BX23 Fuel Leak

[ThisIsNotaStep]

I have a BX at the ctg, and last weekend finally got around to removing the fender to trace a long standing, slow fuel leak on my BX. Thought it would be the fuel sender flange, the tank was damp half way under the seat, but turned out to be from the back lower left fuel hose. Man diesel can sure creep.

The hose is not leaking, the fitting of the hose to the hose barb is not leaking, it seems to be coming from where the barb goes into the tank. Question, is the hose barb and tank all one piece? It looked like the other end of the hose barb screwed into the tank? Whatever the case it is all ABS. Did not want to open that can of worms till I had a checked here, asked the dealer, and had supplies to fix. Dealer says it's all one piece.

If it's just a barb, I can tighten with some sealant. If it's all one piece (pr was until the hose barb seperated from the tank) is there any glue I can use that will stand up to diesel? I have also heard about welding ABS, but not sure there is enough wall thickness or I am able to do it?? It's ~300 to replace the whole tank.

 

[Pepsiboy]

I have a BX at the ctg, and last weekend finally got around to removing the fender to trace a long standing, slow fuel leak on my BX. Thought it would be the fuel sender flange, the tank was damp half way under the seat, but turned out to be from the back lower left fuel hose. Man diesel can sure creep.

The hose is not leaking, the fitting of the hose to the hose barb is not leaking, it seems to be coming from where the barb goes into the tank. Question, is the hose barb and tank all one piece? It looked like the other end of the hose barb screwed into the tank? Whatever the case it is all ABS. Did not want to open that can of worms till I had a checked here, asked the dealer, and had supplies to fix. Dealer says it's all one piece.

If it's just a barb, I can tighten with some sealant. If it's all one piece (pr was until the hose barb seperated from the tank) is there any glue I can use that will stand up to diesel? I have also heard about welding ABS, but not sure there is enough wall thickness or I am able to do it?? It's ~300 to replace the whole tank.

Yes, it is all one piece (UNFORTUNATELY). I'm not sure about welding a plastic tank, as I've never done it. BEST solution seems to be replacement. Maybe Dealer or auto parts store could recommend a way to remove old barb and replace with some type of brass or metal one.

Dave

 

[Grouse Feathers]

I welded a leak on a kayak and managed to get it sealed. Diesel will probably be tougher to seal than water. For $300 I would look around and see if you can find someone with experience welding ABS. If you don't find anyone you could get some ABS and practice welding until you feel confident. Like arc welding steel, heat welding ABS takes some practice and the more practice the better you get.

I thought about this some more and began to question the ABS material so I checked it out on the internet. The tank is probably high-density polyethylene. Polyethylene will be difficult to impossible to repair as it there are few solvents that dissolve polyethylene and none that you want to use. The high chemical resistance is why polyethylene is used for fuel tanks nothing attacks it, but repair is probably impossible.

 

[Russell King]

How about trying this - get the tank out and clean the inside of the tank. Install a long plug into the hole in the barb, pour some glue into the tank and get it down where it is leaking. Repeat a few times to build up a good layer around the leaking area. Remove plug and devise a leak test to see if it is fixed.

Finding the right adhesive may be the hard part.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[tcrote5516]

I've done it before with a 100watt soldering iron. If you can physically see the crack it shouldn't be too bad. You can even steal some material from somewhere else on the tank (excess from a mounting tab for instance) and melting it into the area you need it.

 

[ThisIsNotaStep]

Darn .. but thanks all!
I guess anyway it goes I'm going to have to pull the other fender, floor boards, etc. and the tank off to work with.

How do the mmm adjustment knobs (below the front of the seat) come off, pull, screw?

I'll try the soldering gun first.
If that doesn't work then I'll see if I can use rig up some washers and nuts on a hollow threaded tube? The fuel level flange is directly above so I should be able to get access from there.

Tx's I'll let you know how it went Monday.

 

[ThisIsNotaStep]

Thanks Larry, always thought it was blown molded ABS .. but you got me thinking, for downhill skiing we use ptex (spelling) candles to repair gouges to the bottom of our skis. I think it's the same thing .. you just light the stick and let it drip on a spot in need of filling. It melts the surface, fills and bonds all in one e z step! I'll test that out on the tank too!