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Junior Member
XB9S Gas Tank (Frame) cleaning Help
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.
pump.jpgbliackish coating.jpg
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Senior Member
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.
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Junior Member
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.IMG_4216.jpg
Last edited by 45vtwin; 04-16-2019 at 12:17 AM.
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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
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Inactive
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
Last edited by user_deleted; 04-16-2019 at 01:24 PM.
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Senior Member
Not to hi-jack. Would it be a good idea to use ethanol free gas in a bike that runs once a month?
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Senior Member
Just gonna throw this out there, maybe some industrial grade paint gun cleaner in the tank to clean that gunk out?
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Senior Member
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.
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Junior Member
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.
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Senior Member
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