Wilsons Sandbox

PERMATEX Gas Tank & Radiator Repair Permatex Instant Gas Tank Repair I have also found people who say (on the net) that JB STik Weld works on gasoline tank leaks. Good luck! Robert Wichert P.Eng. LEED AP +1 916 966 9060 FAX +1 916 966 9068 ===============================================

On 2/11/2012 3:02 PM, sopris_2000 wrote: > > Hi all, I am with my wife on the 3 month adventure through Mexico & > parts of Central America on 2 KLR's, mostly outfitted through Fred. > This is our second trip, first was five years ago. > For the last week or so, I've been smelling gas and noticed when the > tank is full I have a drip. I just took the tank off and found that I > have a leak on the top left where the tab is to screw in the screw for > the left side plastic cover. It is behind the tab, so I'm thinking it > is a stress crack of some sort. I have jb weld and am planning on > using it to try a fix. And not put the screw back in to hold the side > piece to alleviate any more stress. Have any of you used jb on a tank > repair before. > I know the best way to really fix it is to go through the welding or > soldering process but that isn't going to happen right now. > We are only into week 3 of our adventure, so I'm looking to get by > until I get back to the US in late April or May > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

If you can overlay with a fine fiberglass of even synthetic cloth on a clean outer surface with your adhesive it might be an adequate fix since the only pressure is the weight of the liquid trying to escape. Regards, Don M -----Original Message----- From: RobertWichert Sent: Saturday, February 11, 2012 7:37 PM To: sopris_2000 Cc: DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [DSN_KLR650] Oaxaca, MX - gas leak PERMATEX Gas Tank & Radiator Repair Permatex Instant Gas Tank Repair I have also found people who say (on the net) that JB STik Weld works on gasoline tank leaks. Good luck! Robert Wichert P.Eng. LEED AP +1 916 966 9060 FAX +1 916 966 9068 ===============================================

On 2/11/2012 3:02 PM, sopris_2000 wrote: > > Hi all, I am with my wife on the 3 month adventure through Mexico & > parts of Central America on 2 KLR's, mostly outfitted through Fred. > This is our second trip, first was five years ago. > For the last week or so, I've been smelling gas and noticed when the > tank is full I have a drip. I just took the tank off and found that I > have a leak on the top left where the tab is to screw in the screw for > the left side plastic cover. It is behind the tab, so I'm thinking it > is a stress crack of some sort. I have jb weld and am planning on > using it to try a fix. And not put the screw back in to hold the side > piece to alleviate any more stress. Have any of you used jb on a tank > repair before. > I know the best way to really fix it is to go through the welding or > soldering process but that isn't going to happen right now. > We are only into week 3 of our adventure, so I'm looking to get by > until I get back to the US in late April or May > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ List Sponsors - Dual Sport News: http://www.dualsportnews.com Arrowhead Motorsports: http://www.arrowheadmotorsports.com List FAQ courtesy of Chris Krok: http://www.bigcee.com/klr650faq.html Member Map: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DSN_KLR650/app/peoplemap/view/map Group Apps: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DSN_KLR650/grouplets/subscriptionsYahoo! Groups Links ----- No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 2012.0.1913 / Virus Database: 2112/4804 - Release Date: 02/11/12

I believe you are on the right track for an acceptable, if not lasting fix. I had a similar leak on the KLR250 I rode from NE PA to central South Dakota; the leak was on a corroded, factory spot weld at the bottom of the tank. I 'discovered' this leak while changing the oil at a friend's house in Muncie, IN. I sanded the leak-spot with wet/dry paper ~1/2 inch more than the pin-hole sized leak point and then cleaned the sanded area thoroughly. Then I 'thin-coated' JB Quick weld past the pin hole leak, covering 1/2 of the sanded area. After 6 hours, I then top coated the previous JB Quickweld to cover all the sanded area plus a small amount of painted area. One coat of JB Quickweld may have been enough. shrug. As the leak was leaking directly on the exhaust pipe, it had my attention! smile. It has lasted 3.5 years with nary a thought of leaking. I don't intend to do any additional repairs unless it leaks again. revmaatin

