Old customer of mine has given me the oppourtunity to take a full size van off his hands with very favorable terms for me. Apparently there is a small gas leak in tank that needs repair.
Question I have is their a clean and dirty way of doing this without getting into a new tank or a relining existing.
Thoughts: jb weld, fiberglas
Replies
There is a product made just for that purpose. You kneed 2 parts together and stick it on the leak. I had limited sucess with silicone gasket sealer. Wash the area well then spray with brake cleaner or some other low residue solvent.
Problem is the leak is usually in the seams which is near impossible to seal unless the tank is emptied and properly flushed out, then coated on the inside with gas tank sealer (available from Eastwood). Radiator shops sometimes do this work also.
If it's a common tank, just buy a new one. They are fairly reasonable since they are usually made in Mexico.
Thanks for the quick reply, don't know if the leak is at a seam yet. Their is a local that does this type of repair, was just thinking if I could save a couple bucks, could go for a set of ladder racks.
It is a older van but has had a new trans at 65 K and rebuilt motor. At little surface rust, but other than that it is a real peach. Customer is a type A personality kind of guy, heck he has a 71 Searay 19' 165 hp thats show room condition, that he is also trying to get rid of.
Here's a weired way to "fix" a leak. Rub a bar of soap on the leak. It works! Until the next rain...
If you get really, really lucky, the leak it a simple puncture out in the clear. In that case a sheet metal screw with some gasket cement or Phenoseal on it will do the trick.
But only football players and rock stars get that lucky.
Well since Idon't play football and can't carry a tune in a bucket, am I screwed?
Well Danusan11, it just so happens that auto repair is my business. I have repaired many gas tank leaks over the years, they are usually along the strap that holds the tank up. Thats where the dirt sticks and dirt & moisture mean rust. My usual repair involves removing the strap next to the leak, clean the leaking area with a stiff wire brush, a wire brush on a drill motor works good. Small plumbers type brushes with the handle cut off are a favorite of mine for this job. Jack up the truck so all the gas runs away from the leak, the area needs to be free of gas, next use epoxy, 3M structral adhesive works very well, you should be able to get it from NAPA about $8 for a large tube, much more than you need but still pretty cheap. Let the glue set up overnight and viola leak fixed. If you are successful at cleaning I`ve never had a repeat leak.
Thank you Rusty, thats just the type of clean and dirty fix I was looking for. With 6 young-uns, and two local kids that are at the house 5 days a week, a tube of adhesive fits right into the budget.
Thanks again and god bless
A couple other things I want to mention. It is important that there is NO gas where the leak is, usually you can run the truck out of gas or siphon it out with a hose before you start. After you glue the leak, use a strip of tar paper to insulate the glue repair and strap from the tank. The key here is, CLEAN tank, no rust, no gas, if you have to you can remove the tank (after you drain it) and turn it upside down to insure that the gas isn`t leaking into your repair. BTW the epoxy is a 2 part compound, mix it with a nail or straw, it will stay on your hands for a long time if you touch the glue. Good Luck
Thanks again, I should be getting the van this week and will see where the leak is. I'll clean it just like a baby's bottom, as I'am still tending to a 14 mth. old I have lots of practice. I will just skip the duck tape that I have had to resort to lately, to keep him from stripping his diapers off.