250r cracked tank?

[hippyplz]

184513
I picked up this short track tank off eBay and found a crack around the lower mount. Is there a good way to repair it right along the lower mount? I haven't contacted the seller yet, just want to see if there was any options on repairing it.
Thanks

[Xowner]

Yuck, I'm sure there are some plastic epoxy that you could use. Wonder if the crack will keep going? almost like fenders do. Im not saying to drill it but its what I do to stop cracks on fenders.

[Billy Golightly]

Your best bet is some type of a Devcon product - their epoxies are some of the best in the world. I know they make some solveant proof, but I'm not sure how well it'd stick on the tank plastic is the question

If it ends up not being salvageable...please keep me in mind. I've had an idea I wanted to try on a short-track tank and it would require destroying one.

[emmie357]

Wouldn't a plastic welder work?

[hippyplz]

Did some googling and it looks like the is some products out there and I will take a look at the Devcon stuff too. Worries me being right on the mount, seams like there would be a lot of extra stress in that area. Thought I got a smoking deal on it labeled as a stock tank, but maybe not. I sent a message to the seller and will wait till I hear back before i try anything. If I end up with a unusable tank I will let you know.
Thanks

[Billy Golightly]

Keep us posted, that is a heartbreaking to find for sure

[muthey]

the devcon you would want is the plastic welder II, however being on a stress area I worry as it hardens up and doesn't allow flexing. definitely try looking into plastic welding it but wash the tank really well first and make sure if you do plastic weld it you have the fuel cap off while doing it.

[Outlaw #24]

1st off have you tested it to see if it indeed does leak? 2nd there is a product that we use in the race world it is called The Right Stuff and we can get it at car quest or other auto parts stores! It comes in a tube it is like caulking. I have used this to seal leaking sprint car engines at the races. It will stop , water, oil , gas. It makes a nasty mess, remains pliable. Check to see if it Leaks! $28/tube

[Xowner]

1st off have you tested it to see if it indeed does leak? 2nd there is a product that we use in the race world it is called The Right Stuff and we can get it at car quest or other auto parts stores! It comes in a tube it is like caulking. I have used this to seal leaking sprint car engines at the races. It will stop , water, oil , gas. It makes a nasty mess, remains pliable. Check to see if it Leaks! $28/tube

Why wouldnt it leak? is that a dead spot? hmmm Im gonna have to go dig my tank outta the closet now.....

[emmie357]

Well, another thought...

It looks to be in a spot that is hidden, I've used Seal All with great results on cars and trucks:
http://eclecticproducts.com/sealall.htm

I've even sealed a leaky petcock on a trike with it. Worse case scenario it does not hold and you are back to square one...

[hippyplz]

It definitely leaks, no way it's useable as is. I have been doing a lot of reading and a few people have had good luck with adhesive, but it seams plastic welding may be the best option for a long term permanent fix. I don't know if something that remains pliable would really work for something like this, wouldn't I want to bond or fuse it back together some how? Correct me if I am wrong, but shouldn't I expect some flexing in that area from fuel sloshing and just general vibrations?

[snap911]

i wonder if that is the same flat track tank that has been floating around? my buddy won one on ebay, it had a crack in the same spot. also was pitted very badly, shrouds were wrong, and it was described as being in good shape. seller was very misleading in his description. he was hard to contact then wanted to fight his ebay claim. after a few months he got his money back and returned the item. ive seen it listed one time since but didnt sell.

[hippyplz]

I guess it could be, not sure how to post a link to it or I would. It's was listed as a stock 250r tank with no shrouds, in the description is was listed as a cr tank with no cracks or leaks lol. The seller responded right away and is offering to send me another tank to make up for it and letting me keep this one. I have no use for another oem tank, but it seams fair as it was listed as a stock tank. I am curious to know if it's the same tank or not, if it is a refund would definitely be in order. Feeling pretty confident that it can be fixed with a combination of welding and epoxy. From what I have read on welding you have to use the same type of plastic for it to work. My thought is to remove a little from the fill neck and use that to weld into the void left from the crack and then use a epoxy over the top to help reinforce the area. That's my thought for now, but I am not going to do anything till it's all worked out with the seller.

