One tiny stinking little pinhole....

[Guest]

...in my tank. My project is/was almost complete. At the beginning of this project I noticed a small bit of the paint peeling on my tank on the left side at the bottom and was concerned about it being a leak at the seam. I was planning on stripping the paint down to bare metal and just clear coating to match the aluminum body work I was doing. This turned out to be a little more difficult than anticipated as it appears a PO had primed and painted over the original paint so there were many layers to deal with. Anyway, after de-rusting the inside of the tank with apple cider vinegar and coating the inside with a gas oil mixture I proceeded to begin the clear coating (rattlecan) of the exterior of the tank. Today I noticed a little of the gas/oil mixture on the lower left seam of tank. Looking closely I can now see the pinhole just above the seam.
I'm wondering what my options are besides sealing the entire tank with POR-15. The tank looks pretty good except for that one tiny pinhole. Can it be welded?...if so what precautions should be taken (I might ask my brother to do it and I don't want to be responsible for his death). My bro-in law tried JB weld for a pinhole on another bike without much success.

[Sandy]

There might be one stinking little pinhole now but there are many more hiding inside waiting to cause you endless grief. Time to coat it.

[Nessism]

Since the rust is bad enough to create a hole there could well be other locations on the tank with weakened metal as well. I'd derust the tank using some Kleenstrip Metal Prep, available at Home Depot, then rinse, dry, and seal with POR-15 tank sealer. Needless to say, you need to create plugs for the various tank openings. Don't attempt to derust with the sending unit and petcock installed.

After completion you should paint the tank properly too. Rattle can clear will last about a month before rust will start to form.

[gregp]

Since the rust is bad enough to create a hole there could well be other locations on the tank with weakened metal as well. I'd derust the tank using some Kleenstrip Metal Prep, available at Home Depot, then rinse, dry, and seal with POR-15 tank sealer. Needless to say, you need to create plugs for the various tank openings. Don't attempt to derust with the sending unit and petcock installed.

After completion you should paint the tank properly too. Rattle can clear will last about a month before rust will start to form.

by sending unit do you mean the fuel gauge float?...because i didn't remove that when i did the apple cider vinegar treatment. I did make a plate with an o-ring seal to put in place of the petcock. I cant imagine the apple cider vinegar could hurt anything...i didn't put any thing else in the tank (sheet metal screws for example) to shake around because i thought fishing them out later would be a hassle and they might get stuck in the fuel gauge.

POR-15 sells a kit with the chemical to derust and the sealant...probably what i should have done in the first place but i didn't know i had a pinhole...

[wymple]

Red-Kote. Get it over with. I no longer use anything else.

[Nessism]

by sending unit do you mean the fuel gauge float?...because i didn't remove that when i did the apple cider vinegar treatment. I did make a plate with an o-ring seal to put in place of the petcock. I cant imagine the apple cider vinegar could hurt anything...i didn't put any thing else in the tank (sheet metal screws for example) to shake around because i thought fishing them out later would be a hassle and they might get stuck in the fuel gauge.

POR-15 sells a kit with the chemical to derust and the sealant...probably what i should have done in the first place but i didn't know i had a pinhole...

The vinegar will eat off all the zinc plating on the sending unit so now it will rust like crazy. Not a good decision...

[gregp]

The vinegar will eat off all the zinc plating on the sending unit so now it will rust like crazy. Not a good decision...

Oh well...not using the fuel gauge anyway...I didn't see a way to remove it or I would have

[Nessism]

Oh well...not using the fuel gauge anyway...I didn't see a way to remove it or I would have

Not trying to be a jerk but I've posted these photos at least a dozen times here to try to help people understand how to plug up their tank before derusting. Don't be afraid to look for info in the archives. There are very few tasks needed for these bikes that don't already have multiple threads in the archives about.

[gregp]

Not trying to be a jerk but I've posted these photos at least a dozen times here to try to help people understand how to plug up their tank before derusting. Don't be afraid to look for info in the archives. There are very few tasks needed for these bikes that don't already have multiple threads in the archives about.

I appreciate your valuable input...I hope my reply wasn't taken as sarcasm. I didn't see bolts for the sender...I'll have to look more closely tomorrow. The plate I made to seal where the petcock goes worked well. That appears to be a rubber stopper in your pictures that I assume seals the gas cap...which I was using the actual gas cap for...but I suppose it is not designed to seal 100% and that would explain the leakage when I turned the tank over. So now I know that needs to be stopped up better and your picture shows a good way to do that.
I guess I underestimated the necessity for good sealing for this process and just tried to get through it. This time around I'll be more thorough. This is my first tank repair...if you couldn't tell.

[Noobon]

Not trying to be a jerk but I've posted these photos at least a dozen times here to try to help people understand how to plug up their tank before derusting. Don't be afraid to look for info in the archives. There are very few xtrasize reviews https://www.scottmcadams.org/xtrasize-review-results/ tasks needed for these bikes that don't already have multiple threads in the archives about.

Thanks. Just what I needed. I guess I need to learn how to use the search function too.

[cornishgs]

clean tank out with metal prep or similar then use solder to solder up pin holes. worth practicing your soldering skills on scrap metal first.
easer than welding and patching,

[Gorminrider]

...in my tank.
I'm wondering what my options are besides sealing the entire tank with POR-15. The tank looks pretty good except for that one tiny pinhole. Can it be welded?...if so what precautions should be taken (I might ask my brother to do it and I don't want to be responsible for his death). My bro-in law tried JB weld for a pinhole on another bike without much success.

I've used jbweld and it worked fine over MULTIPLE holes in the very same lowest part of tank-trps water scenario... as far as I know it still is(sold that, but held for me for a year+) Prep is always #1. Area must be clean AND "petroleum distillate" and loose rusts free..as in cleaned/dried .... acetone or methl hydrate/or isopropyl (alcohols) seem to work..
You will need to empty tank, turn it over and away from hole as you prep it.air it out etc because in some cases, even fumes will rise and condense,as your patch tries to set

OR
try "Seal-ALL" which is an ol' yokel standby that can really work if you're really up against it....but it's ugly and really meant for side of the road, under the Pickup emrg fix.

[gregp]

I've used jbweld and it worked fine over MULTIPLE holes in the very same lowest part of tank-trps water scenario... as far as I know it still is(sold that, but held for me for a year+) Prep is always #1. Area must be clean AND "petroleum distillate" and loose rusts free..as in cleaned/dried .... acetone or methl hydrate/or isopropyl (alcohols) seem to work..
You will need to empty tank, turn it over and away from hole as you prep it.air it out etc because in some cases, even fumes will rise and condense,as your patch tries to set

OR
try "Seal-ALL" which is an ol' yokel standby that can really work if you're really up against it....but it's ugly and really meant for side of the road, under the Pickup emrg fix.

My brother in law tried JB weld without much luck but that was him...i just went ahead and bought the POR-15 motorcycle fuel tank repair kit on Amazon for $43.

https://www.amazon.com/POR-15-49229-Cycle-Tank-Repair/dp/B00J5947ME/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1497906987&sr=8-1&keywords=motorcycle+fuel+tank+repair+kit

It's what i should have started with instead of the BS home remedies that cost just as much but don't really work. Worked great but takes your attention on and off for the better part of a full day. Also you need to follow the directions carefully to get the best results.