gas tank pinholes

[Anonymous]

Heres a good question for some of the experts on this forum.I am trying to repair the fuel tank on my 78 gs 1000 , it has about a dozen pinholes from the bottom up to the seam on both sides. I dont want to use an in tank pocess because I am trying to save my petcock and gas gauge without taking them out. So I am trying to find an outside spray or brush on sealer that will handle gasoline. I have removed the paint down to the metal where the holes are.............thanks fellow Gsers.........................


ps cannot afford to have tank replaced or rebuilt..times are tough ......Ken

[redliner1973]

About the only other way is to have them welded. Pinholes are just teh beginning of a bigger rust problem. :twisted:

[argonsagas]

Desperate times call for unusual measures.

There is a glue-type product called Sealsall that works well on gas tanks. Comes in a yellow tube in a yellow box with red and black print. I believe it is made in USA, so it should be available there, but you can get someone in BC to send it to you (or take a trip to "sunny" Vancouver.) as it is sold in all Canadian Tire stores.

This stuff set the standard for this type of repair many years ago, and it is still excellent.

Follow the instructions.....let it dry OVERNIGHT to properly set.

It dries clear, and it works!

Problem with that, is that it cannot be considered more than a temporary fix, as the rust you already have inside will not get better.

Best approach would be to find another tank, but, failing that, you can take it to a radiator or gas tank repair shop and ask their opinion. With a little luck they will look at it, and maybe test it for you, at no charge.

[Anonymous]

I think you're going to lose this battle. You could try removing the valve and sending unit and remounting them with plastic bags around them, not an easy task and you need a thick plastic bag to withstand the acid wash. Company that makes kreem recommends making wood templets to replace them during the process. Also, if you use the bags, you will probably need to replace them between the wash and coat. If you try to go on with the internal rust you are going to have trouble with pieces of rust on the screen of the fuel valve and smaller pieces will make it to the carbs (if they aren't already there). Inine fuel filter. Then you will have some of the problems you read about fuel systems on this site. The best home fix would be to apply the stuff the other guy suggested or JB Weld, let it cure, and then wash and coat the inside of the tank. Pay attention to the instructions because you have the worst case. You will need to put nuts, bolts, or stones in the tank for an agitator. They probably only need to contact the lower part of the tank.

[dgeorge]

You might want to check out this site they sell a kit to reseal a gas tank (outside) and remove any rust on the inside as well. http://www.por15.com/tankseal_fuelpreserve.html

[Anonymous]

thin aluminum sheet stock glued on ( external ) with JB Weld has worked for me, and others,,,,following the directions, roughing both surfaces with 80 grit, and fanatically cleanliness are important to success, a reputaple radiator shop can solder thin copper patches, which is highly effective, but will mess up your paint.

[Anonymous]

thin aluminum sheet stock glued on ( external ) with JB Weld has worked for me, and others,,,,following the directions, roughing both surfaces with 80 grit, and fanatically cleanliness are important to success, a reputaple radiator shop can solder thin copper patches, which is highly effective, but will mess up your paint.

[HiSPL]

Keep it simple.....JBWeld applied to the problem area like drywall spackle, Let dry and sand down and paint. (flat black works great!) I've been doing this on my tank for a while. Not one of my patches has failed but new spots are constantly arising

[Redman]

Like other said, it keeps getting worse, especally if you just patch it from the outside. Think of it this way : You just see the pin holes but really it is rusted thin all over in between and around where the pinholes are, the old "tip of the iceburg" situation, although the ice burg is inside and the pin holes are where it breaks the surface. So keep that in mind when you use any of the patching material stuff. But, yah, I understand your just wanting to get it back on the road.

[dgeorge]

There is a tank for a 79 1000E on ebay right now for about $50 Might be cheepep then trying to fix your old one. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...category=34284

[terry]

There is a tank for a 79 1000E on ebay right now for about $50 Might be cheepep then trying to fix your old one. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...category=34284

Sadly that tank on ebay is not off any 1979 GS1000E I ever saw, that's the trouble with some ebay sellers, they just don't know what it is they're selling.

For my two cents, I reckon that por15 stuff looks very good, they even provide a solvent that removes botched kreem coatings, and for 29 bucks for a permanent repair you couldn't go wrong, or could you??????:twisted:

[Anonymous]

gas tank

Does anyone know what tanks are interchangable with my 78 gs1000e? Hopefully within a couple of months I might be able to get some cash together.But I would sure like to ride in the meantime as the sun starting to come out in the Pacific Nothwest............... ........thanks ..Ken...

[Anonymous]

Tanked!

Ken:
I tend to agree with "Redman" in that you're really just delaying, or rather patching a terminal problem. I had a rust thru problem on my old 79 1000 also. My guess is that I never took the petcock off "ON" and never used the "RESERVE" setting, so...water accumulated on the bottom of the tank and the good gas rose to the pick-up tube. One day it started weeping gas, I emptied it flipped it over started poking at the rust spots, one pinhole turned into a half dozen dime size holes in moments.......
You should get a new tank......OK?
Rick........

[Anonymous]

Re: Tanked!

Ken:
I tend to agree with "Redman" in that you're really just delaying, or rather patching a terminal problem. I had a rust thru problem on my old 79 1000 also. My guess is that I never took the petcock off "ON" and never used the "RESERVE" setting, so...water accumulated on the bottom of the tank and the good gas rose to the pick-up tube. One day it started weeping gas, I emptied it flipped it over started poking at the rust spots, one pinhole turned into a half dozen dime size holes in moments.......
You should get a new tank......OK?
Rick........

I totally agree with you and in time I will get a new tank if I can raise the 200 dollars most yards want or if something shows up on ebay for the cash I have, but till then I would really like to be riding..........thanks

[Anonymous]

I can vouch for the POR-15. I bought the stuff at a local NAPA store, followed the directions religiously, and I haven't had any recurring problems. According to the folks at stovebolt.com (Chevy GMC trucks forum) the KREEM stuff has a history of flaking off into the tank. Don't know if thats true or not.