Punched a hole in my gas tank last night

I hit a bit of road debris coming home from a job site last night, made a hell of a noise, and after I got home and parked, found it had punched a hole about 1/4" in diamter in the front tank (freshly filled) right next to a strap. Stuck a screw in..too small, stuck a lag bolt in..too small, hammered in a wooden plug. Reduced it to a drip.

Not a lot of fun running the garden hose to flush the gas out from under the truck, and laying in the mess trying to get the leak stopped, in 40F weather...

I dont want to pull this tank. Gonna be a MOFO to do.

What products are out there that will allow me to simply patch over the top of the 1/4" stubb of wood plug sticking out? Or do I need to pull the plug (after running the tank dry?)

Gunner

Reply to
Gunner
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I'd try the Permatex=AE epoxy stick. Probably as good as any Gunner. Get the wood to a nub, sand the tank clean 2" or 3" dia., loosen the gas cap. Luck, wws.

Reply to
wws

"Gunner" wrote: What products are out there that will allow me to simply patch over

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ You're past that point now, but for the future, I believe soap will stop a gasoline leak.

If you can get it clean, fiberglass would be a good bet. I would run it dry or drain it and pull the plug. Then use a punch or some other tool to create a sort of flare with a ragged edge, so you get some mechanical bonding. If possible, stuff some of the fiberglass into the hole. Since you have two tanks, I would leave this one empty for a few days, to be sure the cure is complete before it is exposed to gasoline.

I epoxied a glass window to the float chamber of a carburetor once, and it held.

I just had another idea: Shove a toggle screw in through the hole, and use it to hold a flat washer against the outside, with epoxy as a sealant. If necessary, shape the washer so it is a snug fit, i.e., not tilted by the support band. Could you loosen the support band and use it to help hold the metal patch?

Reply to
Leo Lichtman

Since you mention only one hole, does that mean the bullet is still in the tank? If so, I'd just leave it there.

If it were me, I'd run the tank reasonably dry, pull the plug and drain the rest into a can, and get out a tapered hand reamer to clean up the hole. Then I'd get a hex-head machine screw to fit the hole. I'd run a tap in there but use just the front part of a taper tap, or a small pipe tap if you think you can get away with it. If you have a choice, use a thread-forming tap to maximize the amount of thread you'll have left after making the threads in thin metal.

Then screw in the machine screw. You want a really tight fit, of course, because you don't have a reliable way to lock it in. As for gaskets, you can be our test lab for things that will hold up to gasoline. I wouldn't use a liquid; neither epoxy nor ordinary silicones can be trusted. You might try an O-ring made of one of the elastomers that are used for fuel-system parts. Or, considering how much lead you have around, you might just try making a gasket out of soft lead. That would be my first choice if the tank is thick enough to really clamp the screw down.

Remember than an empty gas tank is a bomb waiting to go off. No sparks. No hammers.

Good luck.

Reply to
Ed Huntress

I believe that there is a kit for this sort of thing. Visit Napa or some such store with "old guys" working there, and ask for it.

i
Reply to
Ignoramus25898

SEAL-ALL SEAL-ALL SEAL-ALL SEAL-ALL SEAL-ALL SEAL-ALL SEAL-ALL SEAL-ALL SEAL-ALL SEAL-ALL SEAL-ALL magic stuff!!!

Reply to
Tom Gardner

Never silicon. I used silicon gasket maker and I just swells up win contact with gasoline. The excess inside broke loose and blocked the fuel intake.

Howard Garner

Reply to
Howard R Garner

Purge it with Argon before you TIG it...

Reply to
Pete C.

Where Tom stuttered and sez "SEAL-ALL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . magic stuff!!!" Insert JB Weld. It will cure under gasoline.

SEAL-ALL SEAL-ALL SEAL-ALL SEAL-ALL SEAL-ALL SEAL-ALL SEAL-ALL SEAL-ALL SEAL-ALL SEAL-ALL SEAL-ALL magic stuff!!!

Reply to
Robert Swinney

Pump out the tank (OK, siphon it...), and put a chunk of dry ice inside. When the oxygen is gone and the gas fumes are condensed, and it won't explode, clean around the hole and solder on a patch.

If you have a threaded plug, you can probably flux the threads and solder it in place. Acid flux (like for stainless steel) and

50/50 or 60/40 solder will work best.

That "when it won't explode" step is kinda important.

Reply to
whit3rd

You're lucky it was only the tank. My wife drive over a concrete median and broke a big chunk off the transaxle main housing on our new-to-us

2000 Toyota Corolla. We got this mostly for our kids to drive, and she was so worried about THEM having an accident, then she goes out and pulls a REALLY brilliant move with all of them in the car!

My wife drives by the force ("Use the force, Luke!") all the time, and has pulled some amazing stunts, like driving the driver's door into a one-foot diameter light pole in a parking lot. I mean, a couple inches more and it would have smashed her like a bug. That was on our previous van. But, anyway, this one was a median on a 4-lane major street, and there was 6" or so of snow, so you couldn't see the median. But, I'm sure the snow was in such a way it was clear that NO ONE ELSE had made a turn there, they all knew there was a median under the snow. Anyway, it popped the air bags, broke the windshield, crunched the tranny and did some minor suspension denting underneath. Of course, it was totalled out, and we bought the wreck and are having it rebuilt. Geez, I hope that is going to turn out to be a good decision.

Jon

Reply to
Jon Elson

"Tom Gardner" wrote: SEAL-ALL

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ If it takes that many coats, I'd look for something else.

Reply to
Leo Lichtman

"whit3rd" wrote: (clip)That "when it won't explode" step is kinda important. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ If you're gunna solder with a heavy electric soldering iron, you're pretty safe. If you plan to do it with a torch, be sure to warn the neighbors to take shelter, kuz that "when it won't explode" part is hard to verify in advance. I once blew up a Harley tank that was full of water. Well, ALMOST full of water.

Reply to
Leo Lichtman

Seconded

Reply to
Wayne Cook

If you can get access into the tank, this could work: Get a nut, weld a length of wire (1/8" welding rod?) to it, get it over the hole inside tank. Put a fuel-resistant rubber washer on a matching screw, thread into hole and nut. Wire will help nut catch screw, and prevent rotation. Wire will yank off if only lightly attached.

Reply to
Jordan

stuff!!!" Insert JB

So will Seal-All.

Reply to
Wayne Cook

i'm surprised nobody said "is it plastic or steel?" i have an '05 Ranger that has a polypropylene (?) polyethylene (?) gas tank. i figured, like in a previous thread about fixing a plastic lawn mower tank, the only way to fix polypropylene is a plastic welder.

b.w.

Reply to
William Wixon

"Jordan" wrote: If you can get access into the tank, this could work:

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ That sounds a lot harder than my suggestion of using a toggle bolt and washer. Hell, I have a hard enough time starting a nut with my fingertips.

Reply to
Leo Lichtman

I fixed a hole in the bottom of a tank over 25 years ago with:

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And it's still holding up.

Reply to
rustyjames

I found out about Seal-All many years ago, working in a service station after high school. There was a car on the lift with a steady drip coming from a tiny hole in the gas tank. The shop jockey wire brushed the area to remove loose dirt and rust, squeezed a dap of Seal-All on one finger, wiped the spot with a rag to remove the excess gasoline and held his finger with the Seal-All on the hole for a minute. When he removed his finger, the leak had stopped, but he put a couple more coats on the be sure. He said he had fixed many gas tank leaks that way. Back to Gunners deal, I wonder is the hole may be a bit large for Seal-All, but I suppose you could glue a tin patch over the hole using the stuff. Greg

Reply to
Greg O

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