Removing old tank liner?

The Lloyd

The Lloyd

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Edmonton, Alberta
i picked up some project bikes, in fairly decent shape for the price $800 CDN, for a 74’ CB125S, 77’ CT125 and a 74’ XL125 parts bike.

All three have tanks in decent shape, great paint, no leaks or rust. But All Three have liners in them, the XL and CT are in good shape but the CB tanks liner is peeling and needs removing.

i am 99% sure it’s a POR-15 tank liner, silver grey, hard finish, will not dissolve in Acetone.

a lot of the chemicals I would normally have tried are no longer legal for private sale, I would have put MEK (methyl Ethyl Keytone) in the tank with a handful of nuts and after a day or so of shaking and soaking, I would have poured out a grey slime ball and stared the liner process over.

so the question is how to remove a failed POR-15 tank liner? Without using chemicals that are not readily available, and I can not find a radiator shop that does hot tanking any more.

any sugestions?
 
I've never personally lined a tank myself so I'm only familiar with what I read here, but many have used acetone to remove old tank liners.
 
I believe it may be true that acetone alone is insufficient to remove a cured POR-15 liner. Without harsher chemicals, you may need to rely on abrasive removal. Screws, nuts, tumbler. Or possibly media/vapor blasting. If you also need to protect the exterior finish, that could be tricky.
 
MEK is a desired source on the commercial side is what to look for in your area. An aircraft retro repair and testing outfit outfit is a good candidate for a freelance worker willing to do the job and dispose of those chemicals correctly.
Forget the outer gas tank paint finish that is a memory! A full repaint is needed.
Cutting out the inner liner of the tank open and blasting it out. Then rewelding it back together is also a good option for a clean build and correct new liner application again.
 
Dominion Sure Seal Sure Strip with Methylene chloride, I buy from Global Autobody supply. Canada only.

And be prepared for price shock. Use a mask with proper filter and lots of protective gear. For the epoxy liner I took out it was a slow process but was effective.
 
Last edited:
Thank you for the replies,

the Guy at POR-15 said to use a paint stripper with Methylene Chloride.

maybe this tank will become shelf art as a previously loved tanked in good condition with no liner is becoming more attractive.

and if a new liner is needed, Kreem can be removed with acetone.
 
Is your liner actually peeling off in chunks and you are concerned that enough is sloughing off it will plug your petcock filter and (added) fuel filters? Because aggressive use of chemicals and/or "mechanical" removal may make Swiss cheese out of a tank for which there is plenty of life availabe otherwise, as you are learning, and I have learned the hard way

I have had great luck with electrolysis...a little washing soda and a battery charger, leaves the tank in great condition and no further work necessary, no liners etc.

Caveat: I only care about riders, how the tank looks inside is of no concern to me and I know that's not for everyone. I did use Caswell Coatings once and it worked great, haven't hear about it peeling like the other products
 
The liner is flaking off in 1/2 inch chucks in places, what I can see is there is some rust underneath. I tried to attach a picture but it’s was huge :)

so before I spend money on this tank or another I going to throw some hot soapy water and nuts and bolts in there, see what I can knock loose, then hit it with a pressure washer, then de-rust with some vinegar and see where that leaves me. Looks do not matter, but leak free and no chucks clogging the fuel lines is what I am going for. Working first, pretty later.
 
The Lloyd said:
I tried to attach a picture but it’s was huge
Click to expand...
You can downsize pictures right on most phones now, and the limit for pictures is 5 Mb here so it could still be more than large enough to zoom in on. If you're working from a computer you can use Paint (or the Mac equivalent, if you're using one) to resize pics too.
 
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