Trying to fix a fuel leak on an old XR

omrik88

Member
Dec 5, 2009
58
0
Hi,
I have a '89 XR 100 R with a bad fuel leak from the petcock.
My only solution is to replace the petcock, but it's too old and it's stuck to the tank.
So, instead of getting a new tank i thought of cutting the petcock around the base of it and fitting in a new one with a larger base.
Has anyone tried this?
Any comments?

Thanks!
 

whenfoxforks-ruled

Old MX Racer
~SPONSOR~
Oct 19, 2006
8,129
2
Merrillville,Indiana
How is it too old and stuck to the tank? Remove the 2 screws, give it a good twist to break the seal? How is this difficult? The plasma cutter and blowing up an empty gas tank is more fun?
 

_JOE_

~SPONSOR~
May 10, 2007
4,697
3
It just bolts down onto an o-ring, remove the bolts and maybe give it a light tap with a rubber hammer. Is the fuel leaking from the petcock to tank seal or from the petcock itself?
 

omrik88

Member
Dec 5, 2009
58
0
Thanks,
The 2 screws are turning on "neutral" and nothing happens.
The leak is mainly from the petcock itself but also from the seal.
Is there a way i can get the petcock removed from the tank without cutting another hole in the tank?

Thanks.
 

whenfoxforks-ruled

Old MX Racer
~SPONSOR~
Oct 19, 2006
8,129
2
Merrillville,Indiana
Try the spun nuts in the plastic tank trick? A screw gun on high, reverse of course, and slight pulling pressure? I was hoping it was the old metal tank, 1 big nut. But, you get the plastic warm enough, the nuts should come out, with out too much damage. Epoxy the nuts, new nuts back in.
 

omrik88

Member
Dec 5, 2009
58
0
I have a plastic tank. What is a screw gun?
Can i use a Visegrip maybe, to pull and turn the screws out?
I have a hot air machine (for plastic welding), i can adjust the temp. I just don't want to damage the tank.
Maybe i should try heating up the petcock first to see if it helps it detach from the tank.
Thanks again.
 

whenfoxforks-ruled

Old MX Racer
~SPONSOR~
Oct 19, 2006
8,129
2
Merrillville,Indiana
A high speed drill, phillips or what ever holds the petcock on. Get that screw/bolt spinning and the heat will allow it to be drawn out of the plastic with very little pressure. If you can pull it clean out with vise-grips, fine. Do not go deeper, thats all! The heat generated is just where the nut is, a gun is going to heat a large area. You could probably clean the nut, lube the thread, and epoxy them right back in the tank. You need to find epoxy that does not mind gasoline.
 

Uchytil

LIFETIME SPONSOR
Jun 29, 2003
814
9
Regular fiberglass epoxy, like West System, should work. I've used it to repair carb float leaks, and metal tanks. Never used it on plastic tanks though.
 

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