Big Problem - hole in the gas tank w/pics

[massey130]

the pics are not so good, but i hope you get the general idea.

ok, so i go to the shop to prep my scooter to make texas maint day coming saturday.

I pull off the cover and find a chip coming off the tank and a big stain on the paint.

I check for leaking brake fluid, it's clean and dry - so ruled that out.

I checked my cover and nothing there.

I rub my finger over it and it smears a bit and smells like gas

what the heck????? I think to myself.

then it dawns on me - i knew from the purchase that the bike was a salvage title.

the seller, of course, makes it sound like a fall over, then totaled by INS company.

the leak has to be coming from the inside. oh, good grief charlie brown. what next.

I drain the tank into a gas can, then i start by pulling away the chip to find body filler.

the body filler is, of course, soft and easy to cut off.

I find the hole that was ground, repaired, ground and then filled, smoothed and painted.

now i have this mess to contend with because who ever did the repair, did not do it for longevity sake.

that is my opinion cause it is now my mess.

I don't do body work much less gas tank repair.

I assume a repair is gonna b much cheaper than a replacement tank.

Does anyone here do gas tank repair.

Maybe I can get lucky and someone within driving distance ( 8 hours or so) does and wants to take my job after giving me a quote -

so what do ya'll think

[eusa1]

looks like a can of worms!

 

bad part is that you dont know what your going to find in other places when preparing the tank for paint and repairs.

buy another 04 tank from pinwall cycle salvage and cut your losses.

 

mike

[massey130]

I am open to suggestions - but the kind o guy I am, it would be so nice to have the original tank usable on the bike instead of it doubling as a BBQ pit.

 

just hoping really hard here.

any one up to the job???

I will price one from pinwall in the mean time.

[flb_78]

Any welding shop should be able to weld the hole shut.

[RandyR]

I have a black RSV tank that I was going to try to fit on my RSTD at one time. It would need to be painted white. I could maybe get Steve Wagner to paint it for you, he paints the Venture grills he makes.

[SC89Venture]

If you want to go the cheap route, JB Weld to the rescue and Rust O Leum paint.

That would make a temporary fix until you resolve the matter with a new tank.

Just saying....................................

[BuddyRich]

Clean it and fix it with JB weld. Just be sure to leave it shallow so you can go over it with bondo and paint. That way at least you could use the bike over the weekend.

[massey130]

I have a black RSV tank that I was going to try to fit on my RSTD at one time. It would need to be painted white. I could maybe get Steve Wagner to paint it for you, he paints the Venture grills he makes.

I am curious, what year did the black tank come from?

this seems like a good idea.

PM with a price, please.

also, do u know how much steve would charge for the paint job?

thanks.

[massey130]

Clean it and fix it with JB weld. Just be sure to leave it shallow so you can go over it with bondo and paint. That way at least you could use the bike over the weekend.

I had thought about the JB weld route. I have some too. does the tank have to be completely dry? Do i need to pull the tank off the bike?

this would hold me over. how long would this patch last?

[Guest scarylarry]

looks like a can of worms!

 

bad part is that you dont know what your going to find in other places when preparing the tank for paint and repairs.

buy another 04 tank from pinwall cycle salvage and cut your losses.

 

mike

 

 

:sign yeah that:

 

I wouldn't care to mess with a gas issue one spark and you know the rest of the story.

[MiCarl]

Clean the hole real good and get some gasoline resistant epoxy in there. Won't be pretty but it'll be usable.

 

Enjoy the weekend then pursue a permanent fix at your leisure.

[massey130]

Clean the hole real good and get some gasoline resistant epoxy in there. Won't be pretty but it'll be usable.

 

Enjoy the weekend then pursue a permanent fix at your leisure.

 

does anyone know if wal mart carries the gas resistor epoxy?

or is that a auto part store part?

[massey130]

:sign yeah that:

 

I wouldn't care to mess with a gas issue one spark and you know the rest of the story.

yea. this is gonna take me 2 nites. 1 nite to drive in for part and then prep and 1 nite to fix setup. I will re evaluate my time schedule.

[ctraylor]

I have found that quick steel works better than JB weld. I have even patched an engine block once and rode it for many miles and sold the bike and it was still holding.

[massey130]

I have found that quick steel works better than JB weld. I have even patched an engine block once and rode it for many miles and sold the bike and it was still holding.

