XB9S Gas Tank (Frame) cleaning Help

[45vtwin]

I have the sickness, just bought another Buell. First one was a 2006 XB12X
This one is a 2003 XB9S and has been sitting awhile and does not start.
The fuel pump is dead. I have bought all the parts to rebuild but my problem is inside the tank.
While cleaning I notice a blackish coating peeling away form the tank sides.
Has anyone ever come across this and how did you remove (clean) it?. I have attached pictures of the pump and the coating.

 

[rchuff]

Can even see corrosion of the aluminum frame. That was a lot of water in their. Hope it wasn't salt water .Almost looks like it might have been.

 

[45vtwin]

Yep, it is bad. This is some of what came out after soaking. Any ideas on what to use to clean out this tank.
Tried Oxi Clean from some searches on other forums. Still have some left.
What ever this stuff is, it is all over the tank walls like a coating.

 

[Cooter]

Sometimes when a tank is that bad, you'll have to resort to cleaners and a physical scrubbing with the ol' gravel/marbles trick. It will be very hard to do, even if you strip the frame/tank from the bike.

Same problem if you decide to coat the inside, you'll need to turn it over and over for about 2 hours...

IMO, I'd get it as clean as you can, and plan on changing the fuel filter regularly for awhile. Chickenstripen just made a puller tool for the job

 

[user_deleted]

This is a very unfortunate situation and though i'm not there to view the inside of your frame/tank or "sniff and feel" what the substance is on that rag, it appears to be an organic mold of some type much the same as occurs in heating oil and diesel tanks left to sit unused for substantial periods of time. have NEVER seen this in a gasoline tank but anything is possible. SEE BELOW LINK for your perusal. this is what's happening with YOUR tank. great info on how to resolve this mess. best info i've seen.
and after you've cleaned up this mess then strongly suggest you do the following:
1-your pump is garbage. i realize you stated that you have all the parts to rebuild it but i'm around these pumps most every day and yours is junk.
2-once you have the tank as clean as you can get it...take a hack-saw and cut the guts off your junk pump very close to the base of the pump. the base is where the 2 large O-rings reside. you're doing this to use what's left of the pump as a "cap". put a simple hose or rubber cap over the outlet. the outlet is the port with the 2 tiny O-rings on it that the fuel line attaches to.
3-put some grease or oil on the base O-rings, install the pump base in the frame, tighten it, put a gallon or 2 of AV-gas or acetone in the tank as a cleansing liquid. be creative! make some "swabs" out of coat hanger or similar wire and clean rags and keep swabbing out tank best you can. when you think you have it as clean as possible discard everything....remove drain plug from pump...drain out any remaining swill....remove pump base and discard....swab out again thru pump port in frame.
4-i'll sell you a new-in-box factory pump to get you going if that helps. they ain't cheap but they're close to $100 below original dealer list. i found 26 NEW pumps thru my factory contacts and bought them all but they're selling fast......so........

here.....https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=8134

 

[outthere]

Not to hi-jack. Would it be a good idea to use ethanol free gas in a bike that runs once a month?

 

[BuellyBagger]

Just gonna throw this out there, maybe some industrial grade paint gun cleaner in the tank to clean that gunk out?

 

[outthere]

I'll check to see if my local gas guy's ethanol free gas is 91 octane. I doubt it. A fuel stabilizer might work just as well.

 

[45vtwin]

Hello Lunatic fringe. That link to the Ford barn was spot on. I believe it is the same black flaky substance. Now the issue is cleaning without volatile chemicals. Thanks for offer on the pump, already purchased a new one and all the rest to rebuild the pump assembly. Next idea is to make a special spray nozzle for the pressure washer to go down the right side of the tank.

 

[njloco]

Steam it out !

