Fuel Tank leak!! need quick cheap fix ASAP!!

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I was told by an old school car guy that ivory soap rubbed into the leaky area would band aid it, but id rather use a permanent fix that wont react to the gasoline or rust or deteriorate with the fluxuating missouri weather. This i s a cheap DD , so replacing the tank is an extreme last resort as i only paid 500 for the car.

Also, how quickly do gas tank leaks grow? the loss after it sitting for 3 days wasnt measureable by my gauge so i wanna fix before it gets noticeable.
 
Quote:
Also, how quickly do gas tank leaks grow?

If you are lucky you can get two or three trips out of a patch before the pressure and corrosive nature of the gasoline itself to "eat" everything it touches makes it reappear.


Now, that said.. Hey man, listen here. I BTDT for real for real for real and i tell you no joke, this is how it went down for me...

I hope this car isnt a daily driver... From what i see, its seeping somewhere and getting to that pool hanging-on raindrop of gas. That means that the patch would go OVER where the source is. And that.. aint gonna patch it. Read on.. Mine was exactly like that. On the bottom of the tank too, where the most pressure and force pops through anything you put/spray on there...

Bottom line: Even the BEST patch of Copper spray, J-B Weld, all that stuff.. it will hold it when the tank is low and you eliminate the drip -as much as you can.- BUT! When that fuel tank pressurizes.. its gonna spring again. GAS EATS THROUGH IT ALL!!

Want proof? Look at all the RTV gasketmakers (not what you would use here) and patches similar to J-B Weld. They say "NOT FOR USE WITH GASOLINE." J-B Weld turns into a yellow mustard-looking and feeling substance when gasoline sits on it for hours and days...

I am sorry but i do not have a good answer for you except new tank, or tanking tank out draining ALL GAS..

I have BTDT, sir. Ran out of gas MANY times driving a car dripping gas. Wasnt concerned about gas near exhaust due to the shields.. but i did run out. And it was coming out almost like a faucet left on low during the long rides.. the tank -pressurizes- and NO patch can hold up to it.

And i tried for 3 weeks. used EVERYTHING. Cleaned it off, everything..

Aint gonna happpen. I tried in earnest, too. As i said.. it will hold when it sits still, but pressure and gas will un-do.

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Now, if the screw with J-B Weld trick works then do that.. but you need to be REALLY CAREFUL or youll just create a bigger hole that makes tank done for.

GASOLINE eats through EVERYTHING. I have repaired an oil pan hold with J-B weld.. but that was OIL. Gasoline.. is the exception.

You can also probably get a new tank in there for $150-$200 grand total. Assuming scrapyard has one. And filling it up with water isnt really valid, you can get the water out, yes, but Gasoline is more atomized than water and water might not leak but gas will. Water also isnt corrosive to eat through silicon-based sealers.

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Google scrapyards, man. Trying to save you some time.

EDIT: Also, what eljefino and JimPghPA saidsaid is true, and having BTDT i can echo JimPghPA's thoughts exactly.. But if you trace it back to an actual, real small hole with gas trickling out that is really on your gas tank, particularly on the lower part (rust, i presume? Can happen, yes) .. then you need to do what i said. I wouldnt steer you wrong, bud. Just sharing what i had to do.

I also wasted as much money on sealers as a tank would have been trying to hard, so there is that. Not to mention the gasoline i gave away to the road. Not good again.
 
On a small hole I have screwed a stainless steel screw into it with JB weld . Then cover the screw head and surrounding area with JB weld.
 
what car is this? I see a solid beam rear axle like a cutlass ciera or chrysler k car.

I'm not sure it's your tank. I think I see the gas tank forward of that rear axle. I think it's your trunk leaking water. Does it smell of fuel? It looks like when they punched out your trunk floor pan they put in a two inch hole for the paint to drip out of, then plugged that hole with "whatever". Get in the trunk and look around. Lift the spare tire and check its cubby all out.
 
Too much liability to mickey mouse fix it.

Even if there was a way that did not leak, it would not be safe enough to have as part if a vehicle if it ever got into an accident. And if it did leak in an accident and caused a fire that caused harm or death to anyone the liability would be way too much for anyone to leave them self open to.

Bottom line, just from the liability stand point alone, don't even think of any kind of fix to the bad tank, you have to get a new one.
 
I once punctured a hole in a Nissan Sentra tank. Napa has a putty, black with white center. You work it together until it turns gray. Turns rock solid and works great for fuel tank and radiator repairs.
 
Originally Posted By: eljefino
what car is this? I see a solid beam rear axle like a cutlass ciera or chrysler k car.

I'm not sure it's your tank. I think I see the gas tank forward of that rear axle. I think it's your trunk leaking water. Does it smell of fuel? It looks like when they punched out your trunk floor pan they put in a two inch hole for the paint to drip out of, then plugged that hole with "whatever". Get in the trunk and look around. Lift the spare tire and check its cubby all out.


I think you are right. It looks like the trunk pan to me.

Has it rained recently? My guess is water is leaking in through the trunk lid and draining at the lowest point in the trunk pan. If that's the case, it's nothing to worry about...you want water to get out of the trunk rather than sit there and stink it up.

Do you smell gas around the car? You will smell a gas tank leak. My Explorer had a couple small rust holes in the filler neck and the smell and leak were very noticeable.
 
Having looked at it again, yes it is where the spare tire sits.
There are no straps for the tank around that piece. All K-framed cars had the tank in front of the rear axle you can see it in this car. There are hoses going to it. That is the plug for the spare tire that every K-framed car had...I should know I owned 7 different ones from time to time.
 
Originally Posted By: JimPghPA
Too much liability to mickey mouse fix it.

E.


no, I would try some kind of cheap fix. it will either work ..or not
 
Go to Walmarts auto section and buy some QuickSteel. It's in a tube...it's impervious to chemicals.
 
The picture confuses me . You sure that its leaking gas. I haven't had any luck patching a gas tank either. I'd get a new tank if its indeed leaking
 
Ok, guess I jumped the gun on this.

Here's a lil history, I can't park the car in the garage because gas fumes creep into the laundry room after 12 hours or so. I assumed it was leakingfrom the filler hole area. But when I saw the drip , being somewhere the gas tank could be, I made a knee jerk conclusion.

In conclusion. It is coming from the spare tire well. There's is an eigth of an in of standing water. Guess my next project will be to trace where the water is coming in at.

Sorry the post is misleading, but now I have good info on what to do if I really have that issue.
 
I put a gas tank in a car once because the customer asked to have the gas tank replaced because it was rusted. We did the job. He picked the car up and went out to look at the car. He came back in and asked if we had replaced the tank I said yes and we undercoated it to prevent rust. He went back outside, looked again and then came back in. Asked if you can show me what you did. Sure went out and on the ground showed him the tank and he pointed to the trunk area and said isn't this the gas tank. Nope the gas tank is forward of the axle. He thanked me and I walked back in a proceeded to laugh my [censored] off!!!
 
glad you got it figured out I've had a few cars that leaked water into the trunk. One was very weird couldn't find the leak. I Even layed in the truck while we ran a hose over everything and when it was raining by buddy drove it with me in the trunk never did figure it out. Don't forget to come back to bitog!! We are like family here and you signed up so now you are part of the family there's no turning back now.
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not being nosey but where you at in Missouri . OK maybe I'm a little nosey but I'm also in mo
 
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