Gas leak in the donor tank

[skullandbones]

I installed the 92 GT tank that came with my donor pallet. I ended up cleaning it inside and out and painting. There was no rust and appeared to be in very good condition. I have pics but will have to find them and load.

My question is: is there a way to repair a small leak in the left front corner of the tank without having to take it out and empty it? It appeared when I put enough gas in it to put the level above the seam of the two halves (checking the fuel guage level). It's only a drip now and then but it's stinking up the garage. I plan on a custom tank but I didn't want this to slow down my progress to getting registration. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you,

WEK.

[emac]

Don't put much gas in it :). I think you are going to have to drop the tank and get it fixed. I tried an external fix on a tractor tank once and it didn't work. Some radiator shops will seal fuel tanks. They boil it out and put a sealant in it. I think they do plane tanks that way also.

Ernest

[Bob Cowan]

There's a few products in your local parts store specifically designed for this. They're usually a putty that you soften up and mash into the leak.

They work (I'v used them). But they are most definatly temporary. If you do it right, you might get 6-8 months without a leak. Then you can clean it out, and apply some more.

[skullandbones]

There's a few products in your local parts store specifically designed for this. They're usually a putty that you soften up and mash into the leak.

They work (I'v used them). But they are most definatly temporary. If you do it right, you might get 6-8 months without a leak. Then you can clean it out, and apply some more.

Hi Bob,
I will check that out. I just need a couple of months to get some drive time and not worry about another teardown before getting it on the road. I was thinking about a nice custom alumium tank anyway. I shot Boyd's an email and I also have a fabricator who does nice TIG welding and if I do the fabbing of the raw panels, he welds them up for me. So I have a couple of avenue to evaluate.

Thanks, WEK.

[CHOTIS BILL]

Years ago I had a small leak in a gas tank and used a sheet metal screw and just screwed in into the hole. It lasted for years and don’t know if anyone ever did fixed it. But I was a kid at the time and my have just gotten lucky.

Bill Lomenick

[trublue]

I had a gas leak problem on my Mark3 and the donor tank seemed okay too. It mainly occured when I filled the tank at the gas station. I replaced the grommet where the filler tube enters the tank and put on a new rubber hose extension with double clamps on the filler tube. No more leaks and the garage does not smell of gas any more.
If this can be ruled out, some J-B Weld sealer might provide a temporary fix. It has worked on engine blocks!

[skullandbones]

I had a gas leak problem on my Mark3 and the donor tank seemed okay too. It mainly occured when I filled the tank at the gas station. I replaced the grommet where the filler tube enters the tank and put on a new rubber hose extension with double clamps on the filler tube. No more leaks and the garage does not smell of gas any more.
If this can be ruled out, some J-B Weld sealer might provide a temporary fix. It has worked on engine blocks!

I understand what your saying. I worried about those possible issues (lots of talk about that on the forum) but the original grommet didn't leak or any other leaks from those sometime problem areas. This is a specific leak at the left front corner at the seam. I don't know exactly how these things are constructed but I'm thinking maybe they are just glued together and I have a small leak from where the glue has broken down. So I am going to tackle the little repair this weekend with epoxy, JB weld, or something like that. I was hoping to do it without emptying the tank and taking it apart.

Thank you for your input. WEK.

[Norm B]

If you end up having to remove the tank there are some good products for sealing from the inside. I've used a kbs product for sealing motorcycle tanks that were quite rusty inside and it seamed to work really well. Might be cheaper than a new tank.

Good Luck
Norm

[turbonut48]

My Dad had a 1941 Jeep that had a leaky tank. He bought a kit that supplies a cleaner, then a sealant for the inside.
Its still holding.
The Nut

[michael everson]

For all the hassle of trying to fix the leak, you can buy a brand new tank for under $100. Then just sell it when your done with it.
Mike

[skullandbones]

Mike,
I was trying to avoid any teardown. I'm going to give it one repair attempt and then probably follow your advice. It seems like little "projects" like this have made the light at the end of the tunnel seem even further away. But I am going to do a custom tank in the long run. I like the one on the slab side in "Mr. Mustang's" thread. you can still see it a little but it is tucked up under the body like it was designed to be there. Thanks, WEK.

[billybobracing]

I've used this stuff for years. Someone keeps poking holes in a customers gas tank at night to steal the gas, this is the only thing we've found to seal the hole. We would replace the tank but it's over $1000.
http://www.biosafe-inc.com/sealall.htm
Cheers.
Bill

[skullandbones]

Hi Billybob,

Does the product work on the spot and in the presence of wet gas? According to the directions it sounds like you apply it directly and hold it until it solidifies in 2 to 3 minutes. Sounds too good to be true. I was going to jack the left side of the car to move the gas away from the leak and try to clean the area as much as possible. If I can acquire it, I will give it a try. Thank you, WEK.

[billybobracing]

The first time I used it was back in 1979 on a rusty gas tank that was dripping a drop a second. I held the gooey substance to the tank and let it solidify and sold the car two years later without a leak. It's a freaking miracle for gas tanks. We used it last month on the customers van I was talking about and it sealed a 1/8" hole in a plastic gas tank. It's worth a try.
Bill

[skullandbones]

From one Bill to another, thanks for your input. I'll report back if the "miracle" product works on my project. WEK.

[skullandbones]

Well, I still haven't tried the miracle product yet. I tried my plan A first. I took two peices of flat steel and placed them over the corner of the seam of the tank. It's the donor tank with those pressed edges that jut out 3 or 4 inches. So I bent the edge up that was initially bent at a 45 degree angle down. So now the very end (about an inch or so) is bent back up at a 45 degree angle. One of two things happened. I either sealed the leak by bending the tank seam in the opposite direction or the weather change from 80+ degrees to 62 degrees caused the leak to stop because the pressure in the tank quit forcing gas out. I have had no further leaking since the bending. Tomorrow the temp goes back into the 80s so I will see if the fix is real or if it starts leaking again I will apply a sealant. Wish me luck, WEK.

[CHOTIS BILL]

I seem to remember Loctite made a wicking product made to seal porosity in castings.

Bill Lomenick