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Sealing a leaking tank

Discussion in 'Hangout Lounge' started by tabaka45, Aug 24, 2020.

  1. tabaka45

    tabaka45 Well-Known Member

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    Not exactly a motorcycle issue, but related. I have a PowerStroke generator and the tank has a weeping leak at one corner of the seam. It's not real bad, but bad enough to stay wet. The generator has only been used once, run dry and stored inside for several years and no rust is visible. I suspect that it is just a bad weld. In any case it is out of warranty and a new tank will cost about $120. I have looked at sealers like Por but I almost hate to put a sealer in a perfectly clean, although leaking, tank. I would like to do something externally first and have thought of solder, epoxy, and even welding. Any suggestions? By the way, I would be careful with PowerStroke products based on my experience.
     
  2. k-moe

    k-moe Pie, Bacon, Bourbon. Moderator Premium Member

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    Silver solder the seam (plumber's solder would work too). Old-school, and permanant.
    Clean the paint away first, use new flux, and take all of the usual precautions when putting heat on a fuel tank.
     
  3. tabaka45

    tabaka45 Well-Known Member

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    Thanks. I was hoping someone would suggest solder. I have read that filling the tank fully with water will avoid any unpleasant explosions. Others have said to run a car exhaust pipe in it for 15 minutes before beginning.
     
  4. Polock

    Polock Well-Known Member

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    i have a compressor that had a pinhole in the tank, bought a new smaller tank and while waiting for the new one tried plumbers solder on the pinhole.
    that was two years ago, still tripping over the new tank because the solder is still working, might never let go.
    use old solder with lead. remember clean clean clean, flux flux flux
     
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  5. Polock

    Polock Well-Known Member

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    i brazed a bike tank with the water trick but you need to have a bubble in the tank where your working or the water will dissipate the heat. work quick, any steam builds pressure fast
    if you use a soldering gun there's no danger of ka-boom
     
  6. tabaka45

    tabaka45 Well-Known Member

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    I wonder if a solder gun will create enough heat to flow all through the seam.
     
  7. Huntchuks

    Huntchuks Well-Known Member

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    I would use a torch, there would not be enough surface contact to sufficiently heat the area with a gun. Map gas is hotter and faster than propane.
     
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  8. k-moe

    k-moe Pie, Bacon, Bourbon. Moderator Premium Member

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    It won't, unless you are lucky enough to have one of the old soldering irons for bodywork.
     
  9. Simmy

    Simmy Well-Known Member

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    There are gas tank repair epoxies
     
  10. k-moe

    k-moe Pie, Bacon, Bourbon. Moderator Premium Member

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    And they are ugly, and don't often work well along seams. But worth using in a pinch.
     
  11. kosel

    kosel Active Member Premium Member

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    If your looking to control the heat spread, I've had good luck using a torch to heat alternating antique soldering irons. Use one while the other is heating. They hold the heat better than a modern gun and are more controlled than open flame.
     
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  12. Fuller56

    Fuller56 Well-Known Member

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    Even though you said you would hate to use sealer in a clean tank that is the easiest, and IMHO the best time to use it. After having a tank rust through from the inside on a ZG1000 Kawasaki I sealed the replacement tank before using. The prep cleaning of the tank is way easier and more efficient and the sealer gets a better grip on the metal of the tank. It also prevents future issues. The key is, as always, in the preparation. Not everyone will agree with sealing a clean tank. Good Luck either way.
    John
     
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  13. XJ550H

    XJ550H Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    if it were something he would be attending when it was running that would be good but if it is used for power outages I would go with the silver solder. had a bike shop do that to a tank that was weeping fuel worked well for the 4 years I had the bike. 20$
    but today it would be a bit more costly to have a bike shop do it. raidiator shop if you can find one could do it too.

    i have one like this someplace with old braided cord cover and a 1 to 2 inch flat tip, never plugged it in
    [​IMG]
     
  14. tumbleweed_biff

    tumbleweed_biff Active Member

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    Well, that's the kind of thing for which Por15 is perfect, not sure why you don't want to do that.
    You could try to do an eternal repair/weld, but if it is leaking/weeping in one place, what makes you think the rest of it is good? It would make more sense to use something like Por15 to ensure that the whole is good. Also, to do the repair you are talking about means fully cleaning the tank so it does have any fumes to explode on you, and then a leak test afterwards to make sure the whole is good to go.
     
  15. Polock

    Polock Well-Known Member

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    well if solder don't work, you can try again and again, but if liner don't work you might not find out till it's 5 deg and a foot of snow
    if you blow air in the tank with a compressor while your working with a torch, the A/F ratio won't ever get to something that could go boom
    Tabaka better let us know how this turns out :)
     
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  16. k-moe

    k-moe Pie, Bacon, Bourbon. Moderator Premium Member

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    I've repaired many a fuel tank with solder. Not one expolsion yet.
     
  17. tumbleweed_biff

    tumbleweed_biff Active Member

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    I've used the Por15. The tank sealer goes on just about thick enough to not need the tank afterwards, so I'd feel comfortable about the 5 degrees and snow. But then I never rode in snow anyway ...
     

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