Gas Cap

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I took the gas cap off while removing the rust/sealer from the inside of the tank. Found what appear to be metal BBs wedging the lock/latch mechanism in place? Using an online Hawk 650GT manual the fuel tank section does not detail this to my knowledge. Latch still works fine but this does not seem right. Not sure if I just remove gaskets then clean it up real good with brake cleaner then jb weld BBs that are left back in? I used MEK to strip the inside of the tank which i think might have fucked these gaskets up a bit, not sure i didnt look at them closely before hand.

[rpcraft]

Hoenstly if you used MEK on it with the gaskets in place, then yes, it messed up the gaskets. As far as BB's, I am not sure what you mean, but there are not normally BB's in the gas cap. If your key matches the ignition and helmet lock then just buy another honda gas cap and transfer your lock mechanism to it and start afresh. Your practically half way there already.

[rpcraft]

Also if you used MEK with the petcock in place and the filter that goes inside that then you probably need to replace the filter and petcock. I would say rebuild the petcock but you can't buy the filter without buying the petcock now days so your choices are limited to rebuild the petcock and skip the filter or buy the petcock and get the filter for free. Rebuilding it is pretty cheap though and last I looked they have kits on ebay. and pretty easy to do. I would just make choices based on how much junk is floating around in your tank.

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Thank you RPCraft for the advice. I’ll definitely be buying a new gas cap this one is beyond saving. Petcock was left in when the previous owner had the tank lined with sealer OVER the existing rust. It was completely gummed up and the filter as well. I’ll probably replace the entire petcock if I can find one.

[rpcraft]

If they didn't take that filter off when they sealed it you probably have a hidden issue going on. Hopefully not but it might be worth using or borrowing one of those little milwauke m12 type camera gizmos to snake in and take a look at and see what is going on there. If the filter is still stuck there with the liner on it then you may never going to be able to use a full tank of gas. If it is still there you can clear it out with a proper sized drill bit. I've had to do it a time or two just due to the original filter being swollen and jammed in there as well. I just had a rough experience with a rusty tank recently. It was bad and beyond saving, so just offering some advice before you spend too much more money. Also, if the tank had a liner in it and you soaked it with MEK, it may start breaking down and start coming off so you want to rinse and drain and see what all you have coming out. Be sure and wear some long gloves and a respirator, MEK is not to be handled lightly.

[6]

Did i already make a zero cool joke?

[Henway]

On your new gas cap if you pull out all the tumblers in it then any Honda key will work. Or even a flat screwdriver. I'm not worried anyone will ever try to siphon gas from me.

[rpcraft]

Well, to be fair, on pretty much any gas cap with a lock in it, new or old, if you use enough force you don't even have to remove the tumblers. They are usually brass and will smash off in the lock, and then any key, screwdriver, or item you can cram into the hole and twist can be used as a "key" I had to do it a few weeks ago, on a hawk tank lock even. I had no key for it but the ignition and helmet lock had a key that matched each other. When it comes down to it at the end of the day I'm not going go to the trouble of hunting down the code of a mismatched gas cap key when the ignition and helmet lock already match. I'm just going to break the gas cap tumbler, unlock and remove the cap (and toss it in the trash), and then buy buy one of the economically priced ones from gas-cap-dude off ebay and move on until it arrives. The old gas cap is pretty good for if you need to clean out the tank and use some harsh chemicals on it though, lol.

[Crash_Override]

6 you did mention hackers when i first joined months ago haha. I was able to use an inspection camera i was happy with what i saw but whats the deal with this bent tube? I know my picture isnt best but best i could get. My filter was stuck in there as well rpcraft it required a vice grip to get out. MEK+chain+shaking took it all down to bare metal really nicely from what i could tell with the inspection camera. No kidding about the MEK being some nasty stuff, started out in the garage with doors closed, bad idea, quickly moved operation to driveway haha. Previous owners repair job on the bottom with JB weld or whatever that stuff was is holding up fine even with MEK in tank for a day.

[rpcraft]

Yeah I guess it is too late of a warning and I should have said more as soon as you mentioned it but you really need to be wearing a respirator and gloves that go up far enough to not get any on you when it comes to MEK. I usually do all that and am under my extraction hood on high. It's seriously harmful to your health in the worst way. JB weld will probably not be bothered by the MEK as you observed but I've personally never tested it.

Glad you were able to get that filter out though. many people never check or think about it and it's been the reason I have gotten a couple of Hawks for really cheap.

If you got all that liner out I would seriously talk to a local radiator company to see if they will reline it and help prevent future rust issues while you have everything out. Check for a shop that does the RENU process for fuel tank lining. I talked to a local shop around me and they were only charging around 75 bucks and it is warrantied. I think they can do it on a painted tank but in my case I am repainting it so going to have the metal work done, then the RENU, then the rest of the paint process. It's just an epoxy finish overall I think but they warranty it so seems like a far better solution than all the DIY nonsense I and others have gone through in the past.

[Fastmongrel]

6 you did mention hackers when i first joined months ago haha. I was able to use an inspection camera i was happy with what i saw but whats the deal with this bent tube? I know my picture isnt best but best i could get

It might be the overflow tube from the fuel cap. It drains into a rubber or plastic cup in front of the rear tank mounting and then runs to underneath by the centre stand

[rpcraft]

Indeed it is. Weird but it runs through the guts of the tank.