Pinhole leak in gas tank

So last fall I bought a gas tank from one of the listers here for my red 82 650 Maxim that was supposedly in good shape, a bit o' rust and some tiny chips. Tank looked good when I got it & put it aside till this spring when the weather is better to work on it. Filled it with evapo-rust to rid the rust and discovered a pinhole leak just in front of the petcock that the seller neglected to tell me about.

I'm readying this bike for sale and don't want to waste money on an item I'm not keeping. On the other side, I'm not willing to sell something that's defective unless I say so to the buyer. This bike is an awesome bike, fantastic mileage and starts and behaves better than any of my other bikes. It's a real keeper but the existing tank has multiple dents from a fall in the garage so I bought this "new" one to replace it.

So the decision is what to do with this tank? I can epoxy putty the hole and finish the de-rusting & tell the next owner. I could POR-15 the tank but that's $50 out of my pocket on a bike I want to put in Craigslist. I just don't want to sell junk on a bike that otherwise is a bike I would sell to a family member.

What's a good way to deal with this leak and have integrity when I sell it?

Thanks

P.S., the next owner will likely be a new member here so the answer has to be a good one.

 

They can be soldererd with a good electric iron

 

I thought about that but am worried there may be adjacent areas about to pinhole.

I've got a nice 125W equivalent Weller Butane soldering iron and a 250W Radio Shack iron. No gas in the tank now so soldering would be OK.

 

No I don't recommend using flame! I know others have done it but unless you know what you are doing don't go there!

 

Yeah, on this one I'm good with it,. No trace of gasoline and the last liquid was evapo-rust. Soldering on a tank with gas fumes would be all too familiar.

 

My two cents:
I've done a number of tanks that have small pinholes (If there's one, there's more getting ready)
The quick fix epoxy is temporary at best. You fix that one hole, but the others are just time bombs waiting to happen.

If it was me, here's what I'd do: finish removing the rust (electrolysis is cheap and works great!). Braze the hole, making sure to use a good flux. Line the tank with a GOOD liquid liner. Take pics, disclose to the new owner.

I'd far rather buy from someone who takes the time to do correct repairs than from someone who slapped something together. To me, that means that other repairs most likely got the same care.

 

I had 3 holes in my tank that was dented from the stud gun poking threw. I cleaned the tank with dawn dish soap to get rid of the fuel and brazed the holes up with a oxy / acc torch, no problems after a presure check easly done with a cooling system preasure tester and universal adapter that I have or you could rent one from most auto parts stores.

 

With a pinhole leak. The paint is already damaged, and without question there will be other holes. The only sure way to fix it without a full strip, and repaint would be a tank liner.

Ghost

 

I agree with the "line the tank" mentality. It should prevent the rest of the pinholes from ever showing up as leaks. Acid etch with some abrasive nuts and bolts in the tank as well to eat the rust out and a two part epoxy lining should do the trick. Doesn't matter if there are pinholes in the metal tank anymore, you've just created a new liquid container on the inside of the metal.