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Fuel Tanks Help needed

M

Martin Hall

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I am having problems with fuel tanks recently
My latest project a ex gardamme french police car is coming on great but the fuel tank leaks I am currently running it with a can on the passenger floor but it sloops about a bit when going round corners
I have several part donor cars but they are all stained in the centre and look as though they might leak when filled with fuel

I recently tried repairing the one on the car with Granvilles Petro Patch which worked very well on another car years ago But as soon as I put fuel in the tank it started to leak again

Has anyone successfully managed to repair a tank on the car They are a major job to remove
I know they cannot be welded !!!!!!!!!!!!!but there must be some way to do it
Maybe I could repair a spare tank then fit it to the car

any suggestions would be greatfully received
 
I'm surprised you've got a fuel tank that leaks, never mind a whole selection of the things. I've only once known a tank to leak and that was when someone pulled it out of the car without first removing the pipes, and broke off one of the pipe connectors on the tank. Rust doesn't seem to be