How do I find a hole in my tank?

[Anonymous]

I know its comming from bottom but some one bondoded the bottom befor .... whats a easy way to see where its comming from .. it is a tiny leak but will get the garage smellin like gas and a/c sucks it inside ..

[argonsagas]

First, you could drain some of the gas, remove the tank and prop it up securely so you can see the underside.


Alternatively, and preferably, drain the tank as best you can, then take it off.

Take off ALL bondo, etc and re-do the tank properly. Since it already has had some holes filled, and is leaking again, it could be that the rust that caused them is spreading inside, and you will need more work, as well as a very thorough interior cleaning and coating. Even it the bondo has just loosened up, you need to get it off and replace it, which means you should reseal ALL holes, and you must have clean metal to do that.

There are instructions for doing the work in this section, and a section for painting the tank if you need to do that.

[Anonymous]

THANKS!

great help ! I am going to sand the big problem spot later with the dremel and get it to bare metal and re-seal the hole under side

thanks

[jimcor]

I'd fill the tank with water before I attacked it with a dremel...a few sparks and a tank full of fumes... 8O c

[Anonymous]

I'd fill the tank with water before I attacked it with a dremel...a few sparks and a tank full of fumes... 8O c

DITTO ON THAT
Even filling it with water may not be enough, especially if there are cracks and stuff like bondo for gas to hide in. Make sure you get that tank nice and cleaned out of any gas and fumes first

[Anonymous]

You probably don't want to hear this, but....

I had a similar leak on my old RZ350. I patched up the first leak, but within about three months, I had a new leak. I took the tank off and started to clean it up so I could make the repair you mention, but found another hole... and another hole... and another hole... I finally resorted to taking a pointed scribe and poking at all the bubbles on the bottom left side of the tank. The entire lower left side of the tank was just riddled with rust pinholes. I thought of doing the Kreem thing, but the acid would have pretty much just eaten the bottom of the tank out. Look at the bottom of tank, if it has what looks like little bubbles on it, it is thoroughly rotten. I strongly advise you to start searching for a tank.

BTW, Bondo WON'T hold fuel, it's polyester and will eventually leak. If you want to make a temp patch until you get a good tank, use epoxy putty. The only real fix is a new tank or brazing. If it is bad, just get a tank.

[HiSPL]

One way to neutralize the fumes inside your gas tank is to run a hose from the exhaust pipe of a car to the filler neck on the tank. The car exhaust will displace the oxygen in the tank and prevent burning. Just make sure that you have plenty of ventilation!

JBWeld will patch those pin holes nicely....

[Anonymous]

hmmm, interesting.

[argonsagas]

JB Weld will do the job. So will a glue-type product called SEALALL, which is excellent for the purpose.

IF, as suggested, you should find a series of holes, but are unable to replace the tank, then strip it completely, using a paint remover, and make sure it is thoroughly dry, then get a sheet of woven mesh fibreglass and fit it to the tank. Fitting it means cutting it on different angles until the various cuts fit together like a jigsaw puzzle, but loosely.

Sorry...I missed a stage......put in a handful of loose steel nuts, put the tank cover on, and shake the tank hard in every direction. This is to loosen rust on the inside. Invert the tank, insert a hose, rinse thoroughly and dry.

Once you brush on a thick coat of the liquid epoxy, lay on the cloth. You will find it stretches, so even if you missed a couple of small spots, they will probably be covered.

The epoxy will serve to fill any tiny holes that were missed, and the cloth will provide the integrity to ensure no further leaks. Better insurance is to put on a second layer of cloth. Let the first one harden, then rough-sand it before laying on the second.

The rest of the body work is up to you.

Look around on this site and you will find In The Garage. There is a section on painting tanks.

You can consider getting the tank coated inside, try a DIY method, or just leave it, and be sure to keep the tank filled forever after.

MUST

INSTALL AN IN-LINE FUEL FILTER. before fitting the tank back on the bike.

[HiSPL]

How do I find a hole in my tank?

It can be dark under the tank so use a match for some light.....