[CBX n GL man]

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Hey guys and gals I have some issues with my new to me '84, I need to either drain out half a tank of old gas or remove tank completely.
I rather just drain or syphon out but would I be able to get all the gas out or do I need to actually remove the tank. I rather not remove it unless it's the only choice I have.
Thanks. Later.

 

[lyleapgmc]

imported post

Have a fire extinguisher close by.

Disconnect the fuel line from the filter and drain as much as possible that way. Take off the seat and remove the fuel gauge sender. You can siphon out the rest through the opening.

If you are only wanting to get the old gas out the first step would probably be enough if you fill it with fresh gas. Depends on how old the old gas is. If it smells like varnish you may want to get rid of as much as possible.

Check the tank for rust. If it needs cleaning you may need to remove it depending on what method you use to remove the rust. Electrolysis will work on the bike. Chemicals or the radiator shop require removing the tank.

 

[CBX n GL man]

imported post

I'll try to drain from the line as much as I can then. How much is actually left in tank after that method ?
Bike has been sitting about 6yrs. and there is some rust around the filler neck inside.
One question, is there anything I can mix with some fresh gas that will loosen up whatever is in the bottom of the tank ?
Later.

 

[scotterichmond]

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On the 1100 you can remove the fuel hoses at the selector valve and attach another length of hose ( long enough to reach the floor in a pail) and select reserve. start the siphon process and it will drain it all. ( maybe leaving a dribble) it worked for me . You can get the siphon going by blowing air into the filler neck with a rag wrapped around the air nozzle. (gently in won't take much to start it. good luck.

 

[lyleapgmc]

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You don't want to loosen whatever is in the bottom of the tank. It will get through the fuel system and either clog the filter or the smaller particles will pass through the filter and clog something more critical in the carburetors.

I would try wiping the inside of the tank with a rag on a long dowel. GumOut or similar might loosen whatever is in there depending on what it is.

Removing the tank involves removing the rear wheel, the saddle bags and trunk. I tipped the bags and trunk up and over where the seat was. If I remember correctly,(there's an acronym for that :smiler: ) the master cylinder had to be moved out of the way. The tank itself must be persuaded to come out of its nesting place. It is a close fit but it will slide out.

 

[blackknytecnc]

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I used a hand pump with a hose through the fuel sending unit hole to pull out all the gas. Then I taped a brush to the end of a piece of 1/2" square tube to scrape the tank good and clean, then I taped the tube to my shop vac and pulled out all the crud. I then filled it with about 1/2 a gallon of fresh gas, scrubbed, drained, vacuumed and repeated 4 or 5 times. Tank was good as new.

While the sending unit is out is a good time to hit it pretty good with some contact cleaner.

 

[CBX n GL man]

imported post

Ok I drained it with a hose on the fuel tap, just over 4 gal. came out and it looked just like iced tea color. Wasn't much junk that came out with the gas, so maybe not as bad as I expected.
There is a brownish coating in the tank even below the gas line, looks pretty uniform so possibly not rust like I suspected.
Eventually I'll pull the seat and sender to see how it looks from that end, meanwhile I put about 1/2 gal. of fresh gas with a little seafoam and fuel stab. to dilute whatever gas is still there.
I'll try to brush and wipe whatever I can before I drain again and repeat till gas comes out clear, thanks. Later.

 

[Dancinbear]

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Can't believe you didn't blow yourself sky high using a shop vac for that job. Not exactly intrinsically safe. And I would dang sure not tell some one to try it either.

Sheesh.

 

[wilf]

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Okay guy's this is getting crazy. An aqantance of mine was removing the gas tank on an old junker mustang I think and he decided to cut the straps with a cutoff wheel.
The tank had been empty probly 10 yrs with the cap off. Well a spark either got to the filler or he nicked the tank but it poped. He was in life and death situation for a week and has most of the skin on his face and arms grafted back on.He was lucky?
How lucky do you feel?
Wilf

 

[Bike...and Dennis]

imported post

Siphon pumps are cheap. Its TWO bolts to remove the seat. Some say vinegar is a good way to clean the rust out of the tank. Sure wouldn't hurt to try that.

