Ethanol proof liner for steel tank?

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Still very fortunate here in Nova Scotia ,AFAIK there is no ethanol in our gas sold here ....
 
I have used Evaporust, and it worked so well at removing the rust that I was bragging about it to a friend. He said "oh yea, it works as well as white vinegar.
Vinegar is very much cheaper.
I have had good luck with Caswell's.
 
The point is, he has a pinhole leak, which he believes to be due to rust. Of course, if he fixes the pin hole, how long before the next appears, and the next, ad infinitum.

So, his thinking is, a good and strong epoxy liner would ‘repair’ them all. And keep his current beautiful paintwork intact.

It’s a 1930 sumthin’ Rudge, and tanks for those don’t grow on autojumble trees...


That's the key issue here. Removing the ethanol from the petrol or getting a rust clean tank isn't going to fill up holes.

So either you cut the bottom out and replace it - goodbye paint.

Or you seal it - and I personally have used POR-15 - and know people who have had 10 years reliable results. Other posters report 20 years.

If you don't trust the sealer to last for ever then after sealing either use ethanol free gas or remove the ethanol as suggested above.

On the legal issue I doubt you will ever get 100 % guarantee because they will always fall back on poor workmanship anyway.

Follow the instructions to the letter - especially dryness and wait times.
 
I have done several tanks with POR15, the first one was my TR7 about sixteen years ago, & like the others it's still good. For my '68 Commando I used Caswell as the tank is glass fibre & that's also still fine after about ten years. How much ethanol they have been exposed to is another matter.
 
Thanks Martyn.

So POR or Caswell both seem viable. Have forwarded the collective feedback to Rudge-mate. Ball is in his court now.

Thanks to all for the feedback.
 
I have used Evaporust, and it worked so well at removing the rust that I was bragging about it to a friend. He said "oh yea, it works as well as white vinegar.
Vinegar is very much cheaper.
I have had good luck with Caswell's.
Have you used vinegar? I have ,it it leaves a surface that turns to surface rust almost instantly...Evaporust leaves a phosphate finish when used correctly
 
My local Texaco garage has put shiny new stickers (E5) on its pumps denoting their Supreme 97 octane contains up to 5% ethanol.
The cashier (who may know nothing) says the petrol is the same as it's alway been, just the sticker is new:D
A quick search found that the Esso Supreme 97 octane is still ethanol free in most areas of the uk. :)
So it's back to my old friends at Exxon for me :)

A note to those who remove the ethanol (?) ; remember ethanol has an octane rating of 113 so removing it will lower
the octane rating of the fuel after removal by a smidgeon. It will on how much was put into the tanker when it was
filled at the refinery.

From the Esso UK web site:

The majority of unleaded 95 Octane petrol sold in the UK contains up to 5% ethanol as required under the Government’s Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation (RTFO).

There is currently no requirement for renewable fuel (such as ethanol) to be present in super unleaded (97 grade petrol).

Esso super unleaded petrol (Synergy Supreme+ Unleaded 97) is ethanol free (except in Devon, Cornwall, the Teesside area and Scotland). We would therefore advise anyone who has concerns about the presence of ethanol in petrol to use Synergy Supreme+ – providing they do not fill up in Devon or Cornwall, the Teesside area or Scotland.

Our Synergy Fuels:

  • Diesel
  • Supreme+ Diesel
  • Unleaded
  • Supreme+ Unleaded
 
I hate to add this but on the Commando facebook forum there is a guy who says in the past 4 years in California he has had a problem with POR-15.

In the past he used POR-15 he said dozens of times no problem but for the past 4 years he beleives it is has been causing carb problems sticking things together.

So either the POR-15 formula or the petrol in California seems to have changed in the past 4 year and is now a problem in California anyway.

He now uses the Caswell product although he says it is harder to use properly.

This annoys me a lot because I did my own tank with POR-15 six months ago based on the 10 year success of my BMW mate.
 