Does anyone else have an experience, opinion or knowledge which is better - quick steel or JBWeld?

[Marcarl]

In Canada we have a product called 'Seal All' made by Eclectic Products Inc, Pineville LA 71361. Phone 800.767.4667 for info. No I didn't spell it wrong.

This is wonderful stuff, clean your tank, rub some on and wait about 5 minutes, cover the area with a cigarette package type material, and do it again, wait 15 minutes before you fill the tank. I have fixed leaky gas tanks with this stuff, holes in oil pans, sewer pipes on my motor home and what ever else needs to be leak proofed. You don't even need to drain the tank, just hold it there with you finger for a minute or two, and the leak is stopped.

http://www.eclecticproducts.com/sealall.htm

[buddy]

Quick steel is better than JB Weld my Dad used the Quick Steel on a cracked engine block and drove it for a few years before he sold it ....

Quick steel !! - auto part stores....

Buddy

[Cruser]

If you want an epoxy that is fuel resistant go to the local hobby shop and get the epoxy that is designed for use with nitro RC boats and planes if you plan to use the epoxy get some reinforcement material to cover the hole with, fiber glass cloth or similar a few layers will make a world of difference on the results.

 

 

The tank can be brazed or welded, Just run an exhaust hose from a car or truck into it and let it fill with inert exhaust gas flush all the oxygen out and weld away. or if this is more than you want to tackle any welding shop can do the tank, no problem

[RedRider]

Take it to your local radiator shop. They will braze this for you. If you would like, they can also line the interior so there will be no further leaks.

 

Did this with a gas tank on my son's Rambler. Works great and was less than half the cost of a new one.

 

RR

[Flyinfool]

Unless you really know what you are doing, do not try any process that uses a flame, or spark, on a gas tank, or you could end up halfway to the moon.

 

From the pics it looks like the hole is about 1/8 wide x 1/2 long.

 

If you have access to a big soldering iron you can soft solder the hole shut using a silver bearing solder and a good acid flux. I would add a small piece of thin sheet metal to cover the hole by 1/4 inch on all sides. You can get the sheet metal from most veggi cans, just sand it clean on both sides to remove the coatings and cut out an appropriate piece. Or buy a piece of thin steel or tin at the hardware store or hobby shop while you are getting the solder. Immediatly after soldering, clean the acid flux off of the tank with hot water and soap and a brush.

 

A good solder for this is Stay-Bright, available in many hardware stores and hobby shops. In a pinch you could use plumbers solder and acid flux. I have soft soldered many fuel tanks.

 

My second choice would be to use JB Weld (I have never tried Quick Steel and know nothing about it). Use the coarsest sand paper that you have to rough up the area real good and apply the JB Weld, then your patch of either a small piece of metal to cover the hole or some fiberglass cloth, then some more JB Weld, making sure to thoroughly work the JB Weld into the cloth. This should all be one application, no drying time between layers. If you use the JB weld, you must give it a full 24 hours in a warm room to fully cure.

 

I have used JB Weld to repair a Chevy 350 block that was cracked from freeze plug to freeze plug on both sides of the block and then used it to tow a 6,000 lb trailer plus a van load of tools for the next 3 years. It never leaked even years after I sold it.

 

The solder will make a permanent repair, the JB Weld will at least last a lot of years. Both methods can be painted over to make the tank look like new.

[Condor]

I'd go over and cut all the valve stems on the sellers car.....

[MasterGuns]

I'd go over and cut all the valve stems on the sellers car.....

 

Valve stems hell!!

[massey130]

A lot of good information here. RandyA and i have arranged a deal for me to buy a tank he has. I will put that one on the scooter. I will remove my tank, decontaminate it, take it down to the bare metal all around to make sure that this is the only hole.

 

then I will choose a method to seal and body fill and paint. then get some more pinstriping and it should be ready for the bike.

 

I appreciate everyone's input on this. I will just be glad when this one is behind me.

 

nothing like a problem to pop up in the middle of everything else going on!!

[dfitzbiz]

If your in a pinch and need to get to MD and back on Saturday you might be able to repair a small hole with a sheet metal screw and a rubber washer. This isn't permanent but will work for the short term. I have done this on rusted tanks with pin holes. You can make permanent repairs at your leisure. Good Luck!

[massey130]

I am gonna drive the cage to maint day and be a slave.

I will work on my tank next week.

 

What do you line the inside of the tank with?