I need a Hawk 250 Fuel Tank or info on fixing a leak!!

[KF5CVK]

I have a Ricky Motorsport Hawk 250 purchased in Arlington Texas this past winter. Just passed 2500 miles and I have several pinhole fuel leaks at the joint of the rear mount of the fuel tank. Does anybody know where to get a replacement tank or advice on what I can do to reseal the tank from the inside (I don't think my welding is good enough but I will try if I need to!) Pictures will follow shortly!

[Mudflap]

Use a product like POR-15 or take it to a radiator shop for repair. Brazing or even soldering will work also.

[KF5CVK]

How could I forget about this series of products when they served me so well in the past.
Thank you for the reminder and suggestion of a radiator shop, I would have never thought of going there!

[dsp]

Make sure you empty the gas! JB weld might work

[Bruce's]

"Seal all" is also gasoline resistant and has served me fine in the past .

[dsp]

http://www.ebay.com/sch/sis.html?_nk...China+Zongshen

[wilserchinarider]

It's a China bike, I would keep it simple. I would clean the outside of the tank real well and slather on some JB weld. Also put some dry gas in the tank to rid any moisture / water. Is it leaking at a weld or a seam? Or did the tank actually rust through? I must say I liked the plastic tanks on several of my previous China bikes as opposed the the metal tank on my hawk. My guess it is just a bad seam, and 10 minutes, $3 worth of epoxy would keep it leak free.

[culcune]

After 10k miles and an accident with a GMC Yukon Denali last year, my TMEC 200 tank developed a weird narrow inline leak in the back of the tank near where it bolts to the frame. I had Goop, which I found out a couple days after applying, that it was silicone, and gasoline ate right through it! I went to Ace Hardware and found 'Magnum Steel' made by VersaChem, which I am fairly certain can probably be found at most car parts stores. It was a few dollars less cost than a similar product put out by JB Weld. Both products are made for all kinds of surfaces, and specifically mention resisting gas, oil, water, and anti-freeze (that is what I am reading off of Magnum Steel's package).

I got lucky with my repair, because once I saw where it was leaking from, I unbolted the tank, lifted it up towards the handlebars (allowing it to dry and not keep leaking gas) and propped it up for an hour or so.

The package suggests using sandpaper to scrape the surface to prepare it, which I did, and took off a chunk of the putty, and applied it to the tank, smoothing it out. It sets in 5 minutes, and is "hard as steel in 15 minutes." It states it is fully cured in 1 hour, which was no problem in Yuma's heat which was probably about 145 to 160 degrees Faranheit (slight exaggeration, but I was all kinds of sweaty!!!).

That was 3 weeks ago, and no more leak, as advertised on the package. Easy enough for me to use, so I know a monkey or alley cat could probably obtain the same results!

[SpudRider]

Originally Posted by culcune

...Easy enough for me to use, so I know a monkey or alley cat could probably obtain the same results!

[jct842]

A long time ago the seam on the gas tank on my ford 8n tractor started leaking. The girl at the local auto parts place told me she has used slow setting JB weld on her vw gas tank. Said to grind or sand then clean good and let dry for a couple days before putting gas back in it. No leaks yet in the tractor.

[culcune]

Originally Posted by jct842

A long time ago the seam on the gas tank on my ford 8n tractor started leaking. The girl at the local auto parts place told me she has used slow setting JB weld on her vw gas tank. Said to grind or sand then clean good and let dry for a couple days before putting gas back in it. No leaks yet in the tractor.

I was able to lift the tank up and prop into place due to the leak being in the back of the tank. That way, no fuel was at the hole. Of course, Yuma is hot and dry in the middle of summer, so the hole dried out quickly, and I simply sanded on and around the 'hairline fracture' and applied the quick drying putty. I did leave the tank propped up for a few hours, however, keeping whatever gasoline that hadn't leaked out, was in there, up front.

Of course, my leak was conveniently placed to do what I did, but I chose the off-brand putty due to cost and setting time as compared to the comparable JB Weld putty.

[KF5CVK]

The putty solution sounds great but I fear that the fracture or break in the seam may be from stress and vibration on the rear mounting tab. It is already worse than pinhole leaks. I've removed the tank, washed it out and dried it. No fumes remain from gas. I spoke with a welder about brazing or welding it, he spoke of filling the tank with inert gas before doing either. I purchased some tank liner from the local oreilly's auto parts but may go with combination of putty and liner!!!

Thank you everyone for the useful advice, I will update as soon as I get something done on it.

[jct842]

Way back when, the method to patch tanks was clean good, tin, and solder a real penny over the hole. Use an iron not flame. Gas tanks explode with only fumes in them.

[KF5CVK]

Originally Posted by jct842

Way back when, the method to patch tanks was clean good, tin, and solder a real penny over the hole. Use an iron not flame. Gas tanks explode with only fumes in them.

A penny wouldn't work here, the fracture line is almost 2 inches long close to the seam at the rear mount!

[dsp]

http://www.highrpmracer.com/atv-part...c-274_868.html