Hi, recently purchased a beta evo 4t 2010. Went out on it once and really enjoyed riding it.

however before going out a second time, decided to check the fuel and noticed a strange build up of sort of white sludge, at the top of the fuel tank….very strange! I have a 2011 2t evo (so similar age) and the inside of the tank is like brand new…

 

anyone got any idea what this stuff is? Crystallised petrol from being stood maybe? And then, how do I get rid of it?!?

 

not idea on a beta given the tank is build into the frame…!!

This is the inside of my 2 stroke of similar age - clean as a whistle!!

Ethanol? Looks like water/moisture was in the gas tank. 

Just a thought - you haven't just imported the bike from Columbia?  Could be Snow.

 

14 minutes ago, stpauls said:

Just a thought - you haven't just imported the bike from Columbia?  Could be Snow.

 

🤣

It’s a right pain with the tank being part of the frame.

Im thinking to try and flush it through with hot water, and maybe bicarbonate soda?

I'm fairly confident you had moisture in your tank. Either it sat with an empty tank and moisture made it's way in or bad fuel/ethanol that was never treated.

Sludge and sediments don't just show up in a sealed gas tank. I'd check the tank/cap for leaks as well.

Thanks for the advice, and I agree. What do you think is the best option to try and remove it? 

On a serious note, some of the early Evos developed frame (weld?) cracks.  Beta replaced many frames.  Perhaps water - moisture could be seeping in through a crack in the frame when you wash it etc.  Check the area very carefully with a torch and perhaps even a magnifying glass.

Edited December 4, 20214 yr by stpauls

1 hour ago, stpauls said:

On a serious note, some of the early Evos developed frame (weld?) cracks.  Beta replaced many frames.  Perhaps water - moisture could be seeping in through a crack in the frame when you wash it etc.  Check the area very carefully with a torch and perhaps even a magnifying glass.

Many thanks for this - I’ll take a look!! Out of interest, given it’s now 11 years old, do you think they’d still replace it if I found a crack?

2 hours ago, stpauls said:

On a serious note, some of the early Evos developed frame (weld?) cracks.  Beta replaced many frames.  Perhaps water - moisture could be seeping in through a crack in the frame when you wash it etc.  Check the area very carefully with a torch and perhaps even a magnifying glass.

On a more serious note, here in Canada I personally don't check gas tank leaks with a torch! I hope this means flashlight! 

For your sake I hope it was some really bad gas. I would fill it to the brim with gas, add a cheap in line fuel filter and go play for a tank or more! Probably the most enjoyable laziest way to do it.

Haha yes on this side of the pond we call a flashlight a torch

I managed to give it a bit of a clean, not perfect but better. Letting the tank dry out and then going to full it with petrol (gas) and see how I get on.

12 hours ago, Simpjd said:

Haha yes on this side of the pond we call a flashlight a torch

No. On that side of the pond they call a torch a flashlight. (None of my torches flash unless I turn them onto flashing mode.) 🙂

I don't think the frame cracking issue is your problem. That occurred on the early hydroform frames which were (I think) 2013.

Definitely add an inline fuel filter. They're always a good idea but now that you have partly cleaned off the crud there a high likelihood that some bits have dropped into the bottom of the tank.

Thanks for the advice all.

been a bit of a nightmare but got it sorted and back running.

To get the tank completely dry (after leaving the bike drying it in a hot room over night) I used a heat gun (like a hair dryer) to blow hot air into the tank, but also had to lift the rear wheel near vertical get get the water to move to the other end of the tank. This is because there is a sort of baffle at the bottom of the tank which water was getting stuck behind, and not drying naturally. This might actually be there to trap water at the bottom of the tank instead of putting it through the engine. However I wanted the whole thing bone dry before I put fuel in again.

I then filled it to the brim with petrol, no leaks, all was good.

So now sorted however I’d still love to know what caused this in the first place…. And also for the future if anyone else has any experience trying to flush a beta evo fuel tank (being inbuilt into the frame).

The only things I have ever seen do this kind of thing in any fuel/petrol tank would be the fuel sitting in the tank tell it evaporates out leaving a mess, water in the fuel, or cheep additives.  Not sure what else would do that.  Good luck figuring out what it might have been.