Frankly, I don't understand the concern re ethanol in gas. The ONLY issue I have seen in many years of having ethanol in the fuel is that you do NOT want to leave it in the tank/system for lengthy periods of non-use, like winter storage, UNLESS you add fuel stabilizer. I drain my Norton's fuel tank/carbs for long term non-use; on my other bikes/any cars stored for winter I add stabilizer.

Been doing this for as long as there has been ethanol in gasoline with no issues whatsoever. One car is a 1989 model so pre-ethanol in gas as far as the fuel system is concerned. It often sits unused/unattended for up to 6 months (battery disconnected) with "normal" ethanol gas/stabilizer. It starts immediately as if it had been running yesterday upon reconnecting the batt/hitting the starter. None of the vehicles - cars or bikes- have ever required any "service" due to ethanol; none have had any fuel system problems due to ethanol. Heck, my wife's '03 Mercedes sat unattended for almost a year in '14 with stabilizer (battery disconnected) and started with no issue.

NOW, if you want to talk about the cost/benefit/environmental sense of making ethanol from corn just to add to gasoline, that's a different issue! :)

FWIW - Re fiberglass tanks/ethanol - I bought a new Fastback tank from Burton Bike Bits back around 2011. They said it was made of resin that could handle ethanol. Despite that, for my own comfort level before its first filling, I used Caswel sealer on the tank. It has shown no sign of any problem. Whether the tank resin or the sealer (or both) is responsible for having no problem, I can't say. Whether the fact that the tank had never seen any fuel in it before sealing it made the sealer work better, I can't say either.
 
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Frankly, I don't understand the concern re ethanol in gas. The ONLY issue I have seen in many years of having ethanol in the fuel is that you do NOT want to leave it in the tank/system for lengthy periods of non-use, like winter storage, UNLESS you add fuel stabilizer. I drain my Norton's fuel tank/carbs for long term non-use; on my other bikes/any cars stored for winter I add stabilizer.

Been doing this for as long as there has been ethanol in gasoline with no issues whatsoever. One car is a 1989 model so pre-ethanol in gas as far as the fuel system is concerned. It often sits unused/unattended for up to 6 months (battery disconnected) with "normal" ethanol gas/stabilizer. It starts immediately as if it had been running yesterday upon reconnecting the batt/hitting the starter. None of the vehicles - cars or bikes- have ever required any "service" due to ethanol; none have had any fuel system problems due to ethanol. Heck, my wife's '03 Mercedes sat unattended for almost a year in '14 with stabilizer (battery disconnected) and started with no issue.

NOW, if you want to talk about the cost/benefit/environmental sense of making ethanol from corn just to add to gasoline, that's a different issue! :)

FWIW - Re fiberglass tanks/ethanol - I bought a new Fastback tank from Burton Bike Bits back around 2011. They said it was made of resin that could handle ethanol. Despite that, for my own comfort level before its first filling, I used Caswel sealer on the tank. It has shown no sign of any problem. Whether the tank resin or the sealer (or both) is responsible for having no problem, I can't say. Whether the fact that the tank had never seen any fuel in it before sealing it made the sealer work better, I can't say either.


I have come to the realization that petrol is not created equal around the world. Pretty obvious really if I had thought about it.

So the fact you have no problem does not mean the guy in the next state or country or even town will not have an issue.

Certainly when they introduced the new formula unleaded gas in New Zealand some old classic car owners had their boots (trunks) fill up with petrol from leaky pipes. I saw this with my own eyes.

I think everyone will have to make their own decisions based on local conditions and experience - recognizing that in a worse case what worked 4 years ago may not work today.
 
Good point about fuel formulation in different areas. My experience has all been with gasoline (many different brands from well-known to "never heard of it") that contain "up to 10% ethanol" per the label on the pump. So, in reality, that gas could have anywhere from no ethanol to 10 percent AND the amount of ethanol could change for whatever reason - seasonal requirements, need for more money to pay farmers for growing corn to make ethanol for gasoline, etc. ;) So from a 'test' point of view, my experience, though all favorable, is not valid at all since I have no idea how much ethanol has been in each tank of fuel.

Oh well... :(
 
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