Gas Tank Leak

About 3 months ago after I got m kz700 I took my gas tank to a large radiator shop to have some leak issues fixed. There were many pin holes along side after they blasted it. They burnt the tank out, blasted, filled and lined the tank with this think black goop. Paid guy 363$ to make this tank completely right. After I picked tank up I dropped off parts to be painted. Once done painted everything looked great. Went out to garage last night after having gas in tank for about 2 weeks and find a huge bubble in my 363$ repair. One big bubble on the ride side corner of tank. Guy guaranteed his work for a year but I'm worried they are going to screw me on the paint. Anyone know why this happened?

That's a bummer for sure. Do you have a good In-line filter? Whats coming loose/ dissolving in the tank is going to contaminate your carbs. Hard to say what liner chemical they used, as Black Gunk is unknown to me. There are usually a few fuel tanks for sale on Feebay, or ask Member KZ1006/ Brian if he has a tank for your bike. Another fuel tank in decent shape, so just a cleaning and no liner would be my choice. Those liners and the crappy fuel we have these days makes for a repair that may not last long. Otherwise there are other liner chemicals out there. My buddy uses this West Systems Epoxy on the inside of both metal and fiberglass fuel tanks. Seems ok, but I still think it is a temporary repair. If you email their techs, ask about compatibility with Ethanol based fuel.
www.westsystem.com/ss/

I have no experience with sealers, but since the repair was performed by a "radiator shop" the goop they used may be more suitable for antifreeze & water rather than fuel. I doubt that they will voluntarily cover the cost of the paint job, but it is worth asking. Ed

They advertise motorcycle and car gas tank repair....when I was at their shop they had a few bike tanks on shelf. Guy said he has done hundreds over the years....

Same thing happened to may nephew. But the guy at the radiator shop did the paint as well. But it is much worse than that. Wat every goop the guy used melted some and got into the his new carbs he had purchased from eBay. Complete disaster. Not sure what the resolution was. But I would have taken the guy to small claims court.

most of the goop is a poly blend of epoxy and when applied to a dry well prepped area will
fill holes about 1/8 without question that rear corner tends to pocket air and not dry thoroughly
and thus larget pinho;es chances are after boiling the tank out too many holes for good coverage
less etching and still more moisture. thats the why guy does 100 this is the 101 that gives him fits

grey area on whether he repaints your bike or not you had a tsank that wouldnt hold gas he did hid jobb unfortunately not guearentee for all rust yada yada


a reasonable person would expect for the repair ro be as advertised and no need to double check
but most of us understand when you pay someone else you double check what they are doing because latge radioator shops hire guys cheap to do the grunt work (dipping straightening fins
testting etc frees teh up to weld bend and take in new bus.
shops done 100 tank dude that did it might have started that morning

local shop has been in busuness sice before I was borne son and dad run it they worry about the 2800 combine repaires a 300 gas tank repair gets pawned off to the grunt

I will be going up there after work at three. Will let everyone know what happens

Painter is saying it's radiators people's fault and radiator people are saying it's painters fault. Stuck in the middle right now...

I would guess its the radiator place's fault. The tank is leaking right? The painter is not responsible for making sure a tank doesn't leak, only responsible for producing a good paint job. And he has to do some sanding as part of the painting process. He gave a beautiful paint work. The radiator shop should have put the tank through a pressure test for a few hours. How long was the fuel in the tank before you noticed the bubble. Did you confirm it was fuel that caused it?

When I derusted my tank I used white vinegar. I was worried about possible leaks as well since this was the bike was new to me no way of knowing if the tank had leaks and/or if the vinegar would produce one if rusty enough. But after leaving the vinegar there for a month without any leaks it gave me some confidence. Having said that, in your case it was the radiator shop's responsibility to confirm the tank was sound. Sand that people don't take pride in their work anymore and man up when they make a mistake.

Radiator shop is going to fix it no problem. They peeled paint off and found where they filled in a hole was sanded too far. We will see what painter wants too do.

My guess is after sanding the tank he ran out of metel i would have replaced the tank rather than have had it repaired and it may still be the best option if the tank was that bad in the first place i know you dont want to dump it with all the cash you have spent on it

It's time to replace the tank; otherwise you will be chasing this problem forever. Ed