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How to seal a gas tank leak....

tkent02

tkent02

Forum LongTimer
Past Site Supporter
I have a leak in the tank, from a P.O. putting too long of a screw to hold the Suzuki emblem on the tank. He sealed it up with some Bondo-like substance in behind the screw hole, that came out while I was getting it ready to paint.
So now it leaks.
I need to seal it from the inside, but theres no way to reach it due to the collar around the inside of the filler opening.

There's no rust inside or anything, the tank is otherwise nice and freshly painted.

Any ideas?
 
you could try rivetting the emblem on instead of the screws, they would pull tight at the back of the hole, only other ways are increasing the dent around the hole and filling, or welding
 
You are getting ready to paint anyway, so have it welded or brazed, then sanded and primered.
Not necessarily the cheapest way, but it will be done right.


.
 
You are missing the point, it's already painted....

You are missing the point, it's already painted....

The paint job is all done, the paint looks good, when I put a bit of gas in it to go for a ride it leaked.
Don't want to do anything that would mess up the paint, so it needs to be sealed from the inside.
 
I'd try JB weld. I heard you can use it in float bowls so why not gas tanks? It will be hidden under the emblem right?
 
P.O.R.15 makes a motorcycle gas tank sealing "kit". Eastwood carries it or you can get it from a autobody supply center. No welding, and creates a liner for the tank Just make sure you follow the directions
 
I have checked into several of these kits....

I have checked into several of these kits....

The cleaners all say they eat paint, and the leak will put some right on the side of the tank where it is most noticeable. I think maybe if I use duct tape or silicone sealer on the outside of the hole it may keep the cleaner from leaking through onto the paint.
Or just use the sealer without any cleaners inside, there really isn't any rust in there.
 
prxbadger said:
you could try rivetting the emblem on instead of the screws, they would pull tight at the back of the hole, only other ways are increasing the dent around the hole and filling, or welding
Click to expand...

A rivet will never seal from fuel leakage.

Also tank prep kits will not seal a hole the size of a rivet.

The tank either needs to be brazed, or possibly JB Weld might seal. I sure as heck wouldn't risk fuel leaking on a hot engine.......

Lastly the "PO" of that bike needs to get kicked hard in the nutz.
 
Last edited:
I would go with jbweld if there are no other non destructive methods available to you. Also on a percautionary note if you want to be really sure it will not leak go and pick up some red gasket eliminator from a detroit diesel dealership and put some of that over the jb weld patch under the emblum.
 
tkent02 said:
.... that came out while I was getting it ready to paint.
.....There's no rust inside or anything, the tank is otherwise nice and freshly painted.

Any ideas?
Click to expand...

So you saw the hole and painted anyways:?::rolleyes::?:
 
Not that dumb...

Not that dumb...

ScottMc1100L said:
So you saw the hole and painted anyways:?::rolleyes::?:
Click to expand...

Didn't know about the leak until gas came out the screw hole.
Thinking back I realized there had been some Bondo stuck in behind the metal piece that the screws go into. Now I know why.
 
There is a product available in Canada that is excellent for this. It has been around for many years, I think it is called Sealall.

Since the tank is already painted, and you want toa void welding, I would look at something very secure.


I would shy away from any compound if it is to be used on its own.
Gas leaks can be dangerous, so whatever you do, it needs to be secure.

Here is one idea:

Once you have a gas-proof compound, check the size of the hole and find a two or three inch long bolt that will fit it......head-first. Then find a thin, flexible, washer a bit larger, and a larger washer and nut to fit the bolt.

You push the bolt head through the hole, add a bit of compound, and then push the flexible washer after it. You need a long bolt to give the purchase necessary to get it worked into the tank, and you need to have the larger washer and then the nut already mounted on the same bolt to keep everything in place, in case you push the bolt too far into the tank.

The idea is to get the flex washer inside, add the compound again and push it around the bolt, then have the bolt pull out against it all to create a sandwich. Once it is done, you can fit the emblem, and tighten everything into place. Once the compound has set you can remove the retaining nut, trim the bolt to needed size and put a cap nut on the bolt to complete the job.

This will give a seal that will be about as close to permanent as you can get.
 
Oh, I had this problem once too, on an old GS750TZ.

I never found any non-destructive solution. :cry: None of the liners worked (not that I had much hope).

The Seal-All didn't work for me, but perhaps if the surface was prepped better it would have...that idea about using abolt and washer sounds like agood one, it wasn't an option for me because of the nature of the breach.

I ended up going to a rad shop and having it lined. Course, that will take out the paint.
 
There is no way I would line an otherwise perfectly good tank for a hole like this. Just not the proper solution. I'd go with Road Clams suggestion above.

tkent said:
...Didn't know about the leak until gas came out the screw hole.
Click to expand...
UUGG! I feel for you!
 
your best bet is to bite the bullet and get the hole brazed or welded, there is no product out there that will hold up for a period of time to gas, especaily the the high ethanol stuff. The hole is to big for any kind of liner and they are a pain in the ass any way even with a paint job you don't care about.

sorry about your luck but this isn't some thing to cheap out on especally if you seem to care about the bike
 
i still think a rivet particularly with some sealant around it would pull tight into the hole in the same way as the bolt and washer would, or does rivet mean something entirely different in america?

never can tell....:-D
 
first timer said:
your best bet is to bite the bullet and get the hole brazed or welded, there is no product out there that will hold up for a period of time to gas, especaily the the high ethanol stuff. The hole is to big for any kind of liner and they are a pain in the ass any way even with a paint job you don't care about.

sorry about your luck but this isn't some thing to cheap out on especally if you seem to care about the bike
Click to expand...

I agree, but I wish the OP luck! Losing a paint job really, really...really really really...sucks.
 
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