Petrol Tank

[lingo]

Just noticed some tiny blisters on each side of the tank, around the Sharpe curved edges. Where the tanks painted when new or gelcoated. Can anyone help with advice...will a good run down and repaint fix this issue or is it more sinister ??

[shebee]

I was going to say that as far as i know Its almost certainly the ethanol in fuel causing the blister, we have the same problem on the Buell and others here have or have had the same problem (it also makes the tanks swell!)
BUT it seems it might just be condensation... viewtopic.php?f=11&t=3140&hilit=Bubbles&start=30?

[monkeyrocco]

Hi, I have a ccm r30 with a plastic tank and it suffered badly with ethanol blistering I treated it and my raptor with epoxy and 5 years on my raptor tank is like new, the only problem is the tank grew about about 15mm in length when it was off the bike and I had to adjust the rear mounting bracket. I cannot remember what the treatment was called but I bought it off eBay I will look through my purchase history if anyone wants to know I can remember exactly how I applied it and can post instructions if required. Bye the way the ccm tank never got any worse.

[monkeyrocco]

Just remembered it was called slosh ( not specifically for plastic tanks but it sure worked on mine ) just make sure that you remove the fuel pump and make a blanking plate.

[snapdragon]

I know this is a wrong thing but:

I have a swelled tank also, and to fit it back after changing the air filter (after hours of blood, sweat, tears, swearing and more swearing) I sacrificed the top hat washers at the headstock end since I'm techno-dumb and not capable of making a new rear fitting

[heresjohnny74]

Morning all
First of all, I'm new to this forum...and a new raptor 1000 owner. I recently got this, knowing full well there were blisters on the tank, the bike was a good price...and if I'm honest always wanted one. Looking forward, I've a some questions around the tank issue...some may sound dumb so be kind!
1. Can the 650 tank be used as a replacement? or is it a different size (only as I've found a 650 one online)
2. If resprayed, would the problem come back quickly?
3. If left alone and covered with a bagster, am I risking anything further?
4. Probably the most silly one....could it be wrapped?

Be kind!!

[swm]

Looking around the web at other forums, this problem is far from unique to Cagiva.
The best solution appears to be to let the tank fully dry out.
If the bike is going to be off the road for a while then drain the tank, remove the fuel pump cover and leave the filler open (I would also pin-prick any blisters) and allow the tank to vent.
The opinions appear to show that once the tank has fully dried out you can then fully seal the inside of the tank with something like 'Flowliner Armour Coat' before spraying the outside.
I'm currently doing this to my raptor, but I'm still a long way from the painting stage of my re-build.

Hope this helps
Ciao

[nickst4]

You can certainly prick the blisters, and with a warm hairdryer they will flatten down. However the problem won't go away until you isolate the tank plastic from the fuel, or change to fuel without alcohol.

I've lined several Cagiva tanks with Caswell epoxy, and that has stopped a big problem with the nylon degradation which blocked carb jets. It maybe a bit more tricky with taking a fuel pump out and blanking off the hole of course.

There should still be some alcohol-free fuels for sale such as Esso synergy 97-octane, or you can possibly buy special fuels or even strip out the alcohol yourself. Don't expect your tank to shrink much from drying or washing-out with detergent though; mine didn't.

Nick

[heresjohnny74]

Thanks for the replies. I'm currently finding more blisters each day! Its a real shame as otherwise the bike would look great (still does from 6ft away!). I've been on the net looking for replacements tanks but only found one which would need a respray. There's a company fairly local to me who I may contact, to be honest I can just about service my own bikes, anymore than that I'm useless which keeps my mechanic happy!

The is an Esso within half a mile from me so will use their stuff, I avoid Morrisons anyhow as their petrol aint the best!

[nickst4]

It's worth checking the current status of the Esso best-brew. The last I saw, they were adamant that it still contains NO ethanol, even though it's sold under the E5 designation like Shell's Vee-power which does. That is, so long as you buy it in the right area because that sold in some places (N.Scotland I believe), does have some alcohol in it. Go figure!

Nick

[swm]

Should you choose to replace the fuel tank, then it would make sense to ensure that the replacement has been sealed before you fit it as otherwise it may also soon suffer from the dreaded bubbles.
As this will still require you to remove the fuel pump assembly, then I would suggest that sealing your existing tank would be the best option if it is in otherwise good condition, also if you seal it yourself then you are guaranteed to know the job has been done.
When I suggested piercing the bubbles in a previous reply, this was intended as part of the process to allow any nasties held in the bubbles to vent before painting, and was not intended as a fix in itself.
There are only 8 bolts used to hold in the fuel pump assembly to the bottom of the tank.
Should you choose the repair option, I am sure that there are members here who will be willing to assist with any questions you may have.
Don't worry about asking something you may think is silly, no one was born a mechanic, will help if I can.

Ciao

[wdavie]

These might be able to repair tank.

https://www.fueltanks.co.uk/services/motor-cycles/