Coating inside of a gas tank?

[kestrou]

Store a bike over the winter with an empty gas tank and it’ll rust…

Store a bike over the winter with a full gas tank and, even with Stabil, you drain the gas out the next spring…

So, anybody ever put a coating inside of a gas tank so you can store it empty? If so, what did you use?! I’m imagining a fairly “runny” liquid you pour in, then roll the tank around to (hopefully) coat all the insides, then pour out the excess and let it dry?

Somebody tell me I’m crazy - then somebody else tell me how to do it!

Kevin

[ExplodingCoffinEmporium]

Good question man, interested to hear replies. I’m always a full tank/stabil then dump in the spring guy. I usually always do a good carb clean for season open anyhow so never have any issues, but if there’s a better alternative I’m in.

[kestrou]

This looks like the shiz-nit right here: https://www.kbs-coatings.com/tank-sealer.html#

I'm sweating that it would be too messy on an already painted tank to not screw up the outside finish - and interested to hear what the fellow Culters have done...

Kevin

[Whoremonger]

I have never had success with sealers, although i never tried the one mentioned by Kestrou. They end up flaking off after awhile , even though i follow the instructions to the tee, it ends up being a bigger problem than having to deal with rust. Personally, i stay away from tank sealers.

[docmel]

Why dump the gas after stabil? It stabilizes fuel for up to two years. It was never made to use and just dump after a few months. I have filled my bike tanks in the fall and come spring fire it up and ride it

[10scDust]

I have read more "don't coat the inside of gas tanks" advice than I can shake a stick at. my 2 cents

On the letting sit over winter months, we're talking less than 4 months where I live and don't worry about it. Heck, some of my older bikes sit almost a year sometimes. I just try not to let the gas get a year old sitting there. I get them out and ride a tank through and refresh with new before parking. Stabil goes in with it too.
Haven't had a fuel worry problem and cannot see dumping the tank after sitting for a season. But that's me.


edit in: If I were to dump the tank contents, I would collect it in an empty gas can, transfer it into my pickup (it has a 26 gallon tank), and blend it in with a top off at the station. Providing it isn't much more than a year old. Smell gives away too old to do that gasoline.

[ExplodingCoffinEmporium]

Why dump the gas after stabil? It stabilizes fuel for up to two years. It was never made to use and just dump after a few months. I have filled my bike tanks in the fall and come spring fire it up and ride it

Sits for 4-5 months by me, I dump it into my gas can and use it in the tractor, so it’s not going to waste. I pull the carbs and give them a go through and also my petcock/screen at the beginning of the season, so easy enough to just drain it then.

[CDeeZ]

Tank sealers/liners are all bullshit. I have never seen one that held up over time. I know some people will insist that they only fail because of improper installation and/or a subpar product was used, but I completely disagree.

The stock tank (long gone now) on my '03 sporty had a tank liner installed by HD themselves. It would shed what looked like little paint chips that would wedge in the jets and disrupt fuel flow, and/or keep the float needle from closing all the way and cause the carb to piss gas everywhere. After cleaning tank liner from the carb 15 or more times, I pulled the tank and removed the tank liner using an improvised and mixed approach. When I chopped that bike, you bet your ass the frisco tank that went on there didn't get any kind of liner.

I am actually in the process of removing the tank liner in the tanks of my 37 UL. The tank liner failure on this bike hasn't plugged up the jets like the stock HD one in my sporty did, but it causes the float to stick all the time from the trash breaking loose.


My understanding is this, HD didn't use tank liners for years and years, then for whatever reason, they started using liners for a handful of years around '03. They quickly abandoned tank liners after a short time of using them. At least this is what I know based upon what little information I could find on the topic.

If you think about it, you don't need a tank liner. If there's even some gas in the tank, the gasoline vapors should fill the headspace above the liquid gas good enough to prevent any substantial rusting. If in doubt about leaving gas in there for extended periods of time, either use a stabilizer like mentioned already, or just dump it out.

Here's some pictures of the failed tank liner in the tanks of my 37 UL. Somewhere I have pictures of the failed OEM tank liner that was in the stock tank on my '03 sporty. Can't find them at the moment however.

[Pborgia]

Try red kote. My painter uses all the time and has good luck with it. I will see how it works for my tank. So far so good.

[DustyDave]

it doesn't matter how good a coating is what's in the gas changes all the time as long as they call it a detergent what ever they want to dispose in your gas is fine and preoperatory (sp? secret) There was some quickie mart gas a few years ago that would dissolve powder coat and JB Weld. I put chainsaw gas in mine then run the carb dry before winter, seems to be a good Band-Aid for the ten years I been doing it.
Dusty