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#1 |
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 7
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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!
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#2 |
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 1,907
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Use a product like POR-15 or take it to a radiator shop for repair. Brazing or even soldering will work also.
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#3 |
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 7
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Oh the wonders of POR-15!
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! |
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#5 |
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: Sudbury ,Ontario
Posts: 855
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"Seal all" is also gasoline resistant and has served me fine in the past .
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#6 |
Join Date: May 2015
Posts: 32
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#7 |
Join Date: Jun 2010
Posts: 380
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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.
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#8 |
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Yuma, Arizona
Posts: 9,043
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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!
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"They say that life's a carousel, spinning fast you got to ride it well..." TGB Delivery Scooter 150 TMEC 200 Enduro--carcass is sadly rotting in the backyard |
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#9 | |
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Idaho
Posts: 25,054
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Quote:
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Spud "Never argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level, and beat you with experience." ![]() 2015 Zongshen ZS250GY-3 (RX3) 2006 Zongshen ZS200GY-2 (Sierra 200) 2005 Honda XR650L 2004 Honda CRF250X 1998 Kawasaki KDX220 Mods made to my Zongshen ZS200GY-2: http://www.chinariders.net/showthread.php?t=6894 |
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#10 |
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: arkansas
Posts: 297
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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.
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#11 | |
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Yuma, Arizona
Posts: 9,043
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Quote:
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.
__________________
"They say that life's a carousel, spinning fast you got to ride it well..." TGB Delivery Scooter 150 TMEC 200 Enduro--carcass is sadly rotting in the backyard |
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#12 |
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 7
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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. |
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#13 |
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: arkansas
Posts: 297
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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.
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#14 |
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 7
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A penny wouldn't work here, the fracture line is almost 2 inches long close to the seam at the rear mount!
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#15 |
Join Date: May 2015
Posts: 32
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Tags |
fuel, leak, pinhole, repair, tank |
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