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Tank coating to protect against Ethanol damage


bob_m
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All of the sealers im aware of are 2 pack epoxy fibreglass kits.The problem isn the epoxy , its the fact that they DO NOT stick to the inside of polythene petrol tanks. They'll look like they are sticking for a few months , then they'll peel off and bubble. There is no rough key inside the tank for it to stick to.I know i sound a bit pessimistic but its only because ive been round the block on this problem.

The only solution is to fit the sealer and then drain down after EACH ride . It works for me.

Edited by gasgas249uk
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All of the sealers im aware of are 2 pack epoxy fibreglass kits.The problem isn the epoxy , its the fact that they DO NOT stick to the inside of polythene petrol tanks. They'll look like they are sticking for a few months , then they'll peel off and bubble. There is no rough key inside the tank for it to stick to.I know i sound a bit pessimistic but its only because ive been round the block on this problem.

The only solution is to fit the sealer and then drain down after EACH ride . It works for me.

There is a moisture cure urethane sealer called POR-15 which I prefer over the epoxies for steel tanks. It requires the rust be removed before application.

Having been in the painting trade for 30+ years the Caswell recommendation to just cover up the rust with the sealer goes against my grain.

You are correct about the epoxy not sticking to polyethylene. Caswell even states that on their site.

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  • 1 year later...

I coated my Scorpa tank with Caswell. I was freakishly careful to follow the directions. I cleaned more than twice as much as recommended to be sure that the surface was good. ~1 month in, I have blistering in the coating inside the tank. I'm working with Caswell now to find a solution. I'm not ready to bash or give a recommendation at this point - just wanted to throw out where I stand now. I'll update when I know more. I can say that the customer service has been good so far.

The tank at 5 weeks - notice the small bubbles forming:

IMG00009-20110830-2007.jpg

10 days later:

IMG00031-20110909-1833.jpg

Hey Motojunky, old thread, but any updates on your tank? Did Caswell offer any advice or assistance to get you sorted out?

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hey Motojunky, old thread, but any updates on your tank? Did Caswell offer any advice or assistance to get you sorted out?

They wanted me to attempt to use acetone to soften up the existing Caswell and then apply more. It appears pretty clear that it didn't adhere well in those places the first time around, so I'm not excited about the idea of adding more coating. I got tired of worrying about it and just coninued to use the VP fuel that I know works well, even though it is spendy. AVgas worked OK, but required more effort to get. The blisters have not changed in quite some time and everything is peachy. I suspect that I could use ethanol based fuel now since the coating is intact, but I know I'm good the way I'm going now and I don't feel like messing with the whole deal again. I ride a pretty good amount and spend about $30/month on fuel. I can live with that.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I just tried the local airport last week and they shut me down. No tail number, no fuel.

So...look on Ebay or something and get a tail #! I've heard of folks making them up.

"F" followed by the right number of digits.

I bought avgas for the first time today.

Walked in, got my can filled and ponied up $6/gal.

100 octane, baby!

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I must just be lucky , I've got a tiny airport about 5 mins. from my house and I go there enough I'm on first name basis ..., But I buy ave gas for all my toys , race cars and bikes .... They just can only put it in a plane or legal fuel can , not directly into any other type of vehicle ...

And on 5/18/13 the last 5 gallons of 110 I got was $5.80 a gallon , cheap insurance for my bikes ...

In fact I'm gonna take my bosses '67 427ci Vette convertible out there with a 5 gallon can and fill it 5 gallons at a time ... Just 'cause it doesn't get driven much at all , and even the race fuel goes bad fairly quickly , and there is nothing worse than 700hp detonation from sour fuel !!!! He tried 5 gals in his blown big block 67 chevelle and decided it's the way to go !

Glenn

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