Fuel Cell Concerns... Take a look at yours.

nctom

nctom

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 9, 2008
Location
CONCORD NC
2-3 year old RCI fuel cell. Can looked perfect on the outside but it had NO powdercoating on the inside and was rusting completely out. Obviously water gets in there so they were nice enough to not add drain holes and to put a nice layer of cardboard in there!o_O I took it apart to do some mods on the cell and this is what I found. Fifty cents worth of powder coating would have prevented this. Frickin' Chinese garbage. :flipoff:




tank.jpg


001.JPG

Scraped with a putty knife.
002.JPG

Dust from the 4 inch grinder with a cup brush. Nasty!
 
Yeah this one had a plastic inside it. I have owned several of these with the metal outer can and never had this problem.
 
Damn thats terrible wonder if company knows if this happens after 2yrs... thats bullshit man are these suppose to last longer? how would plastic even last with fuel breaking it down??
 
HELL NO rustoleum...??? Really? it wouldnt last would it? maybe im confused but wouldnt that break down too in fuel and get into engine?
 
The steel can is just a protective case for the plastic fuel cell.

I put in a call to the RCI rep. ACE Hi Performance here in Concord is a stocking dealer with some pull. I want a new can. I will damn sure prep this one myself!
 
I used some stuff called Tank Cream or something a few years back. Probably
ask someone a old school bike shop. Two part liquid epoxy. Dump first one in and swish it all around inside real good and dump it out. Repeat with the second one and let cure for like 48 hrs. I did it twice on old vintage BMW bikes. It worked great.

What does your fuel pump look like?

Did your fuel cell sit for a while empty?
 
Stainless...

Aluminium...
 
I will throw the thing as far out in the dump as I can if the RCI rep dosent come through. I have had a lot of fuel cells and this is the first RCI. I will weld up my own cell, just trying not to spend so much time on every single part.
 
Chris. The thing is advertised for use in a dirt track car! Thats about as muddy and wet as it gets in racing... shy of mud bogging or swamp racing... What a joke.
 
nctom said:
Chris. The thing is advertised for use in a dirt track car! Thats about as muddy and wet as it gets in racing... shy of mud bogging or swamp racing... What a joke.
Click to expand...

Oh wow and yeah dirt track can get dirty. Def won't go with rci when I get a fuel cell.
 
I fixed that exact thing for a guy with a SC300 drift car, RCI rotted inside out, blasted it, welded up the pinholes, coated the inside with that slick feeling bedliner stuff, put a small 1/4" drain hole in each corner. I think the plastic tank "sweats" bad when sealed up in that metal case. One raw metal spot and the rust spreads like wildfire. Crappy material choice on their part, should be alum or stainless.
 
Yep, no longer a fan of RCI. I broke a new bottom for it that wraps up the sides. Took it down to bare metal and used a can of spray bedliner inside. Chinese crap... Live and learn.
I hung a 15 psi TBI style pump inside with a swinging fuel pick up. It all looks pretty decent now, just a lot of work I shouldnt have to do on something that new.
 
Ain't had the surgery yet, scheduled first/middle of may - 4 hernia's to fix, I'll be down for awhile doc said.
 
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