 

[Noel]

Hello all, first post here. Picked up a more or less free basket case over the weekend, an 09 Firebolt basket case that has been sitting for several years. It fires when primed but its not getting fuel so I yank the pump and find this. So it need another pump assembly in addition to battery and all new fluids, who knows what else. I think I'm going to yank the injectors and throw them in some Seafoam, hope for the best. I may hack off the pump plate and seal up the tank where I can fill it with seafom, wrap the pump assembly in a fuel sock and cross my fingers.

 

[34nineteen]

I wonder if that is POR-15 tank sealant? Sure looks like it by the color. But why in a aluminum tank?

See lunaticfringes post on here where he is selling new fuel pump assemblies.

 

[45vtwin]

Hello Noel,

Do not hack that pump. One E clip holds everything together. Take it apart and then use it as cap and clean out the tank while you wait for replacement parts to rebuild it. There is a wealth of info here to get the parts you will need. I used one O-ring with some grease on it. I makes it easy to push on and pull off easy to drain your tank. I didn't pull the injectors on mine. After rebuilding the pump assembly, it started right up and after a TPS reset and installing the muffler, it just purred. I'll run some Seafoam thru it. Note final assembly, I used both O-rings when I installed pump.

 

[Noel]

I wonder if that is POR-15 tank sealant? Sure looks like it by the color. But why in a aluminum tank?

See lunaticfringes post on here where he is selling new fuel pump assemblies.

I think you are correct, when it seeped out it had almost an rtv consistency, but after a day of sitting in the air it set up almost like an epoxy tank coating? Either way the old assembly was terribly caked, the lines just snapped and broke into pieces. As best I can tell this thing has 8K miles and has been sitting unridden with fuel in it since 2010ish so who knows. I think I'll start a new thread about the bike because it makes me laugh now and then. For instance, the previous owner spent much more time installing LED lights and Harley stickers than they did repacking the exhuast... in fact I'm suspecting they cut the aftermarket can open to remove packing in an attempt to make it louder. There were 2 tiny little bits of packing in the can.


Thanks everyone for the help, I'm sure I'll have hundreds more questions.

 

[atank]

Hello, I just removed my 05 XB9SX fuel pump yesterday, and I have the same dark grey flaking inside my tank, I have purchased Lunatic fringe's FP rebuild kit which will be no problem, but cleaning the tank? what solution did you guys come up with?

Fuel pump regulator broken also:

 

[45vtwin]

Hello Atank,

I used Oxi Clean and Boiling water. Be careful with the Oxi Clean and hot water it will bubble and expand very quickly. I dissolved some in warm first then poured in the boiling water. I did this countless time, also trying to pressure wash the inside. The left side is fairly clean straight path but the right is impossible. I just keepped doing this until no more black flakes came out.
I believe it is t the tank coating is peeling away from the tank sides. My 06 Ulysses had black coating and most recently I picked up a 04 XB12R it also seems to have a black coating.

 

[squidbuellie]

The black lining is the factory frame/tank seal. Over the years I’ve seen a lot of out of state bikes (I’m in California) that run ethanol have the liner problem.
I like to do it as just a frame but have done it with the bike together.
What I do is use the fuel pump as a template and cut out a piece of plastic.
Drill four holes in it then use a oring bolt it onto the frame.
then pour a gallon of crl in the tank and rock the bike back and forth and forward and back.
Let it sit for ten minutes. Then drain the tank into a pan then fill it with water, then drain it then check the tank with a mirror and if you still see some crud left then repeat with the crl (strain it before you re use it)

I also put some motor oil then plastic wrap on the swingarm.. crl can change the color of your frame paint

 

[Cooter]

Thats a great trick SquidBuellie. Just once or twice does it? The tank doesn't have to be spotless, just clean enough that stuff won't flake off and clog the filter.

 

[atank]

Thanks Guys, I will see which methods works best............need to get this bike on the road..........

 

[squidbuellie]

I have done it three times before with boiling water but, it was on a Buell that sat for about 10ys with a over half a tank of gas that became varnish.