--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "sopris_2000" wrote: > > Hi all, I am with my wife on the 3 month adventure through Mexico & parts of Central America on 2 KLR's, mostly outfitted through Fred. This is our second trip, first was five years ago. > For the last week or so, I've been smelling gas and noticed when the tank is full I have a drip. I just took the tank off and found that I have a leak on the top left where the tab is to screw in the screw for the left side plastic cover. It is behind the tab, so I'm thinking it is a stress crack of some sort. I have jb weld and am planning on using it to try a fix. And not put the screw back in to hold the side piece to alleviate any more stress. Have any of you used jb on a tank repair before. > I know the best way to really fix it is to go through the welding or soldering process but that isn't going to happen right now. > We are only into week 3 of our adventure, so I'm looking to get by until I get back to the US in late April or May >

I thought I'd give you an update on my gas tank. Most of you responded with answers of things I didn't have at my disposal. I only had JB Weld and nothing else. So, with a rag I cleaned up any residue I could and then mixed up the JB Weld and let it sit overnight. The next morning I could still smell gas and see a seep. So I wiped it clean and dry again and slathered another coat of JB Weld on. And it held. Today is April 17 and we've been to Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and back to Mexico. We are in Los Mochis tonight and will probably ride into Arizona on Saturday. Since my first post, we probably have another 6,000 miles on the repair. I read JB Weld can soften with constant exposure to gasoline. So after Oaxaca, we only filled up in the morning and then at night the tank would be below the crack. I ziptied the tank bag to the crash bars and never attached the plastic piece to the tank. That way there was never any undue stress on the patch. Some of the roads we have been on have been horrible to give them a good rating. And, as I said, I've never had to repair it. So take it for what it is worth, the JB Weld worked without anything except wiping the dirt and dried gas off.

--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "sopris_2000" wrote: > > Hi all, I am with my wife on the 3 month adventure through Mexico & parts of Central America on 2 KLR's, mostly outfitted through Fred. This is our second trip, first was five years ago. > For the last week or so, I've been smelling gas and noticed when the tank is full I have a drip. I just took the tank off and found that I have a leak on the top left where the tab is to screw in the screw for the left side plastic cover. It is behind the tab, so I'm thinking it is a stress crack of some sort. I have jb weld and am planning on using it to try a fix. And not put the screw back in to hold the side piece to alleviate any more stress. Have any of you used jb on a tank repair before. > I know the best way to really fix it is to go through the welding or soldering process but that isn't going to happen right now. > We are only into week 3 of our adventure, so I'm looking to get by until I get back to the US in late April or May >

Sopris-- Thanks for your update. It sounds like you are having fun. I was one who favored/suggested the JBWeld would work. My KLR250 has the JB Weld treatment (as per phonecom with Jeff Saline) at the bottom of the tank, along the vertical standing seam; it rusted through a spot weld. grrrr. 3+ years later (two coats in the initial repair), and no sign of a leak. no more grrrrrr. If you had good metal prep, I doubt that you will see another leak either. As bad as I wanted, I could not 'ignore' my leak as it dripped directly onto the exhaust header! revmaaatin.

--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "sopris_2000" wrote: > > I thought I'd give you an update on my gas tank. Most of you responded with answers of things I didn't have at my disposal. I only had JB Weld and nothing else. So, with a rag I cleaned up any residue I could and then mixed up the JB Weld and let it sit overnight. The next morning I could still smell gas and see a seep. So I wiped it clean and dry again and slathered another coat of JB Weld on. And it held. > Today is April 17 and we've been to Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and back to Mexico. We are in Los Mochis tonight and will probably ride into Arizona on Saturday. > Since my first post, we probably have another 6,000 miles on the repair. > I read JB Weld can soften with constant exposure to gasoline. So after Oaxaca, we only filled up in the morning and then at night the tank would be below the crack. > I ziptied the tank bag to the crash bars and never attached the plastic piece to the tank. That way there was never any undue stress on the patch. > Some of the roads we have been on have been horrible to give them a good rating. And, as I said, I've never had to repair it. > So take it for what it is worth, the JB Weld worked without anything except wiping the dirt and dried gas off. > > --- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "sopris_2000" wrote: > > > > Hi all, I am with my wife on the 3 month adventure through Mexico & parts of Central America on 2 KLR's, mostly outfitted through Fred. This is our second trip, first was five years ago. > > For the last week or so, I've been smelling gas and noticed when the tank is full I have a drip. I just took the tank off and found that I have a leak on the top left where the tab is to screw in the screw for the left side plastic cover. It is behind the tab, so I'm thinking it is a stress crack of some sort. I have jb weld and am planning on using it to try a fix. And not put the screw back in to hold the side piece to alleviate any more stress. Have any of you used jb on a tank repair before. > > I know the best way to really fix it is to go through the welding or soldering process but that isn't going to happen right now. > > We are only into week 3 of our adventure, so I'm looking to get by until I get back to the US in late April or May > > >

