Caswell gas tank epoxy failure!

[shinyribs]

You can get a tank empty enough to weld or grind on it. A recently filled tank is one things,a 10 year old one is another. Radiator shops can boil one out for you if it is currently full and make it safe to weld on it.But it costs so much. Right at $50 around here. If you smell gas,dont weld it. Thats all you really gotta watch for

[GearBocks]

I had really high hopes, and I followed the instructions to the T. I didnt want to eff up my tank! I mean you can't just go out and get a new one so I was very careful. I was so disappointed when it failed. I just want to say that there is either something wrong with the epoxy I bought, or I did something wrong during the process. The tech from Caswell said if I had did it wrong then it would not have hardend, and mine was rock hard. Let it sit for 4 days and now its almost all dissolved in the gas. Caswell may make a good product, but they didn't sell me any of it. Before you just go gung ho and put it in your tank, do a test run on a tin bucket and let gas sit in there for a few days and see if it turns to urine. All of my Carburetor air cut off valves were glued down because of the epoxy filled gas I ran through it! My 4th piston wouldn't even fire aftet I hooked up a makeshift gas tank. Seems there was spark, just no fuel getting to the carb (line was plugged and air cut off destroyed). This is the last thing I wanted for my bike. It'll cost me 300$ to fix, maybe more. On the plus side I used the left over epoxy to fix my broken plastic side covers :) which is holding great!

[GearBocks]

Yes I used a fuel filter. It was clogged and yellow. After a day with gas in the tank.

[GearBocks]

Uh... No. The gas is clear when it goes in and after 20-30mins you can begin to see the coloring of the fuel to yellow. I know its the liner because my bike won't run!!!! Im frustrated!!! My bike ran fine until it ran through the lined tank. After it fouled my plugs and clogged my Carbs I hooked up a Gatoraid bottle with gas in it and after some cranking and float bowl draining it started! Then ran really rough on 3 cylinders. I can't get fuel to go to the 4th carb because the lines and air cut off valves are ruined. I am a noob to this bike but not bikes or gasoline. I know that fuel doesn't go from clear to dark piss yellow in one day, also if thats normal for gas to do then it should run fine but it doesn't. Also yes the liner is getting thinner!!! Not peeling off or chipping its eroding into the gas! And it took my bike from running awesome to fail, not running at all. I'm just saying this because I don't want it to happen to any of you. It's caused me a lot of trouble. Those that have success with Caswell tank liner are lucky. I'm not one of those people who sees yellow gas in my tank and says " its too yellow, I don't like the color so I'm gonna drain it and blame the tank liner". No, my bike stopped running! It's damaged, and now I have to rebuild the Carbs and replace the gas tank. I will not hook up this tank to my bike again. It's just not worth it. If it ran fine I wouldn't be screaming! Id be riding my bike!!!

[GearBocks]

Sorry, yes the pic with the white bucket and yellow stuff is gas that had been in the tank 12 hours. It was clear going in, bike wouldn't start next morning that's what came out. Yes the dirt was in the bucket before I put gas in. Not in my tank. Uh.... That would have been a red flag. Lol

[GearBocks]

I understand Lucky 1's scepticism, but this product failed me. And not in a way that apparently even Caswell has heard of. Before I had a bad experience with Caswell I talked about it on this forum in a very positive way because I had heard nothing but good things. After this I can't recommend it, but don't take my word for it. If you think I'm full of it or a serious idiot then go out and line your tank with Caswell, I hope you have a good experience but just beware and prepared, it could go horribly wrong. Someone said do a test run, that's always a good idea. Also I know someone has had this problem before because on my thread in the members build area hellbilly429 said "I would let gas sit in the tank for a few days just to make sure it doesn't come out any funky colors and ruin your Carbs". I should have listend to him!

[TOOLS1]

I have never recommended lining a tank on this, or any other forum! It's one of those things that if it works, it's great. However if it does not work, it's a disaster. There are too many things that can, and will go wrong with tank linings. The best thing to do if your tank has a hole is to weld it up. Next best thing is to use JB Weld. I have used it on gas tanks, carburetors, and even radiators. Never has it failed. If your tank is too bad for either of these repairs, throw it away!
TOOLS

[GearBocks]

You are so right tools!! 100% agree! Nice sum up! Everyone out there with a tank issue, listen to tools. He speaks the truth.

[seestheday]

I'm surprised that your filter didn't save your carbs.  I would have thought that it would have simply gotten plugged up and then simply stopped allowing gas to flow.  Was it a paper filter?

[pat english]

you got any tanks that are too bad,ill take em..DONT THROW THEM AWAY!!..lol

[GearBocks]

Yes I do! I am going to try my best in cleaning the Caswell out of my old tank, then I was going to ebay it for cheap explaining the reason its so cheap. Why? Do you have the means to fix a tank that has failed sealer in it and 5 pin holes?

[GearBocks]

Me too!? The resin seems to be dissolving totally in the gas, with no big chunks to see. The clogged filter media is packed with sticky residue. Some of the residue was small enough to get through I guess. Like I said its pretty well dissolved, with no big or small chunks in the mix. That's also why I'm so disappointed in the product. I mean I have heard of people having it in the tank for a few years and then it "peeling" off but not dissolving the way it did. Weird. Maybe it was a bad batch of resin or something.

[TOOLS1]

I myself love cutting up old tanks, and putting them back together. Sometimes I even put them back together the same way they cam apart. However that's usually after I fix a big dent in them. It's easier to cut the dented part out, then straighten it, and weld it back in.
TOOLS  

[pat english]

yeah i wouldndt pay for a tank like that,but if it was mine,i would clean that crap out and weld up the holes

[shinyribs]

Any chance the gas will eventually dissolve all of the Caswell out and leave you with a useable tank? Sounds like its eating away pretty quick. Silver lining?

 And I'm with Tools-dont see the need for a liner. I dont understand the fear people have of ethanol. It's just alcohol. Alcohol is a stringent/cleaner. If anything it would help to clean things,rather than gum them up. I understand that alcohol will displace water,but if you have sooo much water in your fuel that the alcohol pushes it out and it rusts your tank.....then you got so much water in your fuel the bike wouldn't run worth poo and you'd drain it anyway. Maybe I'm dead wrong,but ethanol fuel has never hurt the tank in my 66 Impala. It's fine and so is the unlined tank on my bike.

Good luck with your tank. Dont fear the ethanol.

[sgtslag]

Shiny, most rust comes from air space in the tank, sitting for a long time (weeks, and more), which allows condensation on the inside of the exposed tank.  That is where most of the water comes from.  When a bike is being stored for more than a few weeks, the best thing is to top off the gas tank, to just below the filler cap.  This minimizes the air space, and the water condensation problem.  Gas stabilizer (SeaFoam, for me, works for up to 12 months, absorbs water) is also a good idea.  Cheers!

[shinyribs]

Very true Sarge. A full tank is a happy tank :)

[Lucky 1]

I have noticed that I had 4 brand new clear plastic drain tubes on my carbs.
One of the float bowls overflowed from a cracked overflow tube. I fixed it and now 3 of the 4 plastic drain tubes are still clear but the one that had fuel in the drain tube has turned yellow.

When I look in my  gas tank the fuel looks clear against the white liner . Clear as water.
But when I put the gas in a container it looks yellow.

I am wondering if it is exposure to the outside air that makes this fuel turn yellow.

[shinyribs]

Could be. I have those same clear vinyl lines on my crankcase breather. It's yellow,too. And you know oil ain't got ethanol in it. Petroleum in general just does that.

[gary c.]

I realize this is an old thread, but I had had register to this forum and throw in my 2 cents. I have over 30 years experience as a motorcycle technician. In this time I have coated well over 100 fuel tanks and have used Kreem, Por 15, and Caswell. Ihave not had a single come back in all these years from a sealant failure. Most important is fuel tank prep. Any one of these sealants will stick and last years if properly cleaned and dried. The problem with Kreem is that you can only do 1/3 of the tank at a time. Anywherethat it is allowed to drip will leave small strings as it cures so fast that it will almost set up as it drips from the top to the bottom. These strings will eventually break loose and get into your fuel system. The problem with Por 15 is that you cannot get an even coating. It will build up too thick in places that are coated over and over as you roll the tank around trying to coat all the tank. These thicker spots, if too thick will crack out and get into your fuel system. Caswell works the best. Kreem and Por 15 are an air dry. they start drying (setting up) immediately when it contacts the air. To use either one you have to have your act together and planned out to get optimal results. With Kreem do 1/3 let it set up. Do another 1/3 let it set up. Then do the last 1/3. Allow it to partially overlap but never let it drip. Por 15. Pour in a whole pint. Roll it around one time, coating the entire tank. pour out the excess and let it set up. Caswell on the other hand is a chemical reaction. You have a time frame to get it in, get it coated, get out the excess. Then let it cure. The key is 'get it clean, get it in, get it out, leave it alone. If you have a thin spot go back and recoat that area. As far as welding on a tank. I ain't blown up yet and welded on many of them. I saw an old farmer weld on a storage tank that was half full of fuel. He took his tractor put a hose on the exhaust and into the tank. he had a small outlet that let air go out . He let the tractor run its exhaust into the tank for an hour or so. Then started welding away. later when I saw him( I wasn't sticking around to blow up) I asked about it and he said no oxygen no fire.