Help please-can a holed tank be repaired?

[david vaughan-birch]

I've been stripping down my '99 1150, to repaint the frame, the engine and everything else that the paint has rotted on. All going well (more or less) until I took the tank off, to discover a large paint blister on the inside face near the seam which is weeping fuel. Can this be successfully repaired? I havent poked around to find out how bad it is yet, for fear of making it worse! Your collective wisdom would be appreciated!

 

[Fanum]

Yes it can.....it obviously needs taking off, draining, flushing out thoroughly so there's no residual petrol fumes first.

Then the area around the bubble needs sanding back to clean metal all around , and a patch plate weldng in (there may be other ways of patching it without welding, I don't know TBH.

You'll probably find the rot goes a lot further than it looks, and it may be that there's other patches not yet visible.

The inside will need re-coating as well.

You may find that the price difference between fixing it and just getting a second hand tank won't be that much different

As a temporary fix you can rub the hole with a bar of soap...this will go rock hard and will plug the hole but it is only a temporary fix more suited to getting you home if a tank is punctured

 

[D6]

ogni may have a tank if u mail him

 

[alimey4u2]

If a crack or a pinhole, after thoroughly venting, rattle lead shot & roofing nails inside the tank.
Stategically place the tank so that the leak area is in the lowest position & pour Clear Bostic glue into the tank. Allow to set for several days....

 

[MattW]

I used this on the fuel tank of an old van:

http://tinyurl.com/5s29lx

It did work for a while, although it leaked again after a while (having said this, it was pretty badly corroded).

Welding is the best solution although you might struggle to find a welder who'll tackle a fuel tank given that it's pretty hard to ensure no petrol vapour remains in a tank.

 

[david vaughan-birch]

thanks chaps-i wonder how many other old girls are out there with similar undiscovered problems? I was only going to change the alternator belt to start with but I've been wanting to repaint the frame for a while. It seemed like a good idea at the time...

 

[cookie]

decent S/H non GSA 1150 tanks are cheap enough to maybe just buy another

 

[Welshman]

If you have one "thin" area it is likely you have more, I also recomend looking for a S/H tank.

 

[Voyager]

Welding is the best solution although you might struggle to find a welder who'll tackle a fuel tank given that it's pretty hard to ensure no petrol vapour remains in a tank.

Many years ago I had a leaking tank brazed.

We filled it with water to remove the risk of explosions.

It sounds daft, but it is possible to weld or braze a tank with water in it

Bob.

 

[Steptoe]

Run the exhuast fumes from a car through the tank for 20 minutes and it's safe to weld/light a match inside.

 

[david vaughan-birch]

If you have one "thin" area it is likely you have more, I also recomend looking for a S/H tank.

I think you're right Welshman-I've had another look at it and there are a few other dodgy areas. I'm in touch with Ogni and hopefully that's the way forward. Silver GSA tank on a black bike?!