The exhaust header thing reminds me of a friend who loved Harley's. He had one of those crappy AMF mid 70's Sportsters. It had a carburetor leak so bad a friend who put a tire on for him told him it was going to catch him on fire. Did he fix it? Nope! He had an oil leak so bad, it made the right side of the rear tire look wet. Did he fix it when I pointed it out to him? Nope. He was too busy putting different fenders, handlebars, and he put forward foot controls on it. I sat on the bike after he put the controls on it and mashed the rear brake.....which immediately loosened up and swung around uselessly. He claimed I mashed on it too hard. Then he started making it into a 3 wheeler and eventually sold it for junk (that it was). His wife bought him a used Vette hoping it would curtail his wanting another bike. Wise lady. The Lord works in mysterious ways. Criswell Sent from my iPad

On Apr 18, 2012, at 2:00 PM, "revmaaatin" wrote: > Sopris-- > Thanks for your update. It sounds like you are having fun. > I was one who favored/suggested the JBWeld would work. > > My KLR250 has the JB Weld treatment (as per phonecom with Jeff Saline) at the bottom of the tank, along the vertical standing seam; it rusted through a spot weld. grrrr. > 3+ years later (two coats in the initial repair), and no sign of a leak. no more grrrrrr. > > If you had good metal prep, I doubt that you will see another leak either. As bad as I wanted, I could not 'ignore' my leak as it dripped directly onto the exhaust header! > > revmaaatin. > > --- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "sopris_2000" wrote: > > > > I thought I'd give you an update on my gas tank. Most of you responded with answers of things I didn't have at my disposal. I only had JB Weld and nothing else. So, with a rag I cleaned up any residue I could and then mixed up the JB Weld and let it sit overnight. The next morning I could still smell gas and see a seep. So I wiped it clean and dry again and slathered another coat of JB Weld on. And it held. > > Today is April 17 and we've been to Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and back to Mexico. We are in Los Mochis tonight and will probably ride into Arizona on Saturday. > > Since my first post, we probably have another 6,000 miles on the repair. > > I read JB Weld can soften with constant exposure to gasoline. So after Oaxaca, we only filled up in the morning and then at night the tank would be below the crack. > > I ziptied the tank bag to the crash bars and never attached the plastic piece to the tank. That way there was never any undue stress on the patch. > > Some of the roads we have been on have been horrible to give them a good rating. And, as I said, I've never had to repair it. > > So take it for what it is worth, the JB Weld worked without anything except wiping the dirt and dried gas off. > > > > --- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "sopris_2000" wrote: > > > > > > Hi all, I am with my wife on the 3 month adventure through Mexico & parts of Central America on 2 KLR's, mostly outfitted through Fred. This is our second trip, first was five years ago. > > > For the last week or so, I've been smelling gas and noticed when the tank is full I have a drip. I just took the tank off and found that I have a leak on the top left where the tab is to screw in the screw for the left side plastic cover. It is behind the tab, so I'm thinking it is a stress crack of some sort. I have jb weld and am planning on using it to try a fix. And not put the screw back in to hold the side piece to alleviate any more stress. Have any of you used jb on a tank repair before. > > > I know the best way to really fix it is to go through the welding or soldering process but that isn't going to happen right now. > > > We are only into week 3 of our adventure, so I'm looking to get by until I get back to the US in late April or May > > > > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

No I didn't do good metal prep. I had nothing to scratch with. JB Weld directly on the the painted tank and it still held. Guaymas tonight, maybe the USA tomorrow.

