Gas tank leaks...

[ozzy85]

Hey all...

I haven't been here awhile (busy lear last year), looks like things have been re-organized a bit.

I have an '89 Ranger that has developed a leak in the gas tank somehow. I checked to see if it was the fuel line but it looks as if I'm gonna have to drop the tank and fix it (if possible). It got down to about 1/4 of a tank and stopped dripping, so that may say something there.

what kind of plastic is the tank made of and what can be used to fix it if it just has a small hole or crack in it?

Thanks

 

[Viva*the*Ranger]

Do you know how to plastic weld? If you do, figure out how big the leak is, go down to a junk yard and lop of a piece of the same plastic and melt it on. Pretty simple. If it's just a hair line crack, you don't even need extra plastic to weld it.

 

[JohnPi]

Just be careful if you weld on the tank. There is either gas or gas vapor in the tank if you don't drain and clean properly, and the vapor is probably even more dangerous then the liquid gasoline when exposed to heat.

And any epoxy or glue you use to repair would have to be compatible with the gasoline solvent.

Have you called junk yards about getting a whole tank, and how much that might cost?

 

[PickupMan04 FX4 L2]

Um Napa sells a Permatex product formulated to patch plastic tanks...

just my .02

 

[gw33gp]

If you can't fix it and have a hard time finding one, I have one that I took off of my 89 STX SuperCab when it was fairly new. It still has the straps and the factory skid plate. I don't know if it would be worth the cost to ship it but I can sell it at low cost.

 

[BlackBII]

This stuff works rather well, and you can get it at vatozone for like 5$
I used some on a plastic gas tank in my duck boat 2 years ago, still holding strong.

http://www.biosafe-inc.com/sealall.htm

 

[JeepRecoveryTeam]

yea i got a leak in mine somewhere near the top of the tank. when i fill it over 3/4 of a tank it pours out. so i fill mine half tank now. ive tried to drop it but couldnt get it to drop out so im just going to fix it when i pull the bed off and build an exo cage.

 

[ozzy85]

This gives me a couple of good ideas. Thanks for the info. It's cracked, I think I'll just try to fix it so it doesn't leak.

 

[martin]

You can use a weller soldering iron with a flat tip to weld the tank. It's about the right temperature as long as the outside temperature is not too cold as it will cool the iron too quickly for a proper repair.