Fuel tank leak
Discussion
I have a small fuel leak from the underside of the fuel tank. It appears to be coming from the bowl underneath. The leak is very small.
I have tried the metal paste stuff, but without success. Is there anything which can be put inside the tank?
Any ideas, I am abit reluctant to spend £400-00 for a new tank!
I have tried the metal paste stuff, but without success. Is there anything which can be put inside the tank?
Any ideas, I am abit reluctant to spend £400-00 for a new tank!
I think Frost do something that might help, not tried it though.
www.frost.co.uk under tank repairs.
www.frost.co.uk under tank repairs.
i have used this (fuel tank sealer from frosts) and done it and it worked but took a long time to do
you have to wash the tank throughly and dry it throughly before the product will work properly
having said that it worked and 2 years later still no leak
the hardest part was sealing the sender unit hole afterwards as you need a fairly large aperture to pour in
you have to wash the tank throughly and dry it throughly before the product will work properly
having said that it worked and 2 years later still no leak
the hardest part was sealing the sender unit hole afterwards as you need a fairly large aperture to pour in
Mark,
I also had this symptom back in August - and like yourself, was baulking at £450 for a new tank.
What I did was to empty the tank and then dismantle the sealing blank from the underside of the bowl. What I found was that either road debris or grounding on the rutted carparks here in the New Forest had loosened the sealing ring.
I posted a fairly detailed dismantle & reassembly procedure on 12th September (if I could post a link I would - but do a search on petrol tanks!)
I had to cut a new gasket from neoprene but it was an very easy job.
The essence is to make sure that the bent tabs that the wedge profile of the locking/sealing ring engage on, are sufficiently 'bent' to push the ring hard onto the disc & gasket. Make sure that all the parts are wire brushed and it makes understanding of the components easier!!
Nick
I also had this symptom back in August - and like yourself, was baulking at £450 for a new tank.
What I did was to empty the tank and then dismantle the sealing blank from the underside of the bowl. What I found was that either road debris or grounding on the rutted carparks here in the New Forest had loosened the sealing ring.
I posted a fairly detailed dismantle & reassembly procedure on 12th September (if I could post a link I would - but do a search on petrol tanks!)
I had to cut a new gasket from neoprene but it was an very easy job.
The essence is to make sure that the bent tabs that the wedge profile of the locking/sealing ring engage on, are sufficiently 'bent' to push the ring hard onto the disc & gasket. Make sure that all the parts are wire brushed and it makes understanding of the components easier!!
Nick
I just got my new purchase home and filled up on the way back, the tank showed no sign of a leak when I inspected the car but has a drip from the nearside of the tank now... what do you all think ? is there anything on the nearside of the tank that might have a leaky seal or is it bad ...
TVR S3 1991
TVR S3 1991
Kevin, your problem is different. But near side of fuel tank is where the sender for the fuel gauge is mounted (about half way up and so would not leak when near empty, but would after you fill up).
Jack up near side rear and take the wheel off and you will see it - Also just possible to see past the back of the wheel with the car on the ground.
It is a big round compression fit- type of thingy about 2" diameter. It may be loose or have debris in it...or someone took off recently and did not put back with all three lugs under the edge (difficul tto explain - you will know when you see).
I took the send out of mine this weekend and thats why I know. - It also leaked when I took it out as the fuel was still above this level!! still the garage floor is now much cleaner.
Jack up near side rear and take the wheel off and you will see it - Also just possible to see past the back of the wheel with the car on the ground.
It is a big round compression fit- type of thingy about 2" diameter. It may be loose or have debris in it...or someone took off recently and did not put back with all three lugs under the edge (difficul tto explain - you will know when you see).
I took the send out of mine this weekend and thats why I know. - It also leaked when I took it out as the fuel was still above this level!! still the garage floor is now much cleaner.
My car developed a "fuel leak" after I had the outriggers done. When I went to fill up there was leakage of fuel from the filler side. I eventually tracked it down to the filler tube rubber sleeve (which was perished) and managed to sort the problem by flipping the sleeve up side down and cranking the jubilee clip down tight.
Jake
Jake
that gives me some hope and another job to do this weekend 
CTE said:
No problem Ketvrin, happy to raise the topic.
There have been some good replies, not that I have had time to repair my tank yet, but at least I now have some options.
There have been some good replies, not that I have had time to repair my tank yet, but at least I now have some options.
Interestingly in my research I came across a product used in the aerospace industry to patch the wings etc of leaky planes, its a product by a company called Clickbond and is effectively a patch to repair pin-holes, you apply glue to the patch (araldite or the like) and then apply the patch to the area with the leak and the patch is held in place with a temporary disc which sticks aroung the patch, you then click the disc just like a jamjar lid and this keeps the pressure on the patch until the glue dries. you then remove the disc and the leak is repaired - so they say...
sounds like a good idea but is limited to small leaks on flat(ish) panels...
rnd said:
Just replaced the sender in my tank and it was a nightmare to seal but I evently used Stag jointing paste and it says on the tin it works for petrol. Looked at the tank when I was there and was wondering can it be taken out without lifting the body.
you have to remove the exhaust and undo the supporting frame and disconnect everything and you should be able to drop it out from underneath , mind you it is easier with the body off
The support "L" frame is bolted to the rear of the chassis frame with two bolts on each side, which are located on the bottom and towards the top of the upright part of the "L".
My first attempt to fix the weap, is using some chemical metal, bought from Halfrauds, although it only cost £3-50p. It clearly says it is suitable for fixing fuel tank leaks, so I have carefully followed the instructions.....don`t hold your breath though, but it ought to work.
My first attempt to fix the weap, is using some chemical metal, bought from Halfrauds, although it only cost £3-50p. It clearly says it is suitable for fixing fuel tank leaks, so I have carefully followed the instructions.....don`t hold your breath though, but it ought to work.
CTE said:
My first attempt to fix the weap, is using some chemical metal, bought from Halfrauds, although it only cost £3-50p. It clearly says it is suitable for fixing fuel tank leaks, so I have carefully followed the instructions.....don`t hold your breath though, but it ought to work.
Well if it doesnt work, let me know and I'll send you the patch I got as a sample to see if that works... good luck
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