--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "sopris_2000" wrote: > > I thought I'd give you an update on my gas tank. Most of you responded with answers of things I didn't have at my disposal. I only had JB Weld and nothing else. So, with a rag I cleaned up any residue I could and then mixed up the JB Weld and let it sit overnight. The next morning I could still smell gas and see a seep. So I wiped it clean and dry again and slathered another coat of JB Weld on. And it held. > Today is April 17 and we've been to Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and back to Mexico. We are in Los Mochis tonight and will probably ride into Arizona on Saturday. > Since my first post, we probably have another 6,000 miles on the repair. > I read JB Weld can soften with constant exposure to gasoline. So after Oaxaca, we only filled up in the morning and then at night the tank would be below the crack. > I ziptied the tank bag to the crash bars and never attached the plastic piece to the tank. That way there was never any undue stress on the patch. > Some of the roads we have been on have been horrible to give them a good rating. And, as I said, I've never had to repair it. > So take it for what it is worth, the JB Weld worked without anything except wiping the dirt and dried gas off. > > --- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "sopris_2000" wrote: > > > > Hi all, I am with my wife on the 3 month adventure through Mexico & parts of Central America on 2 KLR's, mostly outfitted through Fred. This is our second trip, first was five years ago. > > For the last week or so, I've been smelling gas and noticed when the tank is full I have a drip. I just took the tank off and found that I have a leak on the top left where the tab is to screw in the screw for the left side plastic cover. It is behind the tab, so I'm thinking it is a stress crack of some sort. I have jb weld and am planning on using it to try a fix. And not put the screw back in to hold the side piece to alleviate any more stress. Have any of you used jb on a tank repair before. > > I know the best way to really fix it is to go through the welding or soldering process but that isn't going to happen right now. > > We are only into week 3 of our adventure, so I'm looking to get by until I get back to the US in late April or May > > >

Well you certainly have gotten good results from the effort! I think I will include a small amount of sandpaper in my long distance tool kit. My tank prep was in that remote location known as Lafayette, IN. They have this nice store called WallMart with a product called sandpaper. smile. I would imagine that when you get home, you lightly sand/grind off the temp fix down to shiny metal when you get back to Colorado. I expect with good/slightly better metal prep, you will have a long lasting fix for --- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "sopris_2000" wrote: > > No I didn't do good metal prep. I had nothing to scratch with. JB Weld directly on the the painted tank and it still held. Guaymas tonight, maybe the USA tomorrow. > > --- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "sopris_2000" wrote: > > > > I thought I'd give you an update on my gas tank. Most of you responded with answers of things I didn't have at my disposal. I only had JB Weld and nothing else. So, with a rag I cleaned up any residue I could and then mixed up the JB Weld and let it sit overnight. The next morning I could still smell gas and see a seep. So I wiped it clean and dry again and slathered another coat of JB Weld on. And it held. > > Today is April 17 and we've been to Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and back to Mexico. We are in Los Mochis tonight and will probably ride into Arizona on Saturday. > > Since my first post, we probably have another 6,000 miles on the repair. > > I read JB Weld can soften with constant exposure to gasoline. So after Oaxaca, we only filled up in the morning and then at night the tank would be below the crack. > > I ziptied the tank bag to the crash bars and never attached the plastic piece to the tank. That way there was never any undue stress on the patch. > > Some of the roads we have been on have been horrible to give them a good rating. And, as I said, I've never had to repair it. > > So take it for what it is worth, the JB Weld worked without anything except wiping the dirt and dried gas off. > > > > --- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "sopris_2000" wrote: > > > > > > Hi all, I am with my wife on the 3 month adventure through Mexico & parts of Central America on 2 KLR's, mostly outfitted through Fred. This is our second trip, first was five years ago. > > > For the last week or so, I've been smelling gas and noticed when the tank is full I have a drip. I just took the tank off and found that I have a leak on the top left where the tab is to screw in the screw for the left side plastic cover. It is behind the tab, so I'm thinking it is a stress crack of some sort. I have jb weld and am planning on using it to try a fix. And not put the screw back in to hold the side piece to alleviate any more stress. Have any of you used jb on a tank repair before. > > > I know the best way to really fix it is to go through the welding or soldering process but that isn't going to happen right now. > > > We are only into week 3 of our adventure, so I'm looking to get by until I get back to the US in late April or May > > > > > >