Stripped thread / leaking tank

[Boika]

Hi again and thanks for the welcome,

Unfortunately the problems have started already-

I noticed a small coolant leak coming from under the tank, probably just a loose hose, so I printed out the guide from this site on removing the tank...

I get to removing the battery box and the two screws in the back of the petrol tank, the first one comes out fine but the second is just turning and turning, like it's a stripped a thread, but as I'm still turning and trying to pull it out I get petrol leaking out from around the screw!?

So I'm guessing it isn't a stripped thread but the tapped insert in the tank has sheared off so I now have a hole in the tank?

This is unbelievable, I've left the screw in place and the leak seems to have stopped. Anyone else had this happen?  

I have no idea the best way to go about sorting this out, can I take the tank off if the battery box is still stuck on?

Any help much appreciated,

Si

[Timbox2]

The battery box has to come out so you can get to the rear tank bolt which is right underneath. I would have thought that it was quite easy to repair being plastic, plenty of fuel resistant epoxy glues about, you should be able to get to the inside of it quiet easily as those bolts go in directly behind the fuel pump plate.
 Or, plenty of scuffed tanks about on ebay, I think any year will fit as its only the fuel pump and hoses that changed, ask Chris(Winger), hes got a bit of Hybrid.

[Boika]

Hi there,

Thanks for the ideas, I took it to the local Triumph garage to ask the technician for his thoughts, he said that they saw the problem of the threaded inserts turning quite often but never on the tank before.

He suggested grinding off the bolt head then patching it with epoxy. So I did and now it's just fingers crossed that the glue holds.

I guess some kind of plastic welding job would be possible to make it more permanent?

Si