leaky fuel tank

Hi Tim

They only seem to go around the seam. I paid £45.00 for my last third party tank and I noticed there were some good second hand ones at Newbury last time I went. Of course, if you only ever keep a couple of gallons in it.........

Regards

I'd opt for repair myself, it'll have only started to rust at a seam somewhere. The new tanks only last a few years before they do the same. If you take the tank off and fill it with water, its easy to tell where it's coming out from. You can then choose to weld, or use a fibreglass or JB weld type product. You'll not end up with an explosion or anything once the tank's full of water if your welding! It's not a bad idea to get it really well cleaned + painted whilst off the vehicle - something you'd have to do to a new tank anyway.

Cheers Andy

I'd go for a new tank when mine went it had small pin holes in the sides so I thought if one bit is thin enough to leak the rest can't be that much better If how ever it on the seam as others have said then yes a repair is ok (I would still go for a new tank though)

I seen people repair tanks and it's ok for a couple of months then it leaks somewhere else so it's drained removed repaired refitted then another 2 or 3 months it leaks again not worth the hassle really IMHO Andy

That was my gut feeling. If the tank that comes off looks worth saving then I can clean it up and repair it and either keep it as a spare or sell in on ebay for more than I paid for the new one!

If I paint it up propery (like I did on the 101) then it should last a bit better than the old one, which has probably only managed 37 years... The other thing is that I don't know how many repairs that tank already has. Paddocks want £44 for a new one, plus the VAT.

Less than a tank of fuel across the drive which is the other alternative. I'd go new especially given your replacement policy, stainless?

Lee D

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Well, Burrt got a tank ex Tiggurr for the princely sum of £30 which was, shall we say, a bargain given that it was absolutely unmarked. Lots of Jenolite primer followed by Hammerite topcoat was the approach then. The alternative was £250 for a stainless tank from the club.

Ernie is conceived as a bit of a cheap and cheerful machine, never to be a pristine motor and it is quite conceivable that I will one day wave him goodbye. So a plain tank from Paddocks with the same primer and topcoat treatment should do the trick.

It wasn't leaking when there was no diesel in it, but that's not much of a solution. In fact it's only dripped a cupful, so it isn't exactly pouring out.

What about this:

What about this:

What about plastic?

hi Tim,

this tank was repaired several years ago, the breather hose neck at the very top of tank, next to the filler pipe, had cracked at the join with the tank and was repaired with JB weld. Looks like the crack has reappeared. Should just need a bit more jb weld slapping on. The rest of the tank was sound with no rust.

Nick C

Thanks Nick - that sounds quite promising. I'll drop the tank and have a look. Just got to use up all the diesel first - easier than draining it all!