Troubleshooting/FAQ

[Pat Conlon]

How to clean rust out of your gas tank:

Visit the hardware store and pick up a 2 gallons of CLR and a handful of steel nuts. (I used a similar product by ZEP).

Remove tank and drain.

remove the petcock and plug the hole.

Pour in 1 gallon of CLR along with the nuts.

Shake the tank for about 1 minute  and then let soak. Repeat every so ofter over the next few hours depending on how much rust is present.

Remove steel nuts with magnet and top off with 2nd gallon of CLR and water.

let sit overnight and then drain into 5 gallon bucket. The diluted CLR is great for cleaning jobs around the garage, but will stain concrete...

Once clr is removed mix 4 ozs 2 stroke oil with 1 qt of gas. Pour into tank and swirl around until everything is coated. This should disburse the remaining water and protect the tank from rust.

Drain 2 stroke mix and reinstall tank.

I have done several tanks this way with good results. so far none have rusted again. For a more permanant fix replace the CLT with Muratic acid (used commonly to clean masonry) or Phosphoric acid (Paint stores, used to prep metal) but be very careful as these will burn skin and can easily damage paint.

[Dan Filetti]

Muratic (hydrochloric) acid [HCL2] can be bought cheap at pool stores.  I buy it 5 gallons at a time for $19.00 (with my revolving initial $6 can deposit).  They also sell it in 1 gallon jugs, but it's not as cheap per gallon.

Another source for the stuff, if you decide to go that route.

Cheers!

Dan

[balky1]

In an effort to make a single, unified place to answer the questions that many new FJ owners have (and questions that older FJ owners can't remember the answer to!), we're going to start a modern/updated FAQ type of thread.  Another thread has been started for modifications.

For starters, if you see something that you've got problems with, or additional information that could be added, send me a PM and let me know.  

This thread is for the care and feeding of a happy FJ, but not related to modifications at all.

Where to get parts or parts diagrams?
What references are available on the FJ?
Starting issues
Suspension issues
Clutch problems
Gas cap makes whistling, meowing noises
Oil Leak atop the valve cover
Clutch slave leaks
Belly pan has a broken bolt at the left rear
Brakes weak
Too much vibration
Electrical Problems
Poor running
Tuneup information (carb specs, plugs, shims, etc)
Second gear jumps out of gear under load
Oil leak but can't find source
Rust in the gas tank
Repainting, color codes

When I click the link for "Oil leak but can't find the source" it leads me to "Cartridge Emulator Installation on '89 Forks".

[andyb]

I'm not sure if that was a modified post number or simply a screwup that has gone unnoticed for this long!

Got a PM today that actually is about just this, so I'll hand out someone else's advice, instead of thinking real hard here.....

If you can't find an oil leak, clean the metal very thoroughly, and apply a coat of aerosol-can spray powder, or loose body powder with a very soft artists' brush.  Powder will show the source of the leak before the oil can go everywhere to confuse the issue.

They make a really nice crack detection spray kit thingy that includes the absolute perfect spray powder.  Unfortunately, it's apparently made from platinum, judging by the price.  The cheap way out is athlete's foot spray powder, which works brilliantly.  Start by cleaning all the oil off the suspect area--this is the worst part by a big, big margin--Simple green and a hose will get you there, but it'll take a bunch of repititions to really get it squeaky clean.  If it's in a position where grit and crap gets involved, you'll want a simply nylon brush also, to speed things along.  Once it's all clean clean clean and nice and dry, shoot it with the powder spray, and then run it briefly.  The powder will not only show where the leak is, but it'll prevent it from running all over the place.  Definitely test in neutral or on a paddock stand first (Note:  Never run a bike on a paddock stand, instant death will result!  But it works nicely, do as I say, not as I do....).  If you can get it to leak without physically going down the road, you avoid the windblast blowing the oil around.  Other obvious advice includes not letting things get too hot because you're in the garage and have no airflow, etc.

The truth is, there's only so many places you're going to leak oil.  So if you clean the crap out of it, you'll hate your life and be annoyed with everything, but if you start from dead clean, it's significantly easier to figure out. 

The other way to go after things is with marker dye and a UV flashlight.  The problem is if it only leaks under the load of riding, it'll just wind up getting caught in the windblast and you'll just have a glow-in-the-dark bike.  Get some UV LED strips and have a rave!