Glass fibre petrol tanks and problems with Ethanol in pump fuel.

[Brian Catt]

The only way out for those with original tanks is to drain down after use, then only fill when necessary.

[riflegreen]

marc ,

The only real answer is to fit metal tanks , all these tank sealers are pretty useless , keep a lookout for the alloy tank of a QUB Griffon .

Think you also need to talk to bearingman , with luck he might be along soon .

Chris

[Andy Z]

Like this you mean...??

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Greeves-QUB-Alloy-Fuel-Petrol-Tank-/220857469067?pt=UK_Motorcycle_Parts&hash=item336c21888b#ht_539wt_1239

I'd send one of your existing tanks over to Karl Landrus (http://www.klpracing.com/id3.html), he's very good and would probably knock one out for half the price of what it would cost to get a UK supplied one to your door....

£415 and 12 weeks delivery??!!! I must be in the wrong business!

As mentioned before, Roger Ennis can supply ethanol-resistant fibreglass tanks for Greeves scramblers for about £130, and I had one made recently in less than 1 week!

Cheers,
Andrew
#190

[greeves246]

challenger

mike there is non bio ethanol down looe filling station its a long trip mike but worth getting a few gallons ! we have to find a chemical to get rid of bio ethanol all i can think of is ethanol evaporates faster than petrol ?.

John,

I've had the same on my Challenger. The tank is 45 years old and i've tried petseal etc - no joy. The side of the tank seems very thin and weak and deflects under pressure. The sticky residue is in the carb and the inlet tract of the engine but it does however come off with fresh pretol on a rag and some vigorous rubbing!! It is a real pain, and I really do not trust it at all.

I've ordered a new tank from Roger Ennis who advertises in LL. Chatting to him about the probelm he informs me that a new chemical is mixed in with the fibre glass resin on the new tanks that he builds and they will not be affected by the modern fuels. He has a wide range of moulds and can build new tanks for most bikes. If in doubt, I would recommend asking him.

Incidentally I put a new tank on my Anglain about 10 years ago. It has been fine with no signs of deterioaration at all, and this fits with what Roger told me. Some of the tanks are fine, and others just seem ro react with the fuel!!

[MikeTizard]

I've sealed my glass fibre Challenger tank with a product called SLOSH. It appears to have worked well. It is an Ennis tank and was new in Dec 10, but I'm not willing to take a chance on it. I treated with SLOSH and it appears to have done the job. This weekend I was riding the MCC's Edinburgh Long Distance Trail around the dales and I had no problems what so ever. I did well over 250 miles, user at least 4 tanks of fuel - no issues at all. I've drained it down and inspected it and it looks perfect!! I'm happy with the results - It cost under 20 quid from Dragonfly MC from the tinterweb - it's worked for me!

[Mike48]

A couple of years ago I tried a product called KBS Motorcycle tank sealer kit. It is designed around metal tank sealing, and comes with a rust converter.
I needed something to seal up a cracked fibreglass Montesa tank - local fibreglass shops weren't interested, so I tried this.
I used the aquacleen, skipped the rustblast, then straight to their Gold standard sealer.
I rode the bike for about 12 months, it always had fuel in it, no sigh of a leak.
Having said that, I always used non ethenol unleaded 98octane.

Mike

[greevous]

In scanning the "dissolving fiberglass tank" threads I didn't see this mentioned already, if it was, the excuse the repeat.

I was talking with a friend this afternoon who specializes in sculpture and mold making and he recommended a "Vinyl Ethel Resin" made by a company called Fibre Glast.

http://www.fibreglast.com/product/General_Purpose_Vinyl_Ester_Resin_just_resin_1110/Vinyl_Ester_Resins

The Description is: Tough and Corrosion Resistant
This vinyl ester resin is formulated for maximum corrosion resistance to most fuels, vapors, and both acidic and basic chemicals. It is also heat resistant and blended for toughness. These qualities make it perfect for repairing tank linings, blistering boat hulls, as well as fabricating tough all-around parts. Shelf Life Limited to 3 months. (Hetron 922)

A quick look at the MSDS reveals that it's about as dangerous to your health as these kind of things can be:

TARGET ORGANS: Overexposure to this material (or its components) has been suggested as a cause of the following effects in laboratory animals: mild, reversible kidney effects, effects on hearing, respiratory tract damage (nose, throat, and airways), testis damage, liver damage, overexposure to this material (or its components) has been suggested as a cause of the following effects in humans: mild effects on color vision, effects on hearing, respiratory tract damage (nose, throat, and airways), central nervous system effects.

but with the proper precautions...

I haven't had a chance to test it yet (and there's a lot to take care of before I get to the tank) but it doesn't seem like there's been a great solution to this problem yet, so I thought I'd throw it out there.

[Brian Catt]

Please follow this link for a petition to get ethanol removed. http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/15535

[Andy Z]

Please follow this link for a petition to get ethanol removed. http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/15535

Signed! We need a lot more than 421 signatures for anyone to take notice!

Cheers,
Andrew
#190

[Brian Catt]

Only 99,600 or more to go....

[Mike48]

I notice now that KBS is stating it's Gold tank sealer is totally impervious to ethenol mixed fuels, and can be used in fibreglass tanks. Might be right.

[tony]

Ethomix Additive

I had an email from Frost Auto about their Ethomix product.

Has anyone used this product and does it work?

[John Wakefield]

Ethomix Additive

If as usual with most these additives it will be useless & do nothing to enhance performance or running. I would forget about it. Why would you need to use it anyway, Greeves being two strokes will run ok on normal pump petrol ethanol or not. The normal unleaded for low compression trials & road bikes & super unleaded maybe for scramblers & road racers. Dont waste your hard earned money, petrol is expensive enough without wasting it additives such as this. At £12 a go you could buy 10 litres of petrol for that.
If your bike aint broke dont fix it.

[bult360]

ethanol

Think this addative is to try and combat the effects of ethanol in our fuel systems , o ring and rubber pipe softening, oil seal deteriation and damage to fibreglass fuel tanks as well as corrosion of metal parts when left for long periods of time . I have started using a similar product but still drain the fuel tanks if left for any time . Ethanol in our fuel has a lot to answer for .

[John Wakefield]

Think this addative is to try and combat the effects of ethanol in our fuel systems , o ring and rubber pipe softening, oil seal deteriation and damage to fibreglass fuel tanks as well as corrosion of metal parts when left for long periods of time . I have started using a similar product but still drain the fuel tanks if left for any time . Ethanol in our fuel has a lot to answer for .

Much cheaper & better to change fuel lines than use this stuff. Most of what you read about fuel systems blocking is due to a previously applied tank sealer breaking up due to the ethanol softening it. This product wont stop that nor will it stop fibreglass petrol tanks leaking. I have never used anything other than standard unleaded petrol & two stroke oil in my Greeves (with steel tank) & have not had any ethanol related problems. The engine runs as well now (if not better) than its always done. Most of what you read about ethanol is scare mongering, with faults usually due to other factors such as wear & tear on components, or bad maintainance.
If you do find components, ie fuel taps, pipes & carb parts being effected by ethanol content much better to replace them at source with resistant new items. As for crankcase oil seals again there is no proof that modern oil seals are effected by ethanol & if they leak replace them with new ones.
These 'quick fix' products rarely do what the makers claim, I am surpised that the FHVC have endorsed this product.