caswell gas tank sealer

[R0B]

Has anyone used this on a tiger. I bought a used tank that leaks. all the fixings seem secure, but two of the bolt holes leak. It looks like it might be a permanent cure..............but personal recommendation is always good.

Rob

[BruKen]

I cant speak for that product but JB Weld is fuel proof and does the job adequately.

[Mustang]

I cant speak for that product but JB Weld is fuel proof and does the job adequately.

have seen more than a few tigger tanks repaired with good ol JB Weld

[NeilD]

although I guess for the JB Weld solution you'd have to get the captive nut out? sounds like ROBs nuts are secure  :D - I've only used the POR15 tank sealer from Frosts before on a metal tank, but just checked that and it says not suitable for plastic tanks..  :? the Caswell stuff says it is suitable, although the only thing that might concern me is how well it'll stick to the smooth inside of a plastic tank.. ?

[Mustang]

.......... sounds like ROBs nuts are secure  :D

     







wait............... on second thought , skip the pics

[R0B]

nasty!!

[R0B]

On a more serious note, I found this link

http://www.webbikeworld.com/t2/caswell- ... nk-sealer/

I don't really want to disturb the fixings if I can help it, a re-seal with this stuff would basically create a tank within the tank, thereby negating any further leak problems................................................maybe :-)

[fishnbiker]

On a more serious note, I found this link

http://www.webbikeworld.com/t2/caswell- ... nk-sealer/

I don't really want to disturb the fixings if I can help it, a re-seal with this stuff would basically create a tank within the tank, thereby negating any further leak problems................................................maybe :-)

Think twice about this option! I tried this method around 1998 & have seen it flaking off ever since. These products are designed for metal tanks, not the nylon type we have. It constantly clogs the in-tank filter, requiring me to swing over to reserve to let the chips float free again. I flush a few square inches out each end of season.

[R0B]

Thanks, that's what I wanted to find out. I wonder if I could inject some sealant through the nut holes to seal it....................they are probably only small leaks.............I did see someone in the UK had used araldite 2011, but I've just checked and the JB weld is available here and looks the ticket......I wonder if I got a syringe put a little mixed JB weld in and tried to inject it at the back of the nut if it would work.............I'd need to put the bolt in after to attempt to push the jb  weld through the hole in the tank hopefully filling the hole......I presume that the threads would clean up easy enough?

Rob

[rybes]

they should do. jus take ya time as ya work ya tap into the threads. if ya can try to leave as much original thread showin as ya can. itll make it easier to pick up the thread n clean it out

[BruKen]

............ I wonder if I could inject some sealant through the nut holes to seal it....................Rob

Yes you can, but you will have to work very quick and with practice so do a lot of trial runs until you are confident. Like most epoxies the hotter the two part mix is the thinner it becomes. However get it too hot and it doesnt set right. (about 50 - 60 deg C is good)
My favoured technique is to steal the missus' hair dryer when she is not looking and heat the mix up before placing in the syringe. Even when in the syringe you have to maintain heat or the plunger will goo up rapidly and the mix will thicken making it impossible to depress. (note it'll have to be a large syringe and you will need to bore out the hole a bit - forget using needles, thin brass tube is an option).

Another technique is to wick the epoxy in, it will naturally wick to where there is heat. This is a technique I use a lot when fiberglass skinning model aeroplanes where I dont want to get a glut of epoxy caught in a depression or well trap.

Note. do not attempt to use grease or oil to lubricate the threads of the nut protecting them from the JB epoxy. It is largely impervious to it. Wax will work if on sufficiently.

I would always recommend removing the nut as  per Mustang's How To first though. For me it worked a treat and the effected repair was better that the original

[R0B]

Well, I started down the mustang repair route tonight ( I know that this has been amply covered, but I always like to see how other people do things to cover all the angles). I hadn't realised that the captive nuts were closed, and therefore there is no chance of injecting anything into them...... That is unless you just want to block the screw holes up.
I decided to remove the captive nuts by using heat. I screwed in a spare bolt, heated it until it was nice and red, and as the heat transferred into the captive bolt gently pulled..............the captive nut came out easily, leaving an area of raised plastic that needed to be trimmed. I trimmed this off using a sharp chisel and then trimmed the hole square to match the captive nut (hopefully this will give me more filler/seal/grab). I then ground the nuts down and using a dremel had to lightly open up the bottom on the hole to allow the nuts to re-seat. Having done two, I decided to go the whole hog and do all three of the lower nuts.
All the nuts will re-seat with no effort and I am happy that I will be able to get them to exactly the correct position when I come to JB weld them tomorrow.

I'll update on the situation in a couple of days when the JB weld has gone off and I've dared to put some fuel in.

One thing I wish I had done...............I had a spare tank that was shot, and I threw it away......I wish I'd removed all the captive nuts before I did......spares are always useful especially when you don't have access to a lathe.

Rob

[Bixxer Bob]

Soooo, Rob.....

That's a naked flame next to a leaking path into your petrol tank    

Were you born with an inordinate amount of luck or did you do something wise you haven't told us about???  :lol:

I was trained in the repair of metal fuel tanks so know about venting, bonding procedures etc....   most of which applies to plastic tanks as well so your pics gave me a bit of a start   :shock: :shock:  :shock:

[NeilD]

thanks for that - that makes things a bit clearer..  :) I've got to attack mine as one of the nuts has the remains of a screw left in it - obviously its stuck and someone has previously ground the head off the screw to get the side panel off.. I'm hoping that some penetrating oil will free it off and I dont have to resort to the full surgical procedure..  :D

[R0B]

I filled it with water............................right up to the brim, on the basis that it was coming inside afterwards for a warm and a dry :-).

Just out of interest, is there a better way that I could use at home.........The only hole that sprayed was the last one, and the wife stood by with a towel and a bowl whilst I drained the tank :-)