Trail Tank inspection

[rhoag]

I was reading posts that showed the coil assembly's touching the tank and tanks that were melting near the exhaust cover, so I thought I would inspect mine. Sure enough the coils were touching and the lower left corner is melting. I reversed the coils so they point sideway vise toward the back. I don't know what I will do about the bottom melting. I did pound the cover down a little because it was touching the tank.
How much space (air gap) do I need between the tank and the cover? I am thinking about putting the stock tank back in. I have never really checked the fuel milage but, what is the range of this sled when trail riding aggresivily with the stock tank? If I get 15-16 MPG and if you can use all 7.4 gallons it would be 111-118 miles. There are times I go 110 between fuel stops so it would be close. Anyone know of a thin material I could put on the exhaust cover to reflect that heat?

 

[Zakre]

i would contact seth at trailtank for the update/warenty to the updated tank.

 

[07AttackGT]

did you have tor emaove tank to see if it is melting

 

[rhoag]

did you have tor emaove tank to see if it is melting

No I could see the melted plastic with the front and side panel off. It's melted on the left side right in the front corner. I don't think this problem was caused by the trail tank it has the reflective heat shield on it. I removed the tank and the exhaust cover this fall to remove the tunnel protectors. I must have pullled up to hard on the cover to drill the rivets out. Now I need to fix my mistake or go back to the stock tank.

 

[mtdream]

i have a turbo within 1.5" of my trail tank, and it is not melted...so I am certain the menlting is NOT a trail tank issue...

 

[Alatalo]

Well, the stock tank does not melt, so it is quite obvious what the issue is...

But, is this melting issue caused by the trail tank actually touching the exhaust cover, or by the air gap being too small...?

 

[Nitrousman1]

If you tried a search you would find that this is a problem with the earlier Trail Tanks. Just give them a call and they'll replace it for free.

 

[rhoag]

If you tried a search you would find that this is a problem with the earlier Trail Tanks. Just give them a call and they'll replace it for free.

The tank was installed by a dealer fall of 2008 but, it has the reflective material on the bottom of it. Like I said I don't feel it was a problem with the tank, so trying to get one for free would be wrong. It was me not paying close enough attention the first time I ever worked on this sled and the tank was touching the heat shield. I think if I make sure there is atleast some air space and put more reflective heat tape on it, it will be fine.

 

[rhoag]

I used some heat shielding off the back of a piece of plastic I had from a crashed bike and added it to the corner of the tank and also got the heat shield down where it belongs. Should have no more troubles since I now have about 1/2' gap between the tank and the heat shield. Check your coils though easy fix to turn them 90 degrees. You can see where they were rubbing.

 

[grizztracks]

I contacted Seth at trail tank last year after seeing posts about the tank melting. Within a few days I received a thicker piece of the reflective heat shield material and directions showing how to place it. Mine was not melted but I believe he is replacing any tank that did. Give him a call.