How to Patch a Tiny Hole in Top of Gas Tank?

[Guest]

All,

Friend of mine has a GS with a TINY hole in the top of the gas tank. Location is near the steering stem very close the the weld joint where the two halves of the tank are welded together. Sorry, no pic at the moment.

It is not in the weld lip itself, but just barely around the corner of the 90 bend at the bottom of the weld lip. So it IS on the tank and not the weld lip.

It's a tiny hole. You can just catch it with the tip of a stick pin, but you can't get the tip of the stick pin in the hole. So, really tiny!

It's definitely leaking air and gas fumes. If he fills up the tank to the top it leaks fuel. Small, slow leak, but not safe as it will drip down onto the engine.

So, how do you patch that tiny little hole. Will a smear of JB Weld seal it? Could you drop a hot blob of solder on it with a soldering pen?

If not, what's the best way to seal it?

Thanks for any advice.

[bwringer]

A smear of JB Weld should do it. There are also gas tank repair epoxies designed to work well in contact with gasoline.

HOWEVER: there's the worry that one pinhole is just evidence of a corroded spot in the metal, and means there will be many more. Without a look inside the tank, it might be hard to figure out whether this pinhole is just one defect or the harbinger of fiery doom.

Personally, I'd be inclined to think it's just a defect -- there are a lot of curves and a lot of tricky welding in this area, and maybe your tank was just built on a Monday morning.

[WingMan71]

A smear of JB Weld should do it. There are also gas tank repair epoxies designed to work well in contact with gasoline.

HOWEVER: there's the worry that one pinhole is just evidence of a corroded spot in the metal, and means there will be many more. Without a look inside the tank, it might be hard to figure out whether this pinhole is just one defect or the harbinger of fiery doom.

Personally, I'd be inclined to think it's just a defect -- there are a lot of curves and a lot of tricky welding in this area, and maybe your tank was just built on a Monday morning.

Thanks.

Just need a short term fix for now.

Eventually, I told him to get a POR-15 tank repair kit and seal the tank from the inside.

Just wants to be able to ride it until winter, when he'll do the internal seal.

***

[azr]

JB weld will fix it quick and get him back on the road, I did one to the bottom of a tank and it's lasted a year and half. He's going to have to address the tank this winter though, that's a really weird spot for a rust hole, they are usually on the bottom of course. I would be very nervous of the condition of my tank with a hole where he has one, but he can deal with that in the winter. Some people say there are better products than POR-15 for sealing a tank that already has holes.

[chuck hahn]

Hows the paint???? If he doesnt want JB on good paint, he should do the vinegar derusting and then seal it with the POR 15 or the Caswell 2 part epoxy kit. All he would need to do in regards to the hole itself is to put some duct tape over it, do the liner, and some touch up paint..done.

[WingMan71]

The paint on the tank is nice, so he does not want to repaint, but keep it original, as I think he should.

There is NO rust around the hole. Today he decided to scratch off a very small area of paint (about 1/8" diameter) around the hole to get a better look at it. There is no rust around it at all. It actually looks more like a tiny crack (less than 1/32" long) in the metal right next to the weld lip rather than a pin hole due to rust. This may simply be an imperfection in the metal at that spot.

I think we're gonna put a tiny dab of JB Weld on it and make do with that until Winter and the POR-15 restore kit.

I personally have had very good success with the POR-15 tank restore kit on a couple of really bad tanks, including my current '83 GS650GL restoration project.

Thanks for the help guys!