Re-sealing a Z900 tank

[Tonto]

Chaps, I've had my A4 for approx 4 years, and the paintwork was and is immaculate, but ive noticed i have a very slight smear leak undet my petrol tank its a bugger as the tank is mint inside and out.
The tank had been freshly sealed and painted when I bought her; may seem a dumb question, but does anyone know if I can re-seal the tank without stripping back to bare metal ???

Cheers Tim

[z1aphil]

You can try FLOWLINER ARMOUR COAT.
This comes with a cleaner and two part clear coating.
Its easy to use, just takes a bit of time rotating the tank to ensure an even clear coat. Don't do it in the cold! It will take ages to set, room temp and it will set in about 45mins.
I have used it on my Z1a tank and it came up brilliantly.
Just make sure that the cleaner is well rinsed and the tank left to dry (hair dryer and time).
Good luck.

[Tonto]

Phil, thanks - I'll be getting some flowliner ASAP
Cheers Tim

[Aztec Warrior]

I'll add to this, last year, I used POR15, a three part American sealer. Under £40 from Frost Restorations and other suppliers.
It worked perfectly on my Indian Bullet tank, which was suffering from Ethanol related problems, causing some rust, and worse, the factory lining of the tank to dissipate.
Be sure to take time cleaning out and prepping, this will pay dividends. I used the Indian 'method' of a large handful of nuts/bolts, all swilled up and around, many many times over to loosen all the crap.
Then give it a thorough rinsing out, under my bath tap, as I don't have a hose, until the water runs clear and then, use the first two parts of the solution. More flushing and a equally thorough drying out is then needed. . An airline and hot air blower/old hair dryer are what I used. This last sentence must be done swiftly, due to instant flash rusting of the freshly cleaned tank if your unlucky. Then apply the sealant. Mine was poured in and swilled around, over and over for a good 10 minutes, keep it moving, never stop or else it can pool in a hidden corner. I sealed the petcock hole with an old bolt and rubber washer, with the original fuel cap in place.
Dispose of the excess in something suitable, an old container, some plastic bags, as this epoxy type stuff sets like concrete? I stood my tank on its top, so the excess dripped out the filler neck. My tank was then left to 'cure' for a couple of weeks, helped by some more hot air from the blower on day one. In the end, I only had to carefully rub down some excess on the filler lip, where the cork gasket butts against it. It's mighty tough stuff and took some careful rubbing with wet/dry, but looking inside with a torch, I have a perfectly sealed tank that will last for quite a while I hope. It will be worth it for sure.

[Aztec Warrior]

Not sure on others experiences with Tank Sealing, but as mentioned, POR15 worked well for me on my Bullet, but on my ST tank, (bike bought in October 2014), I've recently found a 'hidden horror' lurking inside. After a good swilling out for service, I found something akin to a large skin off of a rice pudding lurking within! This tank was sealed in August 2014 according to an invoice, and the previous owner.
Extracting this with long-nose pliers revealed the previous owners efforts in sealing this tank were all in vain. It looked like part of the liner had come away, was rust covered underneath the 'liner', and partially coated with long runs/streaks on the fuel side. Obviously, it was a rush job?
As I speak, I'm not sure whether re-sealing can neutralise what's already in there, but I may try another lot of POR15.
No slant on KREEM SEALS NEW TANKS FIXES RUSTY PETROL TANKS PETSEAL, it's probably as good as all the other products, if not better. I think the owner before me ballsed it up somewhat.....

[z1bman]

if its previously had sealant like pet seal in the tank it will need to be removed this company do a pet sealer remover & a ful tank sealer there products are very impressive


http://www.tankcareproducts.co.uk/

[Aztec Warrior]

Nice tip.
I may use this firm.
For now I will see how I get on with trying to clean my tank out first. I have some of the POR15 cleaning agent left over. Also, I'm sure it was here that I was told Super Unleaded/Premium, which I mostly use, and is recommended for most older engines, contains no ethanol, so no rust should form, especially in a tank that's kept full. We shall see.


http://www.tankcareproducts.co.uk/