1984 Heritage Special gas tank removal/reinstallation

[Steveie88]

Hey guys, full disclosure I am a total noob to owning a bike and being a member on this site. I purchased the bike last summer with 9,800mi, and immediately took it to a shop to have a pro look it over to make sure it was safe and street worthy. I got a full summer in of riding last year and then put the bike into storage for the winter (I would fire it up every two weeks or so, and then remove the battery for recharging).
Anyway about a month ago while I was visiting the storage facility to once again let her run a little, I noticed some fuel dripping from around the petcock. Upon further inspection I found the fuel coming from the gas tank itself and saw what appears to be some previously applied JB Weld or similar product in the same spot where the leak was coming from.
So I want to remove the gas tank to properly fix the issue. My question is with the fuel and vacuum lines. Can I just simply disconnect them and remove the tank, and then reconnect them after the repairs? Or is their some specific procedures to properly reinstall the vacuum line to get it to draw fuel again? I am in no way a gear head or mechanic, but I do have a general knowledge and interest in mechanics. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Also if anyone has any recommendations for any other maintenance task i should complete while the tank is off, I would most certainly welcome the advice. Thanks again.

 

[joebgd]

Plug and play my xs is my 1st street bike, you can't mess up on that job. You said it disconnect hoses and put back when done. I have a vacuum petcock which works great. If it's definitely not the petcok leaking I'd reuse it. Maybe it's a petcok to tank gasket.
Welcome
With a manual and a few tools you can do allot as a beginner.

 

[Steveie88]

Thanks Joe. Good to know. I tend to overthink and assume I am going to eff things up beyond repair. Im excited to jump into some more fixes and mods this season though, and I will abusing this forum for sure. Any tips on fixing the leak in the tank? I don't have the equipment or skills to do any sort of welding repair.

 

[650Skull]

Edited post.............IT appears i put vinegar on my kornflaks yesterday so i must have been having a senior moment when i posted some concern over something i may have thought about your 1st post...........

just follow Freds lead and he will run you through the easy process of welding on a petrol tank.

Whispering quietly so Fred cant hear..................Don't post any pics of a bike without a front brake or a pic of your helmet if it is an open face style..........he is very safety conscious and will will get on his soap box again

 

[Steveie88]

Good to know. I'll get some pictures posted in the next day or two. Thanks

 

[fredintoon]

Hi Steveie,
of course you can weld on your gas tank so long as you drain all the fuel out and thoroughly steam clean it first.
Mind you, Skull is right; if the tank ain't been thoroughly cleaned it's gonna blow.
And I'd recommend using a soft flame and low temperature brazing rod to fix a tank leak over welding it..
And only if you are absolutely sure it's the tank that's leaking and not the petcock or the petcock to tank sealing gasket.

 

[650Skull]

jesss Fred.............The guy doesn't know how to take a tank off and your advising him how to weld on it.......................And where is your concern for safety your always spouting on about..................................Be sensible, (not senile), and don't offer advice of this nature until you at least find out if the guy has experience ............

 

[fredintoon]

jesss Fred.............The guy doesn't know how to take a tank off and your advising him how to weld on it.......................And where is your concern for safety your always spouting on about..................................Be sensible, (not senile), and don't offer advice of this nature until you at least find out if the guy has experience ............

Hi Skull,
well, jesss yerself too.
If I'd advised the OP to simply shove a torch in the filler hole and wait for the whoosh,
(I swear to God that's what an old buddy of mine used to do!) you'd be right.
As that's quite the opposite of what I posted I must conclude that you've returned to your
practice of sweetening your disposition by putting vinegar on your cornflakes.

 

[nj1639]

Hey Stevie, welcome aboard. 9800 miles.....nice!
Get yourself a manual or two, Haynes, Clymer.......there may be some online links to manuals also.
On the leak......I can't imagine a rust-through on the tank with only that many miles but anything is possible. Get some pics up, purchase some metric tools, J.I.S. screwdrivers and a volt/ohm meter for starters.
You're going to learn how to work on this bike or pay through the nose to have somebody else do it. We prefer you learn.........

 

[Steveie88]

Hey guys, thanks for all the responses. Good to know I can get dependable help from real people. I got the tank of easily today and attached a couple pics of the damage and some items i picked up that will hopefully do the job. The rust is a little troubling. I stuck a pen light into the tank and from what I could see it looks clear. My thoughts on the repair: 1) remove old patches and clean area. 2) prep and prime the rust spots. 3) apply silicone sealant 4) if necessary follow up with the JB weld (let know if thats overkill. Thanks again!!

 

[Steveie88]

Also FYI, I did purchase the Haynes manual when I got the bike, and my whole family is a bunch of do-it-yourselfers so I have access to basic tools; wrenches, sockets, etc.

 

[fredintoon]

Hi Stevie,
I'd recommend soft soldering those rust spots rather than daubing epoxy over them.
Blitz all the rust off with a powered wire brush. Soft-solder over the area with a high wattage soldering iron.
The trick to surface-soldering steel is scrupulous cleaning, lotsa resin paste soldering flux and lotsa heat.
Note that if you choose to use a propane torch instead of a soldering iron to fix the tank
YOU MUST FIRST CLEAN ALL THE GAS AND GAS FUMES OUT BECAUSE IF YOU DON'T YOU WILL HAVE RE-INVENTED THE FUEL BOMB!

 

[fredintoon]

Edited post.............IT appears i put vinegar on my kornflaks yesterday so i must have been having a senior moment when i posted some concern over something i may have thought about your 1st post...........
just follow Freds lead and he will run you through the easy process of welding on a petrol tank.
Whispering quietly so Fred cant hear..................Don't post any pics of a bike without a front brake or a pic of your helmet if it is an open face style..........he is very safety conscious and will will get on his soap box again

Hi Skull,
FWIW, welding gas tanks, like welding anything made from 22ga sheet steel, ain't easy. that's why I prefer brazing them instead.
AND LIKE I JUST POSTED TO STEVEIE, CLEAN IT OUT FIRST OR YOU GOTTA FUEL BOMB.
Front brake removal is a suicide option & FWIW, my first helmet was an ACU-approved pudding basin but that was then.
Things have improved since those days. Full-face is best,
I use the slightly less protective flipface just so I can put it on without knocking my glasses off.
3/4 helmets are OK I guess and even a legal 1/2 helmet is better than nothing.

 

[TwoManyXS1Bs]

No-no on the silicone sealer.
Don't let it near anything involving gasoline...

 

[Steveie88]

2M. Can I ask why the silicone is not recommended? What are your thoughts on the JB weld?

 

[TwoManyXS1Bs]

Consumer grade Silicone sealer turns gooey and debonds in the presence of gasoline.

I've used JB-weld successfully, but you've got to do really good surface-prep, else fuel may creep under it, leading to eventual separation. Bare metal, degrease with trichlor. Consider it as a bandaid, as compared to welding. I've had best results with the 2-part, 24 hour cure stuff. Avoid the quick-cure stuff.

Also, just an FYI, careful with bonding JB-weld to aluminum, has drawbacks, weak bonds, separation failures. Mucho info on JB-weld and aluminum on the web...

 

[650Skull]

I think you would have a hell of a job getting that JB weld of the tank. That stuff is hard and i wouldn't use a grinder unless you were confident of your purging skills. Tanks are cheap enough in the States

 

[hmusket]

Check out a radiator repair shop, some work on gas tanks; repair, pressure test, and seal the inside.

 

[Bob Kelly III]

No body has mentioned that Liquid gastank sealer you can buy and I'm wondering why ?
it works fairly well I am told ... I've never used it myself but my brother in law has .... he loved it ....
for tank leaks I usually just use JB weld and eventually it will leak again in a few years....
if I were to weld a tank I would clean it very well , fill it completely with water ( no air bubbles ) then brase it. braseing is weaker than welding and it could brake again later.... unlikely but it could. if your considering welding it just pay to have it tiged by a profesional welder... he will fill the tank with inert gas and have no problems welding it up.... he might charge you $50 bucks to do it but it's cheaper than a new tank
Fredintoon's sujestion of soldering it is probably the best perminant option
.... but the problem to me looks like the tank has rusted through from the inside out.... and any repair on that is just folly throw it away and get a new one ! look in the tank in that area with a flashlight if you see circles of rust there ...it's toast ! ..... patch it the best ya can with J.B.WELD and start hunting for a good tank !
so the question is what caused the holes in the first place ? is it a crack ? that's fixable ( that comes from sitting on the tank !) is it rust ? if that's the case its practically useless, because it will just continue to spred and leak in other places !
if there is no sign of rust anywhere in the tank your in luck.... grind off the old patch that was on it and see what the real damage is before you proceed with the repairs !....I think your better off doing this !
for what it's worth ! ...Bob............

 

[Steveie88]

Ok, so here's the update. Whatever was used previously to patch the pin holes came off very easily with me just picking at it with a knife. It came off clean and pretty much in one piece and had the consistency of old dry gum. After thinking over the options you guys suggested, the current condition of the tank, my skill set, and my future plans with the bike, I decided to go with another patch fix. I attached a picture of the product I used for the fix. My thought is to get it fixed quickly (so i can get riding asap), and start saving my pennies and looking for a new tank. The amount of rust around the pin holes bothers me, and I feel with the time, effort, and money to get both the inside and outside of the tank back to mint condition, buying a new tank would be the way to go. I know some of you are probably cringing at the fact that I took the easy way out, but for my situation, I feel like it was the best option.