leaky gas tank

[canuck cruiser]

Hey guys,

I noticed that when I put any amount of fuel in the tank it just drips out of the overflow tube, How do I fill the tank and keep the gas in there. I want to do some longer drives without stopping for gas every 30 minutes.

what do you think.

Jason

[Crazcnuk]

I think, that unless your tank is upside down, it can't really leak very much gas out the overflow tube, but what the heck do I know?

Hopefully one of the gurus will have an answer for you, but I thought the overflow was just hooked up to the area around the filler cap, to get rid of rainwater and gas that got sloshed over the filler hole when filling.

Is it possible that you have rusted through the area around the filler hole and gas is sloshing up out of the tank, at the top, while you ride?

Is yours a Special or a Standard? I am thinking of a standard setup, where we have a large, deep well around the filler cap.

[canuck cruiser]

Hey canuck,

It is a standard and I am referring to the outlet and tube that is at the back bottom of the tank just under the front of the seat, the gas just keeps dripping and dripping, is this the same overflow you are reffering to, as far as I know it is the only one and the gas is no whewre near the top of the tank.

Jason

[fredintoon]

Hi Jason,
your G designation says your bike is a Standard.
Like Craz says, the Standard's drain tube is for draining rain & spilled gas out of the depression the stylists put in the tank top so the filler would sit flush. I'd hope that if you filled the tank with greater care you wouldn't get the drips but again as Craz says, the tank may be rusted out. Try this:- shove a plastic tube on the drain tube and lead it into a 5 gallon jerrycan. Fill the tank right to the top. See how much gas runs out of the drain tube and into the jerrycan.

[fredintoon]

Leapfrogging posts dammit!

Hi Jason,
from what you say in your most recent post it does seem that the filler recess drain tube has failed somewhere inside the tank. Quick fix, cap the tube off, fill the tank carefully and don't ride in the rain.
Also fit in-line fuel filters because most likely your tank is full of rust. Long term fix, look for another tank, it'd be expensive to get that drain tube replaced and the tank de-rusted and sealed inside.

[Crazcnuk]

Yes, the drain tube, as I understand it, starts at the filler well, and runs all the way down the inside of the tank to the outlet.

For it to leak any appreciative amount, the pipe, inside the tank, must have rusted through. If so, the tank will drain, out the drain tube, to the level where the hole is inside the tank.

Basically, as Fred said, just get a cap and clamp and close it off. Then try and clean up the area around the filler cap so that, if water sits there, it won't rust.

Basically, if the tube is shot, your going to get gas out, and any water/gas that gets in around the cap will be getting inside your tank, dirt and all.

[AlanB]

Hi Cruiser,

If the tube has rotted through, it is probably holed right at the bottom, where water would lie around the outside of it in the bottom of the tank.

As the boy said, Cap it off at both ends, and start looking for another!

AlanB