Leaky Fuel Tank

Omix-Ada replacement or sealer?

I pulled my tank today to prep the interior for some kind of bed liner type finish. No big surprise, a leak in the tank prompted a PO to glass over the bottom and sides of the tank. Of course the glass delammed and turned to goo. After stripping the glass, I can't see the leak anywhere. there are a couple of areas of pitted rust, but nothing that looks too bad.

My dilemma, should I just break down and pop for a new tank or buy a chemical sealer such as POR-15? I've sealed a cycle tank or two, but never a ten gallon unit.

Has anyone bought an Omix-ada tank? Any feed back on them?

Many thanks!

 

I have used fuel tank sealer from Caswell. It is a two part type sealer. Its good for tanks with holes and leaks. It was about 40 bucks for enough to do my 10 gal cj5 tank.

 

Eastwood also makes a fuel tank sealer. Reports have been good that I've seen but have not used it myself.


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I've used the Bill Hirsch tank sealer with good results. With all the preparation, it took most of two days to do the whole job. A couple of boxes of 1" drywall screws worked well to scrub the loose rust off the inside of the tank. Lots of shaking. They have a 3 step process - detergent, etch, and sealer.

There are also the MTS plastic tanks.

 

"Lots of shaking." Strap the tank onto the front end of a cement mixer...

If the tank is basically sound it can be patched. Any number of ways can work (solder, fiberglas, epoxy, etc.) if the prep is done to get it absolutely clean. Sandblasting or acid etching for instance. Pressure testing with air will locate the exact spot(s).

 

Acid etching will work. A cheap source is Pool acid (Muriatic acid) sold by the gallon at places like Home Depot.

I like the idea of straping the tank onto a cement mixer to agitate it. The remaining problem I see is getting a good seal with the cap. Maybe a layer of heavy duty garbage bag under the cap, ar maybe cover the opening with layers of duct tape?

I have used the Eastwood sealer, it works well. The key is proper prep.

I also have seen and used the Omix-Ada tanks. They are decent quality, but will run you over $100.

Don

 

Thanks for the feedback fellas.

After sleeping on it and reading the comments, I think I'm going to try and seal it. The tank appears basically sound and surprisingly clean inside. I'm going to haul it to work and throw it in the hot tank to start with. Once I do that, I will do a quick pressure check. If it doesn't have some massive leak somewhere, I'll order up a sealer kit. A quick sand blast and powdercoat to the outside should finish it up nicely.

n6n6ifp, I see you're from SB. I'm originally a Peninsula boy. Born in the City and raised in Pacifica/Daly City...

 

I used a test plug from McMaster-Carr to seal the filler neck. http://www.mcmaster.com/#expansion-test-plugs/=kbiqho Worked well.

 

Rubber caps for drain/vent/waste pipe can be had at any hardware store. Fit with a thread-and-nut type schraeder valve and hose clamp it over the filler neck. Apply air at low pressure.

Test again (!) after sealing, before remounting the tank or putting gas in it. Soapy water will help find any pinholes

 

I did a pressure test yesterday. I used a cap from an aerosol can that fit almost perfectly over the filler with a hose clamp. It leaked some, but I was still able to find the leaks with a little soapy water. The leaks are relatively minor around the soldered seams. At 5 PSI, I found 5 leaky areas total. I'm thinking the tank sealer will handle it.

I just dropped the tank into the hot tank. Hopefully, by tomorrow, I'll be powder coating it.

Thanks again for the comments and suggestions.

 

Check your local motorcycle shop, they’ll often have a tank sealer kit in stock.

 

Re-Solder the leaks right and you don't need to hope the sealer works. As long as you have the tank out and clean anyway...

 

^I was looking at the clean tank this morning thinking the same thing^. (Theme from Jeopardy softly playing in the background).....

 

This tank was in a hot tank for 24 hours. I'm confident it is safe for soldering. I may call around to some of the radiator shops. It may be easier than trying to get everything together to do it myself.

I just talked to the sheetmetal guy here at work. He recommends using an iron to solder the tank up. I have no clue where I could find one today. I haven't even seen one since 8th grade metal shop...

 

You want to get "enough" heat but controllable in a small well-controlled area. A small MC Prestolite actetylene plumbers torch is ideal, or a disposable one pound Mapp torch. A one pound Propane torch will work okay too, if necessary.

Prep with Muriatic acid, use flux.

 

Ugh! So after talking with two different radiator shops telling me that resoldering would be cost prohibitive(thanks in part to CARB), I went with one of the shop's suggestion and picked up a quart of Damon Red Kote. I was told it was the very best tank sealer on the market by the guy. He told me he had a 100% success rate using it. He said Red Kote makes resoldering tanks obsolete.

Fast forward to this past Tuesday. I followed the directions on the can of Red Kote to the letter. I poured in the liquid, sloshed it for a good twenty minutes and drained the residual(about 1/3 of the quart). I set it out for 24 hours for curing. Wednesday, I put 1 psi of air to it. The Red Kote was about 85% effective. I poured the left over liquid in and sloshed again. This time the liquid was all used up. I am going to put the air to it this afternnoon, but I don't hold much hope of 100% seal.

In talking with a couple of car guys at work, I was told that a common fix for a leaky tank was bondo. If the sealer doesn't work, I may try to bondo the few small areas that are still leaking.

Has anybody here used bondo on a leaky tank?

 

You can buy a bondo-like product specifically made for fuel leaks. A two-part epoxy putty, it works.

Also, it may not be kosher, but regular bodywork fiberglas and epoxy resin will work.

With any method, absolutely totally clean surfaces are the secret to success. I like sandblasting or acid etching, or at the very least a strong solvent, such as acetone..

 

I just checked it. The only leaks left are at the top seam. Two very small areas. I think I will try the epoxy you mentioned PeteL.

Oddly enough, when I pulled the tank, I found that it was covered in fiberglass. Over time, the gas had gotten between the steel and the glass and delamed it. It was a mess.

 

I used JB weld successfully on 2 motorcycles, my truck and my jeep. The key is clean - I sandblasted first. On the Truck I patched it in place - drained the tank - let it dry and scuffed it up good with 80 grit sandpaper followed by cleaning with carb cleaner.