pin hole in petrol tank

[guest668]

help please have got a pin hole in bottom of my petrol tank on my 87 srx4....i know this means there is likely to be more rust damage inside and it would be best to replace tank but i can't find a replacement anywhere...i do hve a spare tank but it is even worse....so wha is the best way to effect a permanent fix ....can it be done by myself or should i get it done proffesionaly...if so anyone know anywhere that does this sort of thing.   Any help would be greatfuly recieved thanks

[guest295]

Strip all the paint off, treat visible rust with phosphoric acid [Rust-Off or similar], wait 15 minutes for it to work, wet-sand lightly with 100 grit wetordry. Let it dry completely then fiberglass it with West System or similar marine epoxy and 6oz cloth (2 or more layers on the lower part of the tank). Dust the surface with fibrefill or microballoons to fill the weave. Don't use too much epoxy. Always wear disposable vinyl gloves when working with epoxy. That unsightly seam where the side panels join the underside can be eliminated by filling in with microballoons mixed with a little epoxy. It might be wise to remove anything from the tank that you don't want glued on.

[guest668]

THanks GB...that sounds very intensive...i was thinking maybe i could get hole welded up and clean out tank and pet seal it....or would that not be up to the job....alternatively are there any other tanks that fit or could be made to fit srx rd,xt500, or sr500 for example

[guest295]

People keep coming on forums asking how to get rid of tank sealant that has turned to sludge and blocked the whole fuel system. There might be a brand that doesn't do that, but I'd stick with epoxy – it's cheaper and reliable. However, if you're going to line the tank with epoxy you need to take off the tap and all other non-ferrous fittings and slosh the inside with phosphoric acid (dump excess into a plastic basin), wait 15 or more minutes, then rinse the tank very thoroughly with water and blow into it with a vacuum-cleaner hose while heating it gently. When it's thoroughly dry and warm, pour in well-mixed epoxy thinned with a little epoxy solvent (which will evaporate long before the epoxy goes off) and slosh it all round the rusty areas. Pour out the excess through the hole where the tap was. Oh, do wax the threads where the tap goes in so you can re-fit it later. Let the tank sit for several days before putting petrol in it.

There's an amusing video on youtube of somebody trying to weld a tank. It ended up rather more voluminous than he wanted.

[Frog]

Hi

I have a two year fix still OK with Plastic Padding Leak-Fix. Very easy and fast to use:

Locate pin Hole - put Ball end of a ball peen hammer over it and hit that hammer with another one to get a neat dimple dent in the tank with the pin  hole in the middle. Ensure bare metal around hole and that it is scuffed up to provide a key for the leak fix. Mix up the two part leak fix - fill the dimple wait 15 minutes for it to set and sand down / start refinishing. 

It says it does petrol tanks on the box it comes in and it does!

Frog