gas tank

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uglyduckling

uglyduckling
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MY 400 is leaking gas a bit. I 've had it a different mechanics last summer. 1st guy 'tighten' down the tank. then i took it another place cause it still leaked and they replaced the saddle. it helped alot and its not as noisy either. BUT i still got this drip,dripdrip. i only get about 200 k per tank. When i put it on center kick stand its not as bad. My job this winter is take the tank off and check it out. has anyone ever used POR-15? should i just bondo or fiberglass the under side?? how difficult is it for me a feamle to get the tank off. i do have my haynes manuel. please guide me
 
be careful what you buy nower days, fuel contains different levels of ethanol in each country/state and this eats fibre glass for breakfast!

you need to get a proper kit that is ethanol resistant!
 
uglyduckling said:
Im just kinda guessing. it kinda drips down on the left hand bottom corner??? what if its the petcock....
Click to expand...
I'm not sure the year of your bike (maybe I missed it, sorry). The location you described should be the location of your petcock (it is on the old style tanks at least, pretty sure all of them were there though). If your actual petcock was the culprit, you could just replace it and save a TON of money and labor. It also may be leaking from where the petcock mounts into the bottom of the tank.....may not be sealing correctly. Does the drip come from the actual tank, or does it sort of drip down the petcock? If you can tell....
 
I wouldn't pull the tank off quite yet. I would try to see if I could find where the leak is coming from with the tank still on first. Make sure you check the actual tank (really look at the joints, welds, corners, and bottom), the petcock (and where it seals to the tank), and the fuel lines coming from the petcock that go to the carbs. How often does it drip?
 
uglyduckling said:
about a drip per min. but its a 'build up' drip you no what i mean....
Click to expand...
If it is dripping that much, you should probably be able to sort of pin-point where it's coming from. I would wipe the area where the drip looks to be coming from, then just sit back and watch for the drip. That should give you a fairly close location. I'm willing to bet that it's the petcock and not the tank, but that's not to say it isn't the tank though.
 
Also, just looking back to your original post..... You said that a mechanic replaced the saddle? Are you referring to the rubber that sits between the tank and the backbone of the frame? If so, and that helped the leak a little as you mentioned, the tank may be leaking from the tunnel area also.
 
thnaks for the direction. the tank is dry now so this weekend im goin put some gas in and back track and check this out. i will find the damn leak... keep you posted
 
Check my street fighter build you learn about leaking tanks. Red-Kote sealer, after eletrolisys and then evaporust. It got to be clean first. Bondo won't hold, polyester resin won't hold. I patched any leaks on the outside with an expoxy resin, so it would hold water for the first two processes and then Red-Kote. It ain't easy or cheap. IF you can find a good tank just replace it. I could't so I had to do the drill.
 
Hey guys when i worked for HD we would use tinactin foot spray to pin point leaks. It dries to a white powder and makes finding the smallest leaks easy, and cleans off easy as well.
 

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