Tank Failed (Ethanol Expansion)

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Dalemac · #1 Post by **Dalemac** » Wed Jul 15, 2015 10:18 pm

Well, tonight my Falco has finally succumbed to the dreaded ethanol in fuel expanding the tank issue. The Two holes that hold the tank mount to the underside of the tank are now leaking fuel. I brimmed her this evening, had a quick 30mile blast, when i got home there was a strong smell of petrol and upon inspection i could see it had leaked down onto the frame and onto the air box lid (the heat shielding is also drenched in petrol). Looks like i have 'consumed' somewhere between 1/2 and 3/4 of a tank in this 30 mile ride! Surprised i didn't go up in flames to be honest.

Looks like the tank expansion has put strain on the tank mount holes, which has weakened the support it sits in and and has finally failed, allowing fuel to pass through.

1. Does anyone have a good Falco (preferably fire red) tank sitting around which they would be willing to separate with?

2. Does anyone have any ideas for bodging this until i can source and fit a new tank? As well as my fun generator this bike is also my commuter so any suggestions welcome!

Cheers,

Dale

Chabby · #2 Post by **Chabby** » Wed Jul 15, 2015 10:33 pm

Dunno about bodging once its leaking from the bracket mounts but I believe taking the tank off and letting it sit empty allows it to shrink back to size.
Was considering buying a spare so I could rotate them in service when they got too big.
My 2000 fast blacks' tank is almost touching the top yoke and I'm not looking forward to having to lift it to sort my air filter.

Gio · #3 Post by **Gio** » Thu Jul 16, 2015 10:51 am

I wonder if you could fit a different tank, preferably an all metal one.

wayno · #4 Post by **wayno** » Thu Jul 16, 2015 11:03 am

I suppose you could always cut the bottom out of the tank to use the old one as a cover, then fabricate an aluminium jobby with an inline fuel pump (sorting out the reserve light may be fun). You'd end up losing quite a bit of volume though.

I wish I could afford to buy one of the carbon fibre ones that D rider was sorting out. How are these going by the way?

D-Rider · #5 Post by **D-Rider** » Thu Jul 16, 2015 11:24 am

wayno wrote:I suppose you could always cut the bottom out of the tank to use the old one as a cover, then fabricate an aluminium jobby with an inline fuel pump (sorting out the reserve light may be fun). You'd end up losing quite a bit of volume though.

I wish I could afford to buy one of the carbon fibre ones that D rider was sorting out. How are these going by the way?

Slower than planned Wayne - it's a complicated mould and it's taken the mould maker longer than anticipated ... along with various other priority jobs jumping in too.

Nevertheless I don't think it will be too long before they start to materialise.

TBH as long as they turn out as good as we anticipate, they will be a bit of a bargain - at least in comparison with the cost of a new OEM tank .... and, let's face it, used ones will already have ethanol damage .... and new ones will begin the degradation process once you fit them.

Dale might be advised to have a word with Richard ("morepower" on the forum) who is making the carbon tanks. He is making the carbon tanks ethanol resistant and may have some advice on how to bodge a standard one .... though the stuff he uses himself is not readily available.
There are also issues of trying to ethanol-proof a standard plastic tank as the plastic and the resistant liner have different rates of expansion.

Dalemac · #6 Post by **Dalemac** » Thu Jul 16, 2015 11:39 am

Andy, what was the final price on the carbon tank jobbies?

Now that i am forced into a corner with this it may be more economical to get the carbon tank - might just be cheaper than sorting a replacement tank and getting it sprayed to match, etc.

I also thought about a 'quick' of pumping out and storing the fuel and then replacing it before going out, but i use it every day so it would soon become a pain in the arse.

Firestarter · #7 Post by **Firestarter** » Thu Jul 16, 2015 12:22 pm

You'd have to speak to Richard about price, he was quite upfront that he'd given a price that he'd stick to for the initial run, but it might have to change later due to the issues and costs associated with the mould etc. he's on the forum so drop him a pm, I would guess you're looking at around £800-£1000 based on previous quotes

D-Rider · #8 Post by **D-Rider** » Thu Jul 16, 2015 12:30 pm

Firestarter wrote:You'd have to speak to Richard about price, he was quite upfront that he'd given a price that he'd stick to for the initial run, but it might have to change later due to the issues and costs associated with the mould etc. he's on the forum so drop him a pm, I would guess you're looking at around £800-£1000 based on previous quotes

What he said ^^

blinkey501 · #9 Post by **blinkey501** » Thu Jul 16, 2015 5:38 pm

Bring the tank to me mate.

I have a remedy which if works can be posted onto the technical section

Dalemac · #10 Post by **Dalemac** » Fri Jul 17, 2015 7:50 am

blinkey501 wrote:Bring the tank to me mate.

I have a remedy which if works can be posted onto the technical section

Hi Jay,

That would be great. Things just got a little complicated so i'm now 'busy' for a while but when i get my head straight i'll give you a ring, think i have your number somewhere.

Thanks,

Dale

GregD-UK · #11 Post by **GregD-UK** » Fri Jul 17, 2015 1:44 pm

Hi all,

A few years ago l researched a guy who makes bespoke alley tanks, as was considering a 25 litre job! Seemed to remember it was some 3-6 months and around £600 or so...

Will dig the details out if l still have them, he was based in suffolk l think...

Dalemac · #12 Post by **Dalemac** » Fri Jul 17, 2015 2:42 pm

GregD-UK wrote:Hi all,

A few years ago l researched a guy who makes bespoke alley tanks, as was considering a 25 litre job! Seemed to remember it was some 3-6 months and around £600 or so...

Will dig the details out if l still have them, he was based in suffolk l think...

Cheers. The problem is ally (assuming you mean aluminium) is also corroded by ethanol, so not really any more permanent than sourcing a spare tank.

#13 Post by **mangocrazy** » Fri Jul 17, 2015 3:28 pm

Doing some reading around, the general consensus appears to be that E5 is OK with aluminium tanks, and possibly E10, but anything over that causes corrosion issues. The only material that will definitely resist ethanol is good quality stainless (316 marine grade or similar). And our upcoming CF tanks with super internals, of course... Perhaps Greg's chap in Suffolk might find a nice little earner in converting to stainless fabrication?

Even steel has its problems, due to phase separation and the water content causing rusting. My VFR tank is already showing advanced signs of this.

Chabby · #14 Post by **Chabby** » Fri Jul 17, 2015 5:24 pm

Somebody should take the plunge with this guy then give us a product review

http://singh-precisions.com/about-us/

fatboy · #15 Post by **fatboy** » Sat Jul 18, 2015 6:42 pm

They sound a bit good don't they !