cracked gas tanks

[ToddW]

Anyone know a Yamaha rep that might see it our way on the cracked tanks? If you have had your tank approved by Yamaha please post what dealer you used and/or the reps name.

Thanks

[MotoGreg]

Damn, mine just cracked this week... same deal, two cracks in the rear where it goes over the frame. Can anyone who has had luck getting theirs replaced let me know who you dealt with?

[F-Pilot]

Mine was replaced by Metro Motorsports in Phoenix. I guess I should include that the service manager at the time was a ten year riding buddy of mine, but he told me they had warrentied about 10 tanks before mine.

Sorry to say he no longer works there.

The bike was purchased there.

Good Luck!

[MotoGreg]

My girlfriend (who is a much better people person than I am) went over to a Yamaha dealer yesterday and they told her to call them back with the VIN number off the bike and they'll get me a new tank!

[wpattison]

well, my tank saga continues, but not for much longer. after the "service rep" made his call on my tank, i spoke with a friend who owns an awesome dealership in new mexico (champion motorsports, roswell). he said he had never even seen a yamaha, honda, or kawi service rep! he called the one that covers his territory, and the guy brushed him off. dead standstill. soooo...i told my dealer here (central yamaha, plano, texas) that i wanted to make an appointment to meet his mystery man.

after several weeks of waiting patiently, i was finally told that i had to set that up with yamaha customer service. when i called them (1-800-962-7926, christina), they said it was actually the dealer's service manager that made the call!! apparently, the way it happens is that the local service folks submit a report and their conclusions to yamaha technical, either via the service rep or by phone, and yamaha's corporate technical people make the call regarding warranty coverage. since my dealer's service manager decided it was impact damage - not the service rep (sorry, dude, for all the bad things i thought about ya!)- the only way for the situation to change was for him to change his evaluation.

well, you already guessed the outcome. dean, the service manager, admits that he doesn't own or ride yz's, but since he's been a mechanic for 20 years, he's not changing his call. no discussion. no debate. no nothing. i was nice - at least at first. i didn't really get pissed until he shut me down and said i was getting worked up over nothing, since he wasn't going to change his mind. apparently, he's rich, since the $300 retail for a new tank is "nothing to get worked up about".

i have to say, if it weren't for the excellent customer service i get at the parts counter, central yamaha would never see my business again. replacing my tank would cost them nothing, since yamaha reimburses dealers for both labor and parts on all warranty work. given that over the last 18 months i have spent nearly $6000 on parts and accesories at this shop, you would think that i might get better treatment from the service department. silly me.

anyhow, my buddy in new mexico is going to discuss it with his service manager. i hated to burden a friend with this crap, but it's my last resort. if this fails, then call me another screwed customer, i guess.

wp.

[This message has been edited by wpattison (edited 06-01-2001).]

[verge]

So is this 2000 and older problem or have many 2001's cracked as well? I have noticed that on warmer days I can hear a humming noise that i think is air presure bleeding from my gas tank. If I crack the gas cap loose I get a rush of air and the noise stops. I think the stock one way check valve in cap vent hose is just too slow at releasing the air witch could cause unnecessary presure build up in the tank and possibly contribute to the cracking problem. I think I'm going to buy an aftermarket check valve as cheap insurance agaist a tank failure.

[finglan]

Whats the drawback of removing the check valve?

[wpattison]

if you remove the check valve, won't you leak gas from the vent hose if the bike is on it's side?

wp.

[mikeolichney]

verge: The valve lets air IN to the tank to replace used fuel. Blow on it and you will see. So for pressure buildup, the tank is essentially sealed. I have a Ty Davis tank, the header comes very close to the tank. The tank can get really hot and build up alot of pressure. This can cause your bike to run really rich by pushing more gas into the carb if the float bowl seal is not right (a long story behind this, see fouled plugs=foul mouth post, upshot is if you start fouling plugs, take off the tank valve ASAP). It did not end up being my problem but I put reflective heat tape on the tank near the header to keep the heat down anyway. The valve keeps gas from spilling out the tube. Remove it if you think pressure is a problem. Remember, tank vents are a fairly recent addition to bikes.

[markerf]

Race gas is a big contributor and octane boost of tank cracking. For more detail on the war of Octane verse Plastic call George at UP-Tite Husquavarna (714) 540-2920

[BBRguy]

THIS SUCKS!!!! mine cracked, on my 98yzf/bbr400. in the same spot as yalls, in the back right over the frame! luckily i had a friend out in california that sold me his spare for cheap. man, this bites...i never even took it to my yamaha dealer, cause the bike came from north county yamaha (cali) and i live in texas...so theres NO way i could get waranty work...ANYWAY how do i patch it so i can ride? j&b weld???

-Eric

[wpattison]

you can't. unfortunately, these tanks are molded in polyethelyne, which no glue will stick to that i know of. short of melting it and welding it back together - which is sketchy at best - you have no patching options.

wp.