[shortline10]

I'm in the market for a decent 86 250r tank if he offers you one .




I guess it could be, not sure how to post a link to it or I would. It's was listed as a stock 250r tank with no shrouds, in the description is was listed as a cr tank with no cracks or leaks lol. The seller responded right away and is offering to send me another tank to make up for it and letting me keep this one. I have no use for another oem tank, but it seams fair as it was listed as a stock tank. I am curious to know if it's the same tank or not, if it is a refund would definitely be in order. Feeling pretty confident that it can be fixed with a combination of welding and epoxy. From what I have read on welding you have to use the same type of plastic for it to work. My thought is to remove a little from the fill neck and use that to weld into the void left from the crack and then use a epoxy over the top to help reinforce the area. That's my thought for now, but I am not going to do anything till it's all worked out with the seller.

[jeswinehart]

Very interesting project Jason. I use rubbing alcohol to clean any surface before repairs and/or on some of our reproduction parts (thoroughly cleans and dries quickly w/o any residue left behind).
I also use some of Lord Industries products for bonding our urethane resins to other types of surfaces
(all rubber to metal ~Chemlok 213 for instance)
In looking over their product line they have some interesting plastic to plastic bonding products you may want to look at.
http://www.lord.com/products-and-solutions/adhesives/plastic-bonding.xml/81/6

[WIkid500]

Figure out what material plastic it is, find some of the same to use a filler and get busy with a soldering Iron. The filler neck on my YTM was cracked at least ten years ago, I melted everything back together and no more leaks.

[rjs89ia]

Did anything ever come of this? I've got the same problems with my st tank. Bought it off ebay everything looked great then i put fuel in it and found out the inside of the tank was cracked around the studs that hold the mounts in. I sealed it and that worked great for a while then the epoxy disbonded. Took the tank off tonight after several months of avoiding it and now its cracked like crazy.205901

[Billy Golightly]

Man ya'll making me nervous about running a short track tank on my hill climbing bike now...

[motoman1012002]

I bought the st tank from hippy, When I got i looked in side the tank and it was cracked on the inside around the mount, I could see the alum mount molded in to the tank, I took the caswell liner and lined the tank,and let a good portion sit on the one side, took a few days to dry then, I sanded around the out side of the tank and jb plastic weld in to the cracks around the mount, and been holding good even been jumping in on a mx track holding up no problem.

[rjs89ia]

Billy I would be cautious, if your tank is empty shine a light in it and take a good look at those aft mount areas. Motoman how long ago did you do the caswell lining? I did mine in january of last year for the same reason and I noticed it starting to fail this spring. My tank leaks all around both of the back mounts. The crack in the picture above I noticed last night and was something new thats spread from the existing cracks. Starting to think I might cut an area out in the bottom of the tank and get a plastic welder to fill in the cracks then reinforce the area around the rear mounts with stainless mesh and more plastic filler.

[motoman1012002]

I just did it a few weeks ago,but thats why I put some jb plastic weld on the out side, I use the jb plastic weld on snap clips when they brake on dozers and other stuff at work, It holds so far, I got a deal on the tank so it was worth a shot if it leaks Ill figure something else out.

[rjs89ia]

Alright I never tried both remedies at the same time but i know the epoxy I put on the outside the first time eventually went south as well. I was considering trying to re seal the inside of the tank again and use 2 coats but after chipping the stuff out last night I was leaning more towards the plastic welder.

[motoman1012002]

the jb plastic weld is like dough its not a liquid 2 part it works pretty good, I took a small dremal cuting disk and went into the plastic applied the plastic weld and then coadted the tank, Been working good and holding up so far.