help! punctured gas tank

I hate it when a new rock shows up out of nowhere. Anyway, If leak is not so bad, they have repair kits. Otherwise you might have to get a new tank.

Never mind...*S* After much research I've decided to just replace the tank. Car is too new to muck around with the epoxy route, I'd just feel like a explosion waiting to happen. The tank is $286 and they actually had one in stock (a miracle here in the Aloha state), not bad as my neighbor just did the same to his Jeep and OEM was $800 just for the tank! Better yet, my friendly neighborhood repair shop has agreed to replace it for me if I bring them the tank, so that saves me a 60 mile tow job to the closest dealer.

Janet

$286 seem like good news to me! That just about buys one solitary genuine Ford front brake rotor here in the UK! That's supply only, not fitted! Good luck!

Simon H

I had a similar problem 30 years ago. A radiator shop brazed the leak shut. I still have the car, a 1970 BMW 2002, and the repair is still holding. And it cost a lot less than $285.

The tank is plastic, I know HDPE can be welded. But where I live I don't think I'd find a plastic welder.

It's also why the tank is only going to cost you $285. A steel gas tank would have been twice that.

Don't you have any wrecking yards there ? There should be no shortage of tanks that will fit for under $100.00.

Hell, even if you bought one from a yard in the mainland and shipped it you'd do much better.

My observation is that a lot of the yards discard the tanks, or punch holes in them to keep them drained.. It reduces the fire hazard.

| > Janet wrote: | > > I hit a rock with my 2003 Explorer today and now my gas tank is | > > leaking. ARGGGH, I wasn't paying close attention because it was a | > grassy | > > road I've driven many times but a new rock showed up hidden in the | > tall | > > grass. | >

| > I hate it when a new rock shows up out of nowhere. | > Anyway, If leak is not so bad, they have repair kits. Otherwise you | > might have to get a new tank. | >

| |

Yup, plusses and minuses, if it was steel this particular hole would have been easy to fix. The tank ended up being $225, they gave my friend a discount when he picked it up. Now I just have to wait a week to get it installed, he's busy :-( Now that I can actually see the damage it caught the rock in the outer groove of that molded spiral and poked a tiny hole on the corner, if it had been completely flat like my old Ex it probably would have just flexed over it. That tank was covered in scratches and gouges, but never a leak.

Only a couple small ones on this island. Probability of finding a late model Ex there slim to none. The vehicle only has 12k miles on it, I wouldn't put anything except the exact replacement on it.

I doubt it, say $100 for the tank, $50-$100 to ship, and hours of my time searching for it (my time is worth a lot to me) and then waiting for it to arrive (not having this vehicle is a pain). I just sold my old Ex a week ago.

On other things where time is not of the essence yes that can be a good option for me. I can get parts for my 89 BMW 325i that way. Example, used sun roof $75 plus shipping, OEM unpainted blank $400 at my auto body place.