 

[lyleapgmc]

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I used toilet bowl cleaner to take off a light coating of rust in my 1200 tank. I did have the tank off while doing that. It worked well to get rid of the rust. Dilute the cleaner, pour in the tank and let it soak. Rinse and repeat until the tank is clean. Then rinse with fresh water. I used the cheapest cleaner that WalMart had.

One may be able to do this with the tank on the bike. You will have to drain as you did with the old gas then mop up any water remaining. The ethanol in today's gasoline :ROFL: should take care of the little bit remaining.

 

[Bamaeagle]

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wilf wrote:

Okay guy's this is getting crazy. An aqantance of mine was removing the gas tank on an old junker mustang I think and he decided to cut the straps with a cutoff wheel.
The tank had been empty probly 10 yrs with the cap off. Well a spark either got to the filler or he nicked the tank but it poped. He was in life and death situation for a week and has most of the skin on his face and arms grafted back on.He was lucky?
How lucky do you feel?
Wilf

WOW!!! I had two buddies of mine back in High school days that did the same thing! They got a old car from the junkyard to build a dirt track race car. They were removing the gas tank and decided to use a cutting torch to cut the straps off.....when the first strap was cut the tank fell and the torch end went into the filler neck. The tank exploded and blew the guys out from under the car. Both got badly burned on face , arms and hands, but they lived.

Moral of the story....BE CARFUL when working around gas lines, tanks & carbs. Even if they have been sitting for years without gas in them.

 

[blackknytecnc]

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Can't believe you didn't blow yourself sky high using a shop vac for that job. Not exactly intrinsically safe. And I would dang sure not tell some one to try it either.

Sheesh.

Deep breaths, you can do it. The shop vac had 15 ft of hose on it and was as far from the bike as it would reach. I have 5 fire extinguisers in my garage located where I can always get to one no matter where the fire is. But the reality is, regardless of what you think"common sense"is telling you, a wet/dry vac is sealed well enough that the odds of actually igniting the gas are like 1 in a couple thousand.

If I really had a concern about it igniting I wouldn't do it. I'm doing a bunch of work on my truck next month and one of the jobs requires adding an additional sending unit to the 40 gal tank. The instructions for the unit say to drain the gas and let it air out for 3 days, then cut away... I spent $150 a new tank, I don't play those games.

 

[scotterichmond]

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blackknytecnc wrote:

Can't believe you didn't blow yourself sky high using a shop vac for that job. Not exactly intrinsically safe. And I would dang sure not tell some one to try it either.

Sheesh.

Deep breaths, you can do it. The shop vac had 15 ft of hose on it and was as far from the bike as it would reach. I have 5 fire extinguisers in my garage located where I can always get to one no matter where the fire is. But the reality is, regardless of what you think"common sense"is telling you, a wet/dry vac is sealed well enough that the odds of actually igniting the gas are like 1 in a couple thousand.

If I really had a concern about it igniting I wouldn't do it. I'm doing a bunch of work on my truck next month and one of the jobs requires adding an additional sending unit to the 40 gal tank. The instructions for the unit say to drain the gas and let it air out for 3 days, then cut away... I spent $150 a new tank, I don't play those games.

Just playing the devil's advicate here.... what does the "manual" for a shop vac say about explosive or flamable liquids? do you really know ?



I could not sleep at night if you have a mishap, and I did not at least try and change your mind.



There I will leave it alone now .

 

[blackknytecnc]

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Just playing the devil's advicate here.... what does the "manual" for a shop vac say about explosive or flamable liquids? do you really know ?

Fair enough, but they also have warning signson gas pumps telling you not to use your cell phone and the instructions for q-tips telling you not to put them in your ears. anything you do comes with some level of danger, it's all about how you do it. But there's a huge difference between using a shop vac for a tiny bit of rust and gas and taking an angle grinder to a gas tank.

 

[Bike...and Dennis]

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Just riding a motorcycle is taking a risk. As is walking on a city street or getting into a taxi. We just have to live with that fact. If you feel like using a shop vac is risky, fine. But let's not make this thread about that, please.

 

[scotterichmond]

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Done deal