Quote:
Originally Posted by Luddite
That's a real bummer, Simon. I know those earlier white plastic tanks like yours were made by Acerbis from PA6 nylon.
That stuff is hydrophilic and so absorbs water. It's not actually the ethanol directly that attacks the tank but rather the water drawn out of the petrol by the ethanol, which then gets absorbed by the tank. (It's all a bit academic I know as a ruined tank is a ruined tank no matter what the cause.) The water absorption causes the swelling and the blistering is probably water migrating through the nylon and emerging under the paint.
While the dimensional change should (as you've found in the past) be reversible, I'm not sure about the blisters as I'd have thought that once the paint had lifted from the tank, there would be nothing to make it adhere again to the surface even if all the moisture has been removed.
You're quite welcome to borrow my dehumidifier to speed up the drying process if you like.
By the way, I take it you weren't using Esso Synergy Supreme+ ethanol-free in this tank? |
Thanks mate.
Yep, I'm aware that the issue is the water, not directly the Ethanol, but the Ethanol just attracts more water.
I've been using E5 in all my bikes wherever possible, but have found that my local Morrisons have had the pump locked out occasionally so have had to put E 10 in.
The tank is now on a shelf in my storage container which despite being sealed has done the trick previously to shrink it back down.
I've removed the cap and Fuel pump assembly to air it.
I'm looking at a couple of solutions to try as a permanent fix, but not trying to line the tank with something that will peel of in places and stick like the proverbial in others.