POR 15 Sealer not well enough mixed before put in the tank

[jorgeno]

Hi. Need some good advise from you guys

I followed the fuel tank repair kit instruction and did a good job on the part 1 (cleaner degreaser) and part 2 (metal prep), but on part 3 (tank sealer) i failed. Meaning that I forgot to mixed the can of sealer adequate before putting in it the tank In the bottow of the can there was a thick "mass". I tried to scrape it out and put in tank afterwards. I rolled the tank for 20 min. But I am not happy with the results. Itīs not a thick layer of sealer around the tank.

What sholud I do?

1. Nothing? And just see "how it goes"
2. Mix well a new sealer and resealed? Is it possible? Would a new sealer stick to the other sealer?
3. Use Paint stripper and do the prosess again?


Thanks
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[fastbysuzuki]

Your pictures are not visible try putting them on Flickr. You will have to weigh up the hassle of removing the existing coat or over coating it.
I am no expert in this field but would be tempted to try over coating.

[posplayr]

When I coated my tank i had to really shake it around a long time to get an even coating because there was so much excess.

Personally i would think you did not shake it around in the tank long enough to get a more even coating, rather than failed to mix the hardener. It is what it is and will likely hold.

[Gorminrider]

You could contact POR and see what they say....

But seeing as you sloshed it for 20 minutes, that mightbe ok. It LOOKS like it coated, from the pix.

I'm not sure what solvents would remove it, seeing as it's intended to resist gasoline. Something that attacks epoxy as a guess -again, POR would know that and whether to recoat.

[jorgeno]

Massive thanks everyone.
I contacted POR today, they said it can`t be recoated again. The sealer wont stick to it. Best advise is to see how it goes. If it dosent work, the sealer must be removed and do the prosess again

[Gorminrider]

Thanks for reporting back, Jorgeno. I was wondering about recoat too...If your tank was really badly rusted with pinholes, the tankliners are no miracle anyways... if it leaks, a good epoxy putty (jbweld) may be your friend.

[Kiwi Canuck]

Jorgeno, you should be fine with what you have got there, but leave it for 4-5 days to fully cure if you have build-up in the tank.

I have done quite a few tanks in my time and it's a very time consuming job, you also get better the more you do, well I did anyway.

Things to note:

As obvious as it sounds read the instruction thoroughly, several times if needed.

Allow enough time to complete the job without rushing, I allow 5-6 hours total.

Your prep area is important, I use an elevated old portable plastic picnic table outside that's comfortable to work at, as you will be there a while. (I cut 6" lengths from PVC pipe and added it to the bottoms of the legs to raise the table up)

After the etch solution is finished and you have rinsed out the tank, dump a few liters of Isopropyl alcohol into the tank to assist with water removal and to stop the flash rust, it actually works great, then use the heat gun. (Thank you Chuck Hahn for that info)

The paint can is a bitch to open and you will need to murder the top to get it open, that's normal.

Stir the contents well. (put that in just for you)

Pour all the POR15 paint into the tank, hopefully you have sealed the tank properly so you can rotate the tank without spilling out the contents.

Rotate by hand for 10-15 mins first time then rest it for 3-4 minutes and then rotate it again for a while, 3-5 mins, (rest the tank in different positions each time) do this until you see the paint starting to get a little more viscous, probably 1-2 hours depending on outside temp/humidity etc.

At some point before the paint gets too thick you need to pour out the excess product, undo the plug for the petcock and drain any excess, but the secret is not too much, leave a little extra in there for more coverage as you continue the rotate, rest, rotate cycle.
You will also need to able to remove the plug you installed into the filler hole to inspect the insides from time to time.

The hardest area to cover is the hump in the tank, and that's the part you see when you look in the tank so make sure you give it enough rotations to cover this part well and keep an eye on that area.

Once you see the paint getting quite viscous and it runs more slowly you are done, remove the petcock plug and let the remainder drain out and leave it sitting in that position, an old paint tray liner works well for this.

I usually wait a minimum of 3-4 days before using the tank.

Hope this helps, if there is a next time.

David.

[steve murdoch]

Massive thanks everyone.
I contacted POR today, they said it can`t be recoated again. The sealer wont stick to it. Best advise is to see how it goes. If it dosent work, the sealer must be removed and do the prosess again

Did they tell you how to remove their liner if it doesn't go well?

[jorgeno]

POR have two kind off Paint stripper in their assortment. POR-strip and C232? (don`t remember the name). They said it was not a easy job. Take necessary precautions, dangerous gases. If you spill it on the paint it will eat it immediately.

My tank didnīt have any pin holes, but was a bit rusty. I will leave it like this for now, maybe I try to fix this next winter. Or try to find another gas tank.

[jorgeno]

Thanks David, that`s good tips. Lesson learned (the hard way :-)