
I did that electrolysis thing on a 300 tank one time , you take a plastic cap to fit over the fill hole and act as a isolator , drill a hole thru the top of the cap , a piece of wood would work for a cap , put a piece of all thread with a nut on each side the cap , fill the tank with a mixture of baking soda and water , hook a battery charger to the all thread and to the tank , I went for 3 amps , the all thread attracts the rust and becomes a corn dog looking thing , on the 3rd day when I done it , it ate thru the tank and leaked all the water all over the place and made a mess , the tank was too bad to start with , never did the electrolysis thing again
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Ok I ran a second acid wash with 2 gallons of vinegar and all the BBs, but for half the time (1 hour). I recycled the first batch of material, mixing in new.
I think the greater volume resulted in longer contact time with the acid and more physical contact with the BBs on interior surfaces.
This tank looks great on the inside; when I get ready to use it will rinse out any calcium hydroxide residue with a little fuel
I think the greater volume resulted in longer contact time with the acid and more physical contact with the BBs on interior surfaces.
This tank looks great on the inside; when I get ready to use it will rinse out any calcium hydroxide residue with a little fuel
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Hi Jeep
Yeah that material should work I would use 2-6 tablespoons (3 teaspoon/tablespoon) per gal. the reason I make it extra strong is that some of the limewater will be neutralized by residual acid (vinegar) left in the tank. Slightly stronger solution in this case is better than slightly weaker.
Have a hair dryer ready. After the vinegar rinse I empty the tank through the drain or petcock hole. try to get all the BBs out with a magnet. Rinse with that high pH solution, empty, then start drying. Roll that tank occasionally to get remaining BBs and water moving.
If you use a heat gun beware that you don’t get it so hot you blister the paint
When mixing acids and bases always add the pure mix to water, rather than adding water to the pure mix. The chemistry rule is “Always Add Acid” TO water.
Here’s my tank now
Yeah that material should work I would use 2-6 tablespoons (3 teaspoon/tablespoon) per gal. the reason I make it extra strong is that some of the limewater will be neutralized by residual acid (vinegar) left in the tank. Slightly stronger solution in this case is better than slightly weaker.
Have a hair dryer ready. After the vinegar rinse I empty the tank through the drain or petcock hole. try to get all the BBs out with a magnet. Rinse with that high pH solution, empty, then start drying. Roll that tank occasionally to get remaining BBs and water moving.
If you use a heat gun beware that you don’t get it so hot you blister the paint
When mixing acids and bases always add the pure mix to water, rather than adding water to the pure mix. The chemistry rule is “Always Add Acid” TO water.
Here’s my tank now
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