gas tank leak

T

tbolt76

New Member
Hi im having a prety bad leak coming from where the mounting stud goes into the gas tank i think there is a crack or somthing where the stud goes into the tank itself and ideas of how to seal the leak
 
mine did the same thing. i emptied and took the tank off, grinded all the paint off around the stud, and JB welded it.

make sure you let it dry 100%, and don't crank it so tight when you put it back on.

mine's been workin' 2 months since that fix...
 
another option take it to a radiator shop for repair,or buy a new tank. I've repaired leaking fuel tanks before but unless you know what you are doing it could blow up either killing you or burning the snot out of you.
Norman
 
I agree with Norman that repairing gas tanks should NOT BE DONE AT HOME.
A flame near a gas tank is a recipe for disaster.


Norman said:
another option take it to a radiator shop for repair,or buy a new tank. I've repaired leaking fuel tanks before but unless you know what you are doing it could blow up either killing you or burning the snot out of you.
Norman
Click to expand...
 
Epoxy resins like JB weld are OK, but there's nothing like a good, solid weld, (brazing is the go).
Again, don't do it yourself - a radiator shop as suggested or a panel-beating shop is even better. I did a panel-beating apprenticeship when I was young and part of the training is in welding fuel tanks.
My guess is $20-$30. (or free) - I recently got the local muffler shop to cut the weld from a HT exhaust flange and re-weld it on the correct angle and he refused to take any money. I got even by dropping off a dozen bottles of my home brew. (375 ml bottles, stubbies here in Oz.)

If you must do it yourself, be safe and fill the tank with sand.

... Steve
 
I don't have a problem with welding or even soldering a leaking fuel tank as long as you make it safe to do. That is the biggest problem(MAKING IT SAFE TO DO) I do not want anyone to get hurt I've told people how to do this in the past but I think its better not to anymore.
I don't want someone trying it and blowing their head off or burning their house down.
The price for a new tank is cheap compared to the heart ache a fire from welding on a fuel tank could cause.
I've repaired oil field storage tanks, large gas pipeline repairs, etc. he had strict rules to follow and forms to fill out. If all the forms,check lists, testing didn't pass we had to make it right before we could proceed with a repair.
We once had a crew who jumped the gun,didn't follow the rules, took a hatch off a storage tank with an electric impact tool the tank blew up burning the crew doing the work Those boys didn't need a hair cut or shave for a long time they got very lucky they didn't get killed. That is just one of the Uh Ohs that can happen when a rule isn't followed and mistakes are made.
 
For a temp repair on a leaky gas tank i would empty tank and rinse out then use gas tank repair putty and jb wled over that and that should hold until you order a new gas tank and it arrives. New ones are only like $20.
 
Just rinse out with a good parts cleaner or alcohol,,then use simple green rinse with water,,blow it out real good with compressed air,,let dry,,good to mig weld,,sand sounds like a real PITA!!
 
I had a leak on a wizard replica tank I got from lucky early bird off of ebay . I drain the fuel rinsed out the tank with soap water several times . Then then I took a rag and the air hose and pressurized to check to see where the bubbles came out, then I rinsed it again and fresh roasted to get the soapy water off the crack and the fuel . next I place a hairdryer on it to warm it up and dry it .then I broke out the dremel tool and I sanded of all the paint and clean up the weld where I saw the fracture then I mixed up my JB Weld real well you see a little more extra hardener coating nicely and let it set over night. Then retouch my paint and put it back on the bike . Alls good!!!!!
 
I have to agree with Norman as not all folks know welding.If you don't know welding Huffy davidson gave some sound advise.
 
Just thought is mention another product that works wonders on everything as well. It's called quick metal two part epoxy putty.
My tank sprung a leak three times so I used this product and built it up around the studs and nestled a flat washer in it let it set. Made up two clamps. Flipped the cheesy original ones over bolted to the tank. Now when you use the clamps you made, it now only puts stress on the studs and not the weld.
 
Mine was leaking at the studs, I washed it out really good with dish soap till I could smell no fumes and let it dry in the sun (Florida) until the water evaporated then when I was sure it wouldn't blow up I brazed around the studs and haven't had a problem since
 
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