fuel tank leak - epoxy question

I have a 98 Subie Legacy L with a leak in the seam of the tank. What
sort of epoxy can I use to patch this seam and hold off the leak for a
while?

I would look for a replacement tank from a junk yard.


wrote:
> I have a 98 Subie Legacy L with a leak in the seam of the tank. What
> sort of epoxy can I use to patch this seam and hold off the leak for a
> while?

why would you want to try and patch a gas tank? you are asking for
trouble. buy a new one

With an AWD Subaru, the rear differential has to be removed (which
means most of the axle) for removal of the fuel tank. There is a small
but proficient leak at the seam, and being that I don't have a
hydraulic lift, removing the fuel tank would take a very long time and
leave very little room to work.....Perhaps the individual posting knows
little about the fuel tanks on AWD Subarus, and the labor and cost
involved...............What I asked (and believe I did ask) is what
sort of epoxy will withstand the corrosive properties of gasoline, not
suggestions on what to do with the tank. I know what needs to
ultimately be done. This is not a difficult question, unless your sole
purpose is to seem like a jack-ass. I am painfully aware that the only
real fix is to replace the whole tank, but THIS IS NOT THE QUESTION I
AM ASKING!! If you have no useful/pertinent information on EPOXIES that
can withstand gasoline, please DO NOT POST in this thread. Start your
own thread for people who are unable to answer simple questions. Thank
you very much for your useless information/****ing me
off................

> wrote in message
ups.com...
> With an AWD Subaru, the rear differential has to be removed (which
> means most of the axle) for removal of the fuel tank. There is a small
> but proficient leak at the seam, and being that I don't have a
> hydraulic lift, removing the fuel tank would take a very long time and
> leave very little room to work.....Perhaps the individual posting knows
> little about the fuel tanks on AWD Subarus, and the labor and cost
> involved...............What I asked (and believe I did ask) is what
> sort of epoxy will withstand the corrosive properties of gasoline, not
> suggestions on what to do with the tank. I know what needs to
> ultimately be done. This is not a difficult question, unless your sole
> purpose is to seem like a jack-ass. I am painfully aware that the only
> real fix is to replace the whole tank, but THIS IS NOT THE QUESTION I
> AM ASKING!! If you have no useful/pertinent information on EPOXIES that
> can withstand gasoline, please DO NOT POST in this thread. Start your
> own thread for people who are unable to answer simple questions. Thank
> you very much for your useless information/****ing me
> off................

Have you googled before asking here? Sometimes its easier.. like the
old saying....if you want something done right, nothing like doing it
yourself.....(this is not a bash, so please don't take it this way)

Good luck...

Fwed

Thanks for the suggestion fweddy.....Sorry I got a bit upset, but I
really do know the best solution to this problem, but am P-O-O-R. I
KNOW the tank will need to be replaced soon/eventually.......I have
Googled (the best tool in the known universe) and have found some good
options. Its a small leak, but when you leave a small leak for two
days.......
JB Weld seems to be the best option now, but I was hoping that someone
had a similar problem and was successful with a certain method. I am a
college student working at a golf course for the summer, and need to be
as cheap as possible. Replacing the tank is a LOT of cash. The question
I posted asked nothing about replacement tanks, but asked about
epoxies. Perhaps I'm a little too stringent with my standards in regard
to answering questions................................The
reading/research I've done indicates that JB Weld is the best option.
If there are any more good suggestions (asised from getting a
$^#@&!*^$(^%&$*@&(^%(@(#@) new fuel tank, please respond. If you feel
the desire to state the obvious, I hope you die in a fire.............
Thanks in advance -
(not actually this aggressive/cruel - just wanting an answer from
someone with a similar experience)

jeremiah

wrote:
> Thanks for the suggestion fweddy.....Sorry I got a bit upset, but I
> really do know the best solution to this problem, but am P-O-O-R. I
> KNOW the tank will need to be replaced soon/eventually.......I have
> Googled (the best tool in the known universe) and have found some good
> options. Its a small leak, but when you leave a small leak for two
> days.......
> JB Weld seems to be the best option now, but I was hoping that someone
> had a similar problem and was successful with a certain method. I am a
> college student working at a golf course for the summer, and need to be
> as cheap as possible. Replacing the tank is a LOT of cash. The question
> I posted asked nothing about replacement tanks, but asked about
> epoxies. Perhaps I'm a little too stringent with my standards in regard
> to answering questions................................The
> reading/research I've done indicates that JB Weld is the best option.
> If there are any more good suggestions (asised from getting a
> $^#@&!*^$(^%&$*@&(^%(@(#@) new fuel tank, please respond. If you feel
> the desire to state the obvious, I hope you die in a fire.............
> Thanks in advance -
> (not actually this aggressive/cruel - just wanting an answer from
> someone with a similar experience)
>
> jeremiah

