Gas tank holes

External Since: Aug 11, 2003 Posts: 77

Howdy. Mid-day baileys and coffee here, and I'll spring for a round of
whatever you like... at least till the plastic's taken away.

Anybody used any of those two-part epoxy sealer things on a gas tank? I've
got about 4 nail-hole size holes in the bottom of my gas tank, and I'd
prefer to plug, rather than replace. They're not at a seam, but on a 2 x 8
inch flat area of the bottom of the tank. Before everybody starts screaming,
yes I realize the proper thing is to replace the tank. Yes, I know there's
bound to be rust just waiting to pop through in other spots too. Yes, I know
if I had bought a Harley for her it wouldn't have done this. But I'm only
really looking for a semi-temporary fix. This is what I'm politely calling
my wife's training bike, and I only want it to hold for a few months while
she gets her "bike legs". A HD is already being planned on for a
winter/spring acquisition, at which time I'll be selling the Kaw that this
leak is on. (Yes, actually, I will tell the prospective buyer about whatever
repair I end up doing.)

A replacement tank is $500, an ebay search didn't turn up a replacement,
but Google showed a few different sealant/repair kits. One of them just
happens to be in my possession, and it's called Inventek Industrial Sealer.
It's got two sticks of playdoh-looking stuff that you mix and stick on. It
says right on the package that it works for fuel tanks... but I don't always
believe all that I read. So, anybody ever used this stuff before???

JR_FXLR

External Since: Jul 23, 2003 Posts: 147

>"JR_FXLR" wrote:
> A replacement tank is $500, an ebay search didn't turn up a replacement,
>but Google showed a few different sealant/repair kits. One of them just
>happens to be in my possession, and it's called Inventek Industrial Sealer.
>It's got two sticks of playdoh-looking stuff that you mix and stick on. It
>says right on the package that it works for fuel tanks... but I don't always
>believe all that I read. So, anybody ever used this stuff before???

Not sure of that particular brand, but I used something to that effect
from an auto parts that lasted 18 years on the Whatzit before I
replaced the tanks a couple of years ago because of dents rather than
leaks. The tanks originally had emblem mounts on them and when I
pulled them off it put a strain on the spot welds and a pinhole
appeared. If your "nail-sized hole" is the result of rust rather than
a puncture/tear, I'd worry about the metal being fragile inside and
around your epoxy plug more than anything.
--
Roger
'58-'03 Whatzit
'03 FLHTI
TOMKAT BS#150 SENS NEWT#1
<a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.utm.edu/~relmore/Whatzit" target="_blank">www.utm.edu/~relmore/Whatzit</a>