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I think I fkd up badly my fuel tank :(

M

maKe

Joined Jun 2011
351 Posts | 24+
Finland
So I had this idea in my mind that I wanted to paint my clear tank to black to suit the bike better. But when I figured it might not be such a good idea if the fuel vapors breath through the tank, I just decided to check filter condinition on fuel pump assy.

I unscrewed the front part where the quick disconnect line is attatched and removed it from tank. Then I did major malfunction mistake. I screwed it back without the thick plate that belongs on top of it and the screws went right past through the tank. :D

So now I have 3 (luckily one was ok) pin size holes where the screws enter inside the tank. I quickly filled some gas in there and watched small bubbles forming inside. No outside leaks but air is entering there and I'm sure it's gonna leak at some point.

Any ideas? Are there gasoline proof silicone sealants. Just a small dab should make it air tight seal, but my loctite bottles that I had laying around said "not preferred for parts that see gas". I don't even wanna know the price of new tank. :cuss:
 
You may be able to find someone that does plastic welding in your area - find a plastic dealer and ask them. In Seattle we have people who make tanks and things for boats out of plastics and they weld sheets together rather than trying to mold something that large. If you can find someone that does that they should be able to repair your tank.
 
Bummer!

The 19l tank I got years ago for my FE501 came standard with about half of the screws attaching fittings to the tank penetrating it. Leaked like a sieve. Soured my relationship with the dealer who repaired it with Silicone, and no replacement was an option as he'd 'done a deal' on this one especially for me.

Eventually I found Loctite Master Gasket did the job. Comes in a syringe, stays a bit flexible, and doesn't dissolve in fuel. Still working, and I've since used it in other fuel sealing situations.

Steve
 
I have fixed plastic plastic tanks with the fuel proof glue that RC plane hobbyist use. It can be set immediately with an accelerator. I don't know that it would last forever, but we have used this on multi day off road rides. The last time we used it, the tank was still not leaking weeks later. It might be worth a try.
 
A plastic welder tried all sorts of different comports on my tank including it's own plastic shavings melted down....ended up buying a new tank as he had no luck and cost me a heap in the process.
 
Make

I repaired my tank and I have all the equipment here. cost me a fortune.

I still have the bond and hardening tubes here for more work so give me an email and perhaps I can lend you the gun and two cartridges. sadly, you brake a cartridge and have to use it.

regards

Taffy
 
Well luckily I have Loctite dealer behind my backyard so I can quickly go over there and ask what would be suitable to use. I have unopened Loctite 5900 tube that I was gonna use on my Oz 3-piece split wheels when refurbishing them.
Seems like quality stuff, but not suitable for gas just makes me unsure of using it. :?

One thing that might work would be using soldering iron and melt the plastic just a tiny bit to seal it. Would that make it porous even though it would look sealed?
 
Taffy said:
Make

I repaired my tank and I have all the equipment here. cost me a fortune.

I still have the bond and hardening tubes here for more work so give me an email and perhaps I can lend you the gun and two cartridges. sadly, you brake a cartridge and have to use it.

regards

Taffy
Click to expand...

I'm sure you don't wanna have the hassle to send few tubes and gun to Finland, so I can ghetto fix my fuel tank.:D


Or are you really being serious? 8O
 
yes! why not! the tubes will go off one day, they have a finite life like everything.

I want some money obviously but jeez - you don't want to buy these things new...

regards

Taffy
 
So is it one way trip only, or do you want 'em back after use?

It is really really small repair. I just had idea that actually might work. Cutted small piece of plastic off subframe and gonna try to melt it in the tank. Then put dab of sealant inside the screw fitting and screw everything back. There really was only small air bubbles entering inside the tank and the screws partially made a seal alone.

But if those fail then I have to reconsider your offer.
 
Mmmm....I like snake oil stuff. :D

J/k that might also work who knows. I tried the plastic melting method but that damn slippery polyethylene just went soft and vanished away. Managed only one hole to plug somehow with solder iron and piece of plastic stuck to it. For other holes I tried loctite two part epoxy that I had laying around. Have made permanent fixes on other plastic stuff with that but we'll see how that works when it's cured by tomorrow.

Any idea what would cost new black tank?
 
Solution: scrape some plastic pieces, melt them in a pot on the stove, pour the liquid into the holes, make sure you get a bit extra and then wipe it flat with a blade.. wtf is the problem here..
 
heat a few small screws red hot and then screw them into the holes while they are still red hot then leave them in
 
I am going through a similar dilemma with a KDX200 that I bought for my daughter (cosmetic repairs on the fuel tank). Your issue is a bit more difficult since you have a fuel tank functional repair issue (i.e. must be liquid-tight) . There seem to be lots of epoxies on the market (JB Weld, Permatex, etc) that are not dissolved by gasoline, but as I understand the issue, getting them to bond to Polyethylene, High Density Polyethylene or Polypropylene is the hard part. And, I also understand that nearly all motorcycle fuel tanks are HDPE or Polyethylene.

Here are some things that I am investigating. I can't recommend one way or another since I havent tried any of these yet. In no particular order, but these solutions are specifically targeted to polyethylene fuel tanks:

This was mentioned on ADVrider: http://www.plastex.net/index.php?pr=Polyethylene_Repair
This was mentioned on ADVrider: http://www.tapplastics.com/shop/product.php?pid=435&
http://www.cyclefinish.net/motorcycle/t ... epair.html
http://www.harborfreight.com/plastic-we ... 67102.html
http://www.harborfreight.com/plastic-we ... 96712.html
http://www.caswellplating.com/aids/epoxygas.htm


I'm all for the do-it yourself approach, but once I screw something up or my quick solution doesnt work then I usually seek out some expertise. Since a new tank probably costs $350-$450, you might target some people who do HDPE plastic welding for a living and get them to repair it before you do any further damage. The 3rd option shown above appears to be experts at handling this type of thing. Not sure what they charge, but hopefuly a lot less than the cost of a replacement tank.
 

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