The auto parts stores, even hardware stores, sell knead and press
epoxies that resist gas and solvents. The package states they are for
fuel tanks. They have been around for years and they work if applied
properly. I had it last the life of one car. I favor this over JB
because it shrinks very slightly and grabs the surface. That's what the
package says and it seems to work that way. I'd be afraid of JB poping
off suddenly.

wrote:
> Thanks for the suggestion fweddy.....Sorry I got a bit upset, but I
> really do know the best solution to this problem, but am P-O-O-R. I
> KNOW the tank will need to be replaced soon/eventually.......I have
> Googled (the best tool in the known universe) and have found some good
> options. Its a small leak, but when you leave a small leak for two
> days.......
> JB Weld seems to be the best option now, but I was hoping that someone
> had a similar problem and was successful with a certain method. I am a
> college student working at a golf course for the summer, and need to be
> as cheap as possible. Replacing the tank is a LOT of cash. The question
> I posted asked nothing about replacement tanks, but asked about
> epoxies. Perhaps I'm a little too stringent with my standards in regard
> to answering questions................................The
> reading/research I've done indicates that JB Weld is the best option.
> If there are any more good suggestions (asised from getting a
> $^#@&!*^$(^%&$*@&(^%(@(#@) new fuel tank, please respond. If you feel
> the desire to state the obvious, I hope you die in a fire.............
> Thanks in advance -
> (not actually this aggressive/cruel - just wanting an answer from
> someone with a similar experience)
>
> jeremiah

I have no experience with trying to patch a gas tank with epoxy... but
I do have experience with epoxy. Here are my thoughts...

1) I am assuming that this is a plastic gas tank. But really, my
advice would be valid for a metal one as well, with the caveat that ALL
rust must be removed, by wire brush, sandpaper, acid etching, whatever.

2) when you say "leak along the seam," does that mean that the tank
looks like an old metal tank, where the seam is a flange that sticks
out from the tank? If that is the case, I'd be tempted to drill some
holes through it, and get some small machine screws and nuts and bolt
the flange together with two long pieces of steel for strength. A good
mechanical support will help any adhesive repair last longer.

3) Run the tank almost empty before you start. Do not create any
sparks whatever you do as an empty tank is actually more dangerous than
a full one, but you need it empty so you don't have liquid gasoline
trying to leak through your repair before it cures.

4) There are specific products sold for patching gas tanks. I don't
know if any of them are any good, but I'd feel better using one of them
because at least they are supposed to be gasoline resistant. I
wouldn't use anything that didn't specifically say "gasoline resistant"
on the label.

5) Rough up the surface you're going to apply the repair material to
with the coarsest sandpaper you can find. The more "tooth" the
material has, the more surface area there is for the repair material to
adhere to, and therefore the stronger the bond will be. Screw
cosmetics, you're going for functional here. If you have ugly
sandpaper marks outside the repair area, so be it - that's preferable
to trying to cover it all up with your repair material and getting some
on a smooth, un-roughed area and having that corner peel away, starting
a failure of the whole repair.

6) If you decide to try 2) above, I'd prepare the holes, hardware,
steel, etc. first but not actually assemble it all until after applying
the repair material but before it has set.

7) keep in mind that if you get a couple three years out of an adhesive
repair, you're doing well. You'll have to either do it again in a
couple years, especially if the tank is plastic (some plastics do not
take adhesives well, even when properly roughed up) or else buy a new
tank.

hope this gave you some ideas...

good luck,

nate

I know your pain!! When my daughter came home from college,
back in the 70's, she had a leak in her tank..1977 Chevy Chevette.
I got some of my Body Filler, made by Swiss, the kind that patches
holes in fenders, and patched over the hole. 3 thin layers did it! She
drove that car 75,000 miles, and the car was falling apart, but the fuel
tank
didn't leak! Get the gas level down below the leak, clean it well, so that
it shines, mix the patch, so that, it cures kinda fast.
Worked for us...28 years later, she drives a new 2006 Pilot, I told her the
other
day, "Watch the tank".....




> wrote in message
oups.com...
>I have a 98 Subie Legacy L with a leak in the seam of the tank. What
> sort of epoxy can I use to patch this seam and hold off the leak for a
> while?
>

wrote:
>
> I have a 98 Subie Legacy L with a leak in the seam of the tank. What
> sort of epoxy can I use to patch this seam and hold off the leak for a
> while?

Your best bet is to go your local auto parts and get a fuel tank epoxy repair kit.
Most epoxys will not be affected by gasoline but alcohol will soften epoxy unless
it is heat cured. Much gas nowadays contains alcohol.
Go the auto parts and get the correct kit - NOT JB Weld or household epoxy.
Permatex makes a good one.