Seems the old, very finely powdered sealer or paint coating still resident in my tank is slowly being injested and is now coating the intake tract...

Is it the paint or the sealer, or what am I looking at??

email (option): teladelujo@msn.com

Hi John..It looks like an old sealant layer is breaking down..I guess though, it's of academic interest what it is...It's all going to have to be taken out and the tank redone with an ethanol resistant sealer such as Tapox... ...Ian

email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com

Hi John, it's this lovely new petrol we've got, dissolving the petseal in your tank. When it's dissolved into a liquid it flows through the carb and inlet port then sets hard again..!

Check this thread;

http://pub37.bravenet.com/forum/static/show.php?usernum=3155626639&frmid=16&msgid=1208649&cmd=show

Ah I see you posted your picture on that thread so you should know all about it

email (option): horror@blueyonder.co.uk

Horror

Hi John, it's this lovely new petrol we've got, dissolving the petseal in your tank.

Ah I see you posted your picture on that thread so you should know all about it

email (option): teladelujo@msn.com

Hi John, I don't think a filter will solve this problem. Everything will get gummed up.
It looks like the petrol has done a good job of taking out a lot of your petseal but I would fill it with acetone and let it dissolve the rest. If you're worried about your paintwork I'd wrap the tank in cling film several times just leaving the filler cap and tap open. I think the trick is to put some large nuts inside and shack them about to dislodge as much sealer as possible (count them first). A really messy job..! I would fix any leaks with weld.
The valve and port should be easy enough, but the internals of the carb can get blocked. I'm guessing soaking and blowing with an airline might work. I've actually got my Commando carbs to do after the petrol was dissolving my fibreglass tank 1 carb is blocked. A mate has offered to take them to work and put them in the ultrasonic bath. I don't know if it will work. If not I'll soak them in petrol and maybe it will remove it..?

email (option): horror@blueyonder.co.uk

Well, you blokes keep on using sealant when i'ts not needed.If your tanks leak use solder to repair.The sealants are really only a stopgap and for fibreglass tanks.

I totally agree. I've never liked the idea of pouring resin around a tank. It's actually less hassle to fix the leak. The paint usually comes off where the leak is so you're not ruining the paintwork. A small weld or even instant metal on the outside of the tank works very well. My Trident tank was smashed in when I bought the bike. My mate cut the bottom off and knocked it all out. Then welded it up again. Brilliant job, except one pinhole leak. I used instant metal and it's been there for over 20 years without a problem.

email (option): horror@blueyonder.co.uk

I also never have or would use a sealer in a fuel tank.

I don't see the problem in principle with using sealants. There are sealants currently available that are proof against 100% ethanol so will cope with any future increases.
An additional benefit of sealants not really mentioned is that they seal the inside of tanks that are corroded...Welding will cure the leak at source but does nothing to stop all the rest of the 'rubbish' from getting to the carb etc.
As one of the features of Ethanol fuels is that they absorb water from the atmosphere, corrosion is also likely to be an issue in the longer term if internal surfaces are unprotected.
As long as there are suitable sealants available I see no reason not to use them ...Ian

email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com

Ive always thought the primary reason for sealing was to hold down flaky rust etc, that's what i don't understand as the procedure to apply sealer is almost identicle to the proceedure for cleaning out the tank & im absolutely certain i don't want to have to braze repair a badly split or damaged tank that has sealer in it, i prefer to rely on filters. I worked in car body repairs as a teenager & sealers were normally off the surface when tanks were cut open probably due to continous expansion & contraction of the metal with the sealer not moving with it.
Fuel tank in a garage with cold fuel in it suddenly exposed to direct strong sunshine (sorry for UK veiwers ) plays havoc with thin steel.

I think that it's a little unfair to blame current owners for failing Petseal - it's been around since the 1970s and at one time, it was the 'done thing' to line the tank when restoring a bike in the UK. Many old bikes have changed hands half a dozen times since then.

It's all very well for those in the Antipodes to criticise but as Ian points out, internal corrosion is a major problem over here, now made worse by ethanol.

The belt and braces approach was often the way here. Even with careful cleaning, there is often the feeling that there could be residues in inaccessible parts and the general feeling was that a tank liner gave a clean, safe coating.

I've been lucky and never had to do any of mine but I certainly wouldn't condemn someone who thought that they were acting prudently at the time.

Well that's my point, ive been riding old stuff in UK since the late 1970's & there was always people preaching Petseal but it was only the "done" thing to talk about it, very few actually used it & therefore weren't speaking from experience of using it, i know a fair few of them. Petseal is "exchange & mart" engineering & is a rubbish product sold as a quick fix.
Keep the tank full & it can't rust

In fairness Fred I'm sure it is sometime since either of us were teenagers and it is a reasonable assumption that sealant technology has moved on in that time...Very few people keep their tank full at all times..and if they did any ingress of water, either at the pump or via absorbtion from the atmosphere would sit under the petrol along the bottom of the tank..It is why tanks frequently rust and leak along the lower seams.
There is no doubt that in the event of a major failure of a tank seam for example..or if repairs needed to be carried out after an accident, the presence of sealant would make the procedure more complicated and it would have to be removed first..
As a solution to existing corrosion and to prevent further corrosion though it is the 'only game in town' as far as I know...Ian

email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com

Hmmm. Everyone managed for a long time before it arrived & modern fuel problems seem to only cause major problems for fiberglass or petsealed tanks, .. so far that's a strong argument against fibreglass & petseal.
I still hate it & always have & my filters catch any rust, but if i have problems with my alloy or steel tanks i will report back.
According to what ive read recently, the bottom should've fallen out of all my tanks .... It does make me wonder how serious the effects of latest fuels is.

Hi Fred..It's certainly too early to determine exactly what the effects of this petrol will be..and generally I don't agree with the hysteria surrounding the subject at present.
It sounds horribly reminiscent of the reaction to 'lead free' petrol which was going to make old bikes unuseable I recall..
I tend to think there's a problem when there's a problem and you address each one as it arises.
I have used sealant in the past as a 'belt and braces' measure after tanks have had work done on them or if they are already corroded.
Currently all my bikes have very sound tanks and none of them have sealant in...and they hopefully they won't give any trouble while I am still of using them...Ian

email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com

PetSeal be gone....

email (option): teladelujo@msn.com

hi john,i think coating it with cement is a bit drastic,
but it works on water pipes.
cheers rick

email (option): richardholt@rocketmail.com

Good luck John, I hope it worked

email (option): horror@blueyonder.co.uk

hi john,i mailed your pictures to a friend at weekend
after talking about the state of your motor, carb etc.
he was telling me he bought a brand new bonneville,when he picked it up there was only a small amount of fuel in it,so he filled up.
over the next week he had nothing but trouble,bike still under warranty it was returned twice to the dealer and came back the same.he tackled the job himself,tank off ,
carbs off and cleaned all out.
he found the same residue in a brand new tank with no sealant.i know and can see the lining has broken away in your tank,but do you think this powdery stuff could be from another source?just my inquisitive mind.
im thinking could this ethanol be removing say red lead
paint from the inside of pipes or tanks in the gas stations,or even at the refinery?
worth thinking about.
cheers rick

email (option): richardholt@rocketmail.com

Greetings Rick... Interesting thought.

I have owned the bike since 1970; it has sat mostly unused in one garage or another ever since, but the red paint/sealant was present then....long before ethanol fuels became common in the US.

Now, as I have been using the machine again, the powdering of the sealer has become really noticable, and the buildup you see on the internal parts was found after a 1400 mile trek under considerable full-throttle operation, with lots of fuel run through the system. The oil tank has the same sealant, but not the same problem....still solidly attached to the inside of the tank.

I have removed most of the fuel tank sealer down to bare metal....we'll see what happens next.

Best,

JDE

email (option): teladelujo@msn.com