Caswell liner failure

I’m going to probe around that tank a little more tomorrow. Try and get a better look at the rest if it.
Flash lights are bulky, these should reach.
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If you go the MEK route, take care what you buy. Most sold today are actually MEK "substitute." The substitute is usually in the fine print. It ain't near as powerful a solvent as the pure stuff.
The Sunnyside Gary referenced above is the real stuff. I haven't ran across any other brand that is though.... that I recall anyway.
Caveat emptor.
 
He’s located 2hrs away. I certainly do not think this was negligence on his part by any means. As a reminder, I did not pay him to paint it. I bought it on eBay from the person that did. This was sealed 9-10 years ago. I’m sure a lot has changed over that time. Fuel chemistry, sealer chemistry… etc.
I understand he did not do it for you. He may or may not be aware of problems with liners he did in the past. I know if I was professionally doing liners I would want to know how they are holding up.
Plus he is probably more familiar with the liner than any 10 people here.
 
Yeah when I contacted Marbles Motors and showed them what happened to the liner they installed, Marbles Motors denied doing the job. The conversation only went down hill from there. :cautious:
Hopefully not everyone is like Marble Motors.
You never know until you talk to them.
 
One thing I have heard about Caswell is that in climates that see large temp swings it can crack. Or at least that has been the explanation. Tank expands in summer and shrinks in winter, especially if you storing it in an unheated building. Im assuming the epoxy is not flexible enough. Nice looking bike by the way.
 
After a little fishing in the tank today, here is what I got out.
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It is very brittle. Some pieces are paper thin. The vast majority came from the front right side of the tank. It’s hard to see inside very well. At least I have plenty to experiment with when testing solvents.
 
I'll throw these in here.
This fiberglass tank lived in a garage in Florida it's entire life. A lining was applied after the fiberglass started to sweat gasoline. When the lining failed the bike was parked. There was resin throughout the fuel system, the carb slide was stuck tight.
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There are alot of effective solvents you can mix with your gas. STP, Bardahl, Seafoam, etc carb cleaner, fuel injection cleaner, fuel system cleaner are all pretty much just naptha, kerosene and isopropyl alcohol. The kerosene and naptha have the same btu/liter energy content. I use only naptha in lawn mower, snowblower and outboard for varnish removal, 3 oz / gallon. Naptha is cheap at $9/qt compared to $6/ 1/2 pint for STP et al. Point being, MEK or other solvents can be added to you fuel to dissolve deposits if you are still running pretty good. That lawnmower/snowblower surging you get with clogged jets dissappear in 1/2 a tank of fuel. These solvents probably have a lower octane rating (octane is an 8 carbon chain and these solvents are 3 or 4 carbon chain, I didn't check) but a few ounces in your 91 octane is not going to be a detonation issue with a reasonable C/R. If you suspect that the liner is coming apart and going to your carbs this might help. If you have used these additives and your liner is failing, this might be the cause.
 
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