RECONDITIONING THE INSIDE OF THE FUEL TANK
(shamelessly stolen from Sid Hansen's site without permission, thanks Sid)

NOTES:

My tank was treated some time ago with another product that resembled Kreem. If yours didn't have Kreem in it, you may be able to start by removing rust and then go to step 24 for rinsing prior to lining.

Work in a well ventilated area

Don't have ignition sources around (if you light-up, you might REALLY light-up!)

Be aware that acetone can eat away at a nice paint job, wipe it off immediately

Sucking acetone fumes into a shop vac can cause fire from the electric

It wouldn't hurt to read the material safety data sheet for the acetone and the epoxy - oh sure! Right after you read the owners manual for your computer!

The are probably many better ways of doing this process, but this one worked for me

There are too many directions here, so disregard the obvious items!

I have heard that for removing rust, 1 part molassis (thats right!) mixed with 2 parts water, several shakings and an overnight soak is real effective. I have not ever tried it. Muriatic acid is said to be effective also, but personally I wouldn't leave it in the tank for more than 4 or 5 minutes.

I have learned, subsequent to writing these directions, that for scouring materials, instead of using rocks, or a handful of nuts and bolts, I tried a 3 foot length of chain. It was the type of brass chain used for plant hangers. This was very easy to remove from the tank with a coat hanger ... much easier than the other types of objects!

MATERIALS:

1. two gallons of acetone (about $12.00/gal US in 1999)
2. about a gallon of sized and washed pea gravel (not aquarium gravel because it is resin coated and might render the acetone ineffective)
3. large drip pan
4. two fabricated petcock hole covers
5. tank epoxy from Caswell or other suitable tank conditioner(?)
6. shop vacuum that can be set to blow
7. baggies
8. optional expandable rubber plug for fuel fill hole
9. 10 mm wrench (open-end helps) for dealing with sender unit
10. wire cutter (may be needed for sender unit)
11. plenty of shop rags
12. replacement O-rings for petcock gaskets

PROCEDURE IN DETAIL:

1. drain tank of all gas
2. remove petcocks
3. remove fuel gage float/sender unit
4. fabricate covers to cover petcock holes
5. remove gaskets from petcocks
6. use petcock gaskets with fabricated covers and install on tank
7. disconnect lead wires from sender unit (may have to cut and then reattach later)
8. use gasket from sender unit, install sender unit backwards on tank with float on the outside
9. pour clean pea gravel (about a gallon) into tank
10. pour gallon of acetone into tank
11. install leak proof cap (I suggest using an expandable rubber drain plug, but I just held the fuel cap down tight)
12. check for leaks
13. shake periodically, to remove rust and Kreem (keep in tank at least a day shake often enough to keep the Kreem damp prior to draining or it will re-solidify)
14. open one petcock hole and sender unit port and drain out the acetone saturated with Kreem and rust
15. remove rocks (difficult to get them all. Acetone harms paint so remove it immediately)
16. CAUTION acetone fumes are flammable and can ignite with the motor of a shop vacuum. Manually remove them.
17. reseal tank sender unit port and petcock holes
18. pour in 1/2 gallon of fresh acetone
19. shake often
20. remove one petcock cover
21. drain acetone into drip pan
22. replace petcock cover and gasket
23. filter the used acetone through a coffee filter into a mason jar (use the mason ring to hold filter)
24. pour in the filtered acetone (or use fresh)
25. add fresh if needed
26. shake periodically
27. repeat steps 20 to 25
28. remove petcock cover and drain tank contents (get all remaining rocks out)
29. remove all other seals
30. use shop vac and hook it up for BLOWING.
31. Place hose over fuel filler hole and dry the inside of the tank very thoroughly (outside, of course)
32. Reseal petcock holes and sender unit port, but this time, use baggies between the tank and the gaskets to protect them from the resin. Note that I had to buy new O-rings anyway because my official Yamaha petcock gaskets were too deformed to seal after this process.
33. thoroughly mix the Caswell Tank epoxy (I used a drill attachment)
34. pour into the fuel filler hole and seal it.
35. rotate the tank, shake it, rotate it several minutes to cover all inside surfaces
36. continue for about 20 minutes or so (might depend on the temperature)
37. remove a petcock cover and drain excess epoxy
38. remove other petcock cover and sender unit
39. wipe off epoxy drips with acetone rag around open holes
40. let epoxy firm a little, install all screws with a drop of light machine oil, and then remove all screws to clear off threads, then let cure at least over night
41. NOTE: I tried coating the housing of sender unit (light sanding first) with epoxy, but some weird reaction happened and it never set up - very messy.
42. Reassemble
43. I should mention that I used allen-head bolts to attach the petcocks because it is so easy to strip the phillips head bolts trying to get them tight. If you go this route, be sure to use the fiber washers that were on the original petcock bolts to prevent gasoline from leaking down the threaded hole.

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