Hi, wonder if anyone out there can help...

I've had to reposition my fuel sender which has left me with an set of 4 unwanted holes in the top of my plastic fuel tank.

I've tried sealing the holes with silicone sealant but it just turned to jelly and half of that is now probably resting at the bottom of my tank.

Are there any sealants that will adhere to the type of plastic used in these PTM tanks? Would it be feasible to use plastic solvent adhesive to cement another sheet of plastic over the top of the tank to effectively give me a fresh surface to work on?

Any advice would be welcome as SVA is looming.

Thanks

Theres a called petropatch which is a proper tank repair kit. Im sure it is for plastic too. Available from most parts places like motorspares etc..

Your sheet of plastic idea sounds good too..

[Edited on 18/5/04 by Danozeman]

Hi

Is PTM still around? i'm sure he could tell you what to use. Or could you make a steel / ally plate the same as the sender and bolt in on with a cork gasket?

As for the silicone you really need to flush it out or it'll clog up your carb / injecters

Adrian

PTM hasnt been on the forum for months, has sold his car, doesnt make tanks any more, and seems to have retired 'from the scene'.

I was told this by chris gibbs, who hangs out with him.

Perhaps you could email ChrisG or u2u him and ask if he can pass the messge on....

atb

steve

I've not been able to contact PTM, hence the post here.

I'm with you on the flushing of the tank, the only issue I have is what to do with 5 gallons of unleaded?, I suppose I could run it off a gallon at a time and put it into my grown-up car (hoping that I find the gunge before it screws that one up).

I think I'll experiment with some other plastic sheet that PTM supplied for the interior. If I can stick that together with plastic solvent adhesive and if it stays stuck after a couple of days in unleaded then I'll assume that'll work in the longer term too.

Feel free to stop me at any time

update


ptm hasnt posted for ages, but his profile shows hes been on today.... perhaps a u2u might work?

quote:

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Originally posted by stephen_gusterson
PTM hasnt been on the forum for months, has sold his car, doesnt make tanks any more, and seems to have retired 'from the scene'.

I was told this by chris gibbs, who hangs out with him.

Perhaps you could email ChrisG or u2u him and ask if he can pass the messge on....

atb

steve

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MK7 - you could U2U us your number as he lives just around the corner from us. We could pass on the message if you like

[Edited on 19-5-04 by Hellfire]

If its ABS, PVC or Polyurethane, then there is the ability to weld it. You'd definitely have to flush it since it uses air heated to around 600F. Butt welds in plastic are supposed to be nearly as strong as the base material. Cheers!

Hi Russell,

I had a similar problem with my tank plus it had warpped a bit around the hole for the sender; i phoned Phil at MK who told me to bring it around and he can weld some plastic stuff around it. In your case to fill the holes. Give him a call.

Steve

quote:

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Originally posted by stephen_gusterson
update


ptm hasnt posted for ages, but his profile shows hes been on today.... perhaps a u2u might work?

---

Thanks to all for the input.

PTM replied to an email I sent him. He suggested fitting a plate on top of the tank with a rubber gasket between the plate and the tank then fitting the sender to the plate (presumably with the original rubber gasket).

I've gone back to him with a question about whether the gasket in a tube material would be adequate, the kind used for sealing the sump around the crankshaft...

I'll feed back any useful information here.

Steve, thanks for the pointer to MK, I'll also have a chat with Phil and see what he says...

Russell

hi Russell,
none thermosetting plastic is pretty easy to weld. You need a high wattage soldering iron (400ish W) and ideally a thin strip of the parent plastic, but strimmer line usually works fine.
Repaired many bike fairings like that...

Cheers
John

The soldering iron seems to have done the trick.

Thanks again for all the input.

Having sealed the holes in the top of the tank I thought all my problems were over.

Unfortunately the tank is still leaking. I can now see petrol leaking through a joint in the bottom of the tank below the fuel sender, I'd just assumed that the fuel down there came from the leak at the top...

Know of anyone that has a petrol tank for an MK Indy ex stock? Preferably one that will allow me to keep my fuel cap where it is, above the offside rear wheel arch?

Thanks