Tank repair/seal

[Steve Lake]

Now... i've not used this myself (yet), but i know a man who has.... and he reckons it's streets ahead of petseal.....
I shall be using it in the near future.
https://www.frost.co.uk/brands/por15/por15-motorcycle-fuel-tank-repair-kit.html

[johnr]

yep, ive used por15 many times and its never let me down, does exactly what it says on the tin. best advice is to get thee full kit with thee cleaner and primer rather than just the sealer, then take your time doing it, i left thee cleaner in there for a week, giving it a shake every time i passed it, and the sealer was done on a hot sunny day in the conservatory, it was hot and the temperature helped it to go off. i left it to stand for a week afterwards to fully cure and its been perfect since.

but, and i cant stress this enough, DO NOT use petseal, its terrible stuff, ive a tank on a bsa with petseal in that has failed and ive got to resort to acetone to strip it out of the inside. every tank ive had with petseal in has failed. the stuff just cant cope with modern ethanol rich fuel and the ethanol eventually degrades the liner till it flakes off in great chunks and cracks.

[Steve Lake]

I have heard that about petseal John. a friend with a Goldie (his absolute pride & joy, lives in the conservatory during the winter .... thats the bike, not my mate :-) )..... he'd drained the tank prior to a winter lay up, on refueling in the spring, he noticed all these slabs of jelly like substance swilling about..... de-laminated & rotten petseal.... as you say.... a hell of a job to remove it all

[Richard]

Sadly not for Plastic tanks like the Skorpion - which suffers badly from ethanol.

I have been using POR15 for a while - strong stuff if tetchy to apply properly.

[Steve Lake]

Any hints or tips on a successful application would be welcome on here Richard...

[Richard]

Follow the instructions, however much of a pita they may appear.  Use the special degreaser, use the metal prep (it really makes a difference to adhesion).

The base coat is excellent stuff - but not UV resistant - so cover it with the top coat.

The only thing I can't seem to do is to get a tidy finish with the top coat using brushes - which is a shame as getting paint that is genuinely impervious to petrol is becoming very difficult for DIYers.  Fortunately I mainly use it on MZs and have a healthy attitude to finish quality.

The stuff sticks well done properly whilst if you don't do ALL the stages people have reported it coming off in sheets.

[johnr]

and take your time. i swilled my tank out first with boiling water and fairy liquid to remove petrol residue, then i dropped the chain and bolts in and put it inside a cement mixer drum to knock the rust off. when i used the tank cleaner i left it in for a week just to make sure it was proper clean, giving it a shake and swirl round every night, after that i did the same with the metal treatment. finally i waited for a real hot day to put the liner in, and it dried faster, then i left it a fortnight before putting fuel in it, i wasnt in any rush so it didnt matter.

[mthee]

Sound advice. Did you use any liquid such as WD40 in with the nuts and bolts? Anyone had any joy with electrolysis and/or an acid treatment. A skinflint friend of mine (ok, me really) needs to know. Or is POR15 worth the £50?

[johnr]

the electrolytic removal process works fine, but my triumph tank was heavily rusted, so i used a length of metal chain with nuts and bolts through  alternate links. it works the same as a handfull of bolts, but the chain has more mass so knocks flakes of scale and rust off easier, and best of all, when youre done, cos its all together, you only need to hook one thing out of the tank, i use a magnet. i do it dry and then rinse out with water. doing it wet just makes a paste that can stop the surface from being cleaned hit by the chain.

[johnr]

yes the por15 is worth it. even if you use electrolytic removal id still seal it with por15 cos modern petrol absorbs water and can cause problems in storage.

[mthee]

Many thanks.

[mthee]

johnr - my project CB200 tank recently had its pet******* bung TIG welded in and the original pet******* locating holes were MIG welded up. However, this latter weld is leaking. The guy who welded said the tank was thin metal and like Swiss cheese. He half expected it to leak and said to bring it back if it did for another go. Will the POR15 seal up the porous tank/weld if he can't improve it?
Just spotted this POR15 patch for the outside and wondered if you have ever had occasion to use it? Things are looking up!?

https://www.frost.co.uk/faq-3-step-por15-tank-repair-seal-tank-guide

https://www.frost.co.uk/por-15-por-patch-118ml.html

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[johnr]

yeah, its quite thick stuff and when the tank is coated fully, any residue will pool in the bottom of the tank anyhow. you usually get the little patch with the por15 so you can repair any holes in the structure, but ive never had cause to use it yet cos the sealant has always done the job.

[johnr]

usually when you get por15, you get a small fabric patch that you can use to bridge gaps using the por15 itself as the adhesive/filler. ive never seen te por15 in a tube, so i think from your pic, you will be ok with the usual por15.

[mthee]

Cheers for that, John. I'll be waiting for warmer weather before I get the sealant and will update here.