Hairline crack in Petrol Tank?

It *may* be a leaky piece of rubber hose between the tank and the fuel line in which case it will cost pennies to repair (But make sure you use proper approved fuel hose!)

If it's a crack in the tank it *may* be repairable using a special epoxy fuel tank putty. Without seeing the hole it's difficult to say.

I had a Mini van once with a *slight* leak. Upon investigation the whole top of the fuel tank was rusty and needed replacement.

sPoNiX

Get a cheap welding kit and do it yourself on the drive.

Disclaimer: Anyone stupid enough to take this seriously deserves all they get.

Thanks for your help fellas, what's a welding kit :o(

but make sure the tank's almost empty to get the right a/f ratio...

The message from snipped-for-privacy@italiancar.co.uk (SteveH) contains these words:

Many years ago my uncle welded up a petrol tank for a friend's Morris Minor (I said it was a long time ago). He poured out the fuel and then set the hoover on blow and shoved the hose in the tank for an hour before starting work.

Friend brought it back the next day - apparently Dick had missed a pinhole.

"I'm a bit busy at the moment - set it up the way you saw me do it, and I'll fix it this afternoon"

A few minutes later he looks up at the loud bang and sees bits of hoover raining down all round the petrol tank which was opened up like a flower, with his friend sprinting down the garden path. He'd left it on suck.

You're joking of course. I can't imagine much that is more dangerous. I've seen a tank that had been emptied, vented for two days, filled with water almost to the level of the filler pipe. It had a crack where it joined the tank. Within a second of starting to weld with a MIG, it went whoomph! didn't damage anything, but it sure made the welder jump. If nothing else, it just shows how difficult it is to remove all the fumes from a petrol tank. To do a tank on a drive with petrol in it would be madness. Mike.

Oxy acetylene bottles and torch, or MIG welder. Forget that idea though, unless you want to get rid of your car, and finish up in hospital, or worse. Use one of the proprietary tank repair kits instead. Never used one, so can't make a recommendation. No doubt someone will suggest a suitable one. Mike.

Well, yes.

You didn't scroll down, did you?

Have you first hand experience, or are you just guessing? Have you any idea of just how dangerous welding a petrol tank can be? Mike.

Make sure its a very cheap set, you'll only be using it the once!

No. Must admit it's not something I'm in the habit of doing, but the suggestion got me going and some others by the look of it. :-) Mike.

Prexactly. Mike.

Neither, but youhave to have the right amount of fuel left in the tank to get the best explosion.

fibreglass it.

============== In theory you can repair a petrol tank either by welding or brazing. The recommended method is to steam clean the inside of the tank for at least 2 hours. This should clear out any dangerous petrol vapour. In practice modern tanks are so thin especially near the extremes of the pressing (the corners usually) that they are too thin to weld or braze.

The only tanks I've repaired successfully (by brazing) are motorbike tanks on which the petrol tap breaks away from the body of the tank. Motorbike tanks don't usually rust so they're usually a straightforward repair.

For the OP's repair one possiblility is 'PetroPatch' which is a bit like a puncture repair for a bicycle tube. I haven't seen these for years but I guess they're still available.

Cic.

I've used similar stuff... to fix bike tanks. "PetrolPutty" or something like that.

Not very, how do you think they make them? Then again, welding a used petrol tank maybe more interesting.

used chewing gum - double mint flavour works best.