Hi, there is a slow drip of petrol from the rear end of my 1999 750 ss. I lifted the tank on to its little stand and because the tank is full (typical) the pressure made it leak real fast so i put it down and went to grab some tools. There is a small bolt in the corner on the bottom of the tank that i thought it was coming from and so tried to tighten it but didn't do a THING! any ideas please????
First idea is; no smokers to be near this bike in that condition. Help, hindrance or advice...we are all so capable!
Iirc fairly common to find a leak near where your crotch is(no connection ) I did have a similar issue with ST4s tank, and put a product into the tank that acted as a sealant,cant remember the name of it.
If it's like the ST tanks, lifting the tank onto it's prop when full can stress the spot welds holding the hinge onto the back of the tank. These tear slightly which can then leak. Do you see any tell-tale yellowing marks where petrol has been running down the back of the tank? Edit - beaten to it. For me, you're better off having the hinge plate seam welded - the POR15 stuff is OK but might cause issues later on.
Has this happen to my 900ss years back. Rode it back to the dealers with petrol running down the frame and on to my boot! It was repaired and fine after.
First thing to do would really help, already hinted at, is to thoroughly clean the area/adjacent area where you think the leak is and then watch carefully to see exactly where the leak is coming from. Sometimes the drain bolt (which I believe you talked about earlier) can be the source of the leak due to the washer not seating properly and of course this is much easier and cheaper to fix than the hinge plate.
Mine was as a result of rusting through. Apparently water is heavier than petrol so if any gets in it finds its way to the lowest point and sits there eating away at your pride and joy.
yes, certainly seen many early SS rotted through at the back but easy to see usually. Steel Monster tanks far more prone to fracturing under hinge plate than early SS, not sure about later SS injected tanks.
Quick update, and thanks for all the help. Yes it was leaking from the weld seams around the hinge plate. propped the little stand further up the frame to get myself a little more look/see room and had my fingers on the frame as the half full tank came crashing down. So not only did I have a petrol leak I had a blood leak from three fingers I nearly lost, painful lesson learnt there. Did anybody hear me scream from the mainland? Anyway, it had been repaired and sprayed over with some king of epoxy before which I have stripped off and cleaned all offending area back to metal while i decide the best course of action. And they say it never rains...bought a new battery last week and it's dead already, and I've been riding every day!!! Somethings killing it, alarm maybe? Trying hard to regret getting rid of the Kwak and buying it but when I'm riding it the damn thing puts such a smile on my face like a dog with two dicks
Surely, being a Ducati, it’s already clean? If not then sell and buy a Suzuki. We don’t need that kind of “dirty bike” association here.
Carby or and I.E. model? That little bolt have a copper washer? Any sign of rust bubbles? Any rust inside tank?
hey fire3500, it's the i.e model and I've found the leak now. Yeah that nut has its washer and pretty sure that's sound. Looks mint inside the tank although when i got it off and upended it, it sounded like someone had lost a set of keys there :-( Can you tell me, save me searching, which side and where the alarm is mounted so i can rip it off with my bear teeth and spit it into the toilet
