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2001 Sportsman 500 HO Fuel Tank Crack Repair / Welding

1720 Views 11 Replies 6 Participants Last post by  Jo2lo2, 
ncavolo
Yesterday I developed a horizontal crack that goes from around the corner to the side of my tank. About a third way up the rear right side of the tank, see example photo. Used tanks are going for around $235 so I figured I’d try plastic welding it first. "Plastic Welding Kit".

Question is if anyone knows what type of plastic the tank is made of so I could match it with a piece I could use to weld it with. Don't know if something like JD weld would work good enough.

No fun, I had just topped it off with gas, rode about a mile, but and I had to stop and I noticed that a stream of gas was coming out a crack on the right side of my tank directly on the exhaust pipe. After watching it boil up and steaming, I realized, damn I had a big issue. Got my personal stuff off the bike and started throwing dirt on it. Luckily it didn't catch fire. It would have been a complete loss. And quite a big fire.
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FPD218
Welcome to the forum
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ncavolo
FPD218 said:
Welcome to the forum
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Thank you sir
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Y
You may call me insane, but take some shavings from thick solid areas like the mounting tabs and use it... same stuff...
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ncavolo
yetavon said:
You may call me insane, but take some shavings from thick solid areas like the mounting tabs and use it... same stuff...
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Hmm, not a bad idea at all, thx. I think I may need more than what I could shave off though.......
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latebird
It's a type polyethylene - HDPE (high density polyethylene) or XLPE (high density cross linked polyethylene)

There is no externally applied adhesive (Epoxy, JB Weld or super glue) that offers a permanent repair and an internally applied sealant is primarily for steel tanks. Plastic welding is a temporary fix also as the polyethylene tank has become brittle from exposure to ethanol and or gasoline. The only long term temporary fix is a new tank or replacement with a used tank.
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PELLETGUN
mr; bite the bullet and get another tank. ur playing with fire and this is not something u
want to experiment with.
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ncavolo
Yeah, I hate to agree with you, but I had been thinking with all the abuse the bike takes, a fix like this just might not hold up well........
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J
latebird said:
It's a type polyethylene - HDPE (high density polyethylene) or XLPE (high density cross linked polyethylene)

There is no externally applied adhesive (Epoxy, JB Weld or super glue) that offers a permanent repair and an internally applied sealant is primarily for steel tanks. Plastic welding is a temporary fix also as the polyethylene tank has become brittle from exposure to ethanol and or gasoline. The only long term temporary fix is a new tank or replacement with a used tank.
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J
LateBird...is the material in a 2014 Polaris Outlaw 90 fuel tank the same (polyethylene)? I have a used 2014 outlaw I bought that appears to have had some sort of epoxy repair on the side of it from some sort of prior damage. It seems to be seeping fuel in this area when filled. The tank is black plastic. Thanks
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latebird
The black plastic tanks may be ABS or polyethylene. ABS is generally less flexible and a bit more brittle than polyethylene. Plastic welding is a better fix, but on a 10 year old vehicle (especially of Chinese manufacture) the best fix is a different tank.
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J
latebird said:
The black plastic tanks may be ABS or polyethylene. ABS is generally less flexible and a bit more brittle than polyethylene. Plastic welding is a better fix, but on a 10 year old vehicle (especially of Chinese manufacture) the best fix is a different tank.


thank you. I don't think I can do the plastic weld as there is a patch of unknown epoxy material on top of it. will look for another tank
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