Hi, Had my bike for a few weeks now and always felt it smelled of petrol more than it should. On removing the tank, I noticed the Allen bolt was wet with petrol. I cleaned up the area around the tank fastening and left a tissue underneath for half an hour. it was ever so slightly discoloured with petrol. I decided to remove the tank completely. I noticed the 2 black pipes that go into the grey Y fitting were wet too. Should it have a pipe connected to under the bike for overflow? I have left the tank outside tail down, to see if I can see any leaks. Hoping its not the welds on the flange. Is it worth replacing the pipework? New seal? Are the parts available? Any recommendations appreciated. Cheers.
Hi i have a 916 so the fittings are similar although the unions on yours are different. If this was my bike I would remove the allen screws if they come off and check behind or the best solution is to clean the area of any marks. put some petrol in the tank and slosh it about to see where it is coming from. Unless it is when pressure of the pump. It could also be a blocked filter causing high pressure build up. Was the bike running okay before this? Vinny
The plastic y should connect to an overflow pipe, as mentioned it's worth replacing the o ring under the fuel pump housing and the fuel level sender unit has a plastic nut which is known to crack and leak, if it's OK, don't overtighten it otherwise it will crack, they can be replaced with an alloy one if it does. Steve
Hi, thanks for the replies, off the bike, it seems to be sweating out of the weld as circled in this pic. Doesn't even wet a tissue, but trace of petrol and a strong smell. Can it be soldered? or a a petrol putty applied in maybe two layers?
If you're replacing the big o-ring for the unit that's a good time to change the filter. Rubber doesn't really like fuel or oil so will break down over time. Having said all that, the sort of leak you describe could indeed be a rust pin hole. When the tank is fairly empty have a look inside.
i had a small leak from the overflow pipe on my 996, and the culprit was the internal pipes from the overflow/ breather. one was porous and i replaced both hoses and clips, and while open the Fuel filter and new tank to pump seal. all was ok after.
If it's rusting from the inside you could seal it with por-15 sealer, people have had very good results with it. Steve
hi all, I rang around and given that a repair was possible for in the region of £175, I decided that a 2-3 week wait would miss time on the bike, so I went for the repair. Ive attached the pics, it isn't pretty, but 4 days in and its not leaking. Ill tidy it up with a bit of black paint as its under the seat. Hope Im tempting fate, but if it can get me through to winter ill be happy! Notes- I used a knife blade to cut into the original paint so that the nitromors didn't spread under the rest of the rank paint above the repair. nitromors didn't bubble so after 2 hours as expected, so I washed it off and it scraped off like butter. I used a Stanley blade to clean into the welds, then used a rotary wire brush on a drill to clean it up, followed by 80's grit paper to key the metal. the Plastic padding goes off real quick ! 3 mins max so plan the application.
ok, after standing with a good amount of petrol in it there is still a hint of petrol. Left overnight on a white cloth and tiny amount of petrol coming from near the drain plug, gave it a hard wipe and theres a tiny pin hole under the paint that is now a problem, so I've cleaned it off and used plastic padding again. Left the tank upside down and it vented petrol onto the fuel pump and pipework, ok not a problem until I turned it over and it seems some joker had repainted the tank with paint that doesn't like petrol. I have no words... Has anyone got a tank they want to sell?
Thats a shame looks like its time to call it a day on that tank, I have used POR15 on 3 350 lc tanks with very good results but as you now need a respray i would look for another with a bit of patina so it looks like the rest of the body work.
I'd persevere with it. However the job is a bit bigger now. Tat rust hole is the start. You'll find the area around it is very thin and so you'll probably need some sort of build up in that area inside the tank. Then get it repainted with proper 2K clear over base coat not that enamel or acrylic it has been repainted in.
Bad luck, unfortunately the price of a repair and respray is going to be similar to a used tank. It's not worth paying for a respray unless you have a proper repair Imo. Steve
The problem with buying another tank is that it may have the same issues soon. Unless you source a new one.
Agreed, fully dismantle it to assess the damage before going any further, you might find the inside is completely knackered? I don't know if they all do but my 916 has a black coating/lining inside that should prevent corrosion but if that's gone then the whole tank might be paper thin and full of rust. Be easier, quicker and likely cheaper to replace it though.
Hi All, sorry Ive not responded, I've been away. The repairs have held for 10 days, and I took it for a blast yesterday, with two fill ups. Having trouble finding a decent second hand tank tho. Also bought a proper tank locating rubber, as I noticed the ones on it were putting stress on the weld. if you see any tanks let me know! Cheers
Nearly a year on I thought Id post another update. You never know someone else may be searching online with the same immediate problem on any bike. So FWIW, the Plastic Padding Leak fix has held for 10 months! Sets rock solid. Now Ive got a replacement tank I need some more advice, so will post a new thread.
