Best way to repair leaky gas tank gas neck?

philbo

philbo

New Member
#1
#1
Hi guys, thanks in advance for any ideas! :thumbsup:

I recently picked up a gas tank from a Honda QA50 for my Baja Warrior.

It appears to be in good shape, not rust inside or anything but where the fuel valve neck goes into the body of the tank, it appears that it may have been dropped or something at one point so the base of the neck where it joins the body has a leak. I determined this by putting soap solution around the valve and base and blowing into the valve and I saw lots of bubbles.

Is the best way to fix this by cleaning off as much paint in the area and then using JB weld? Any other suggestions?

Since it's leaking, before doing any repair I was going to try to straighten out the valve some, hopefully not ripping it out completely! :doah:

Attached is a pic of the tank. You can see how it slants forward. I think it's supposed to go straight down.

Thanks!
 
H

Havasu Dave

Moderator
#2
#2
Slap on a sacrificial brass fitting, then slowly bend it back with vicegrips. If you see daylight, you're going to have to braze it, all dangerous stuff acknowledged.

In either event, Caswell's has a good name as a fuel tank sealant. There are several out there, all with mixed reviews. Prep on those is everything.

Then a paint job.
 
philbo

philbo

New Member
#3
#3
Thanks for the fast reply, Dave.

Will try to bend it back as you mentioned.

I don't have brazing rods. Can I get away with heating the base of the neck then using solder? :shrug: I did this on my old car about 10 years ago and it's still holding. Is brazing better?

Thanks!
 
philbo

philbo

New Member
#6
#6
Havasu Dave said:
Slap on a sacrificial brass fitting, then slowly bend it back with vicegrips. If you see daylight, you're going to have to braze it, all dangerous stuff acknowledged.

In either event, Caswell's has a good name as a fuel tank sealant. There are several out there, all with mixed reviews. Prep on those is everything.

Then a paint job.
Click to expand...
I see they have brazing rods at Home Depot. Never used them before. Any suggestions which ones to get? The ones I saw look like they are for an electric set up. Can they be used with a propane torch kit?

Would solder be better as it melts at a lower temp? :shrug:

Thanks!
 
zombiewoof

zombiewoof

New Member
#8
#8
If you have to use a sealer, Caswell is the way to go. I have used it on all kinds of projects... motorized bicycles (I converted the top tube to a tank), old VWs and motorcycles. Caswell has proven itself to me over and over again.

It works so well, that for a couple years, I have been considering building a wood fuel tank for a bicycle. I haven't done it yet, but one day I will give it a try.
 
philbo

philbo

New Member
#9
#9
Hah! A wood gas tank! Cool! Might not leak but you have to watch out for termites! :laugh:

Since I have the solder and the propane torch, I might try that route first. Better than the JB weld route as a first attempt anyway. We'll see what happens... :wink:
 
H

Havasu Dave

Moderator
#10
#10
philbo said:
I just read that a propane torch may not be hot enough to melt a brazing rod? :shrug:
Click to expand...
Phil, this job is not one you want to use as a learning project with gas welding. There are many on here who are very good at it, Ogy comes to mind. I'd find someone to weld it. The rest you can do yourself.

Note, it may not require welding. Depends on the amount of leak you have. That tank sealer is some good stuff, and there is a lot on line about how to use it.
 
philbo

philbo

New Member
#11
#11
Havasu Dave said:
Phil, this job is not one you want to use as a learning project with gas welding. There are many on here who are very good at it, Ogy comes to mind. I'd find someone to weld it. The rest you can do yourself.

Note, it may not require welding. Depends on the amount of leak you have. That tank sealer is some good stuff, and there is a lot on line about how to use it.
Click to expand...
Sounds good, Dave. Thanks for the advice! :thumbsup: I'll first try to straighten the valve then see where I go from there. :smile:
 
H

Havasu Dave

Moderator
#13
#13
gbabins1 said:
Don't use JB weld. I can tell you from experience that it will leak over time when consistently exposed to gasoline
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X's 2.

And don't use an open flame to attempt repairs with solder until you purge and then figure out how to keep it ventilated with fresh air, or better yet, argon. (That's my disclaimer)
 
philbo

philbo

New Member
#14
#14
Is that in case it explodes?????

The tank has been empty for some time now and doesn't even smell like gas.

Isn't that ok to work with a propane torch? :shrug:
 
dshot59

dshot59

Active Member
#17
#17
See if your local auto parts store carries Seal-all it comes in a yellow tube works very well on gas tank leaks and lasts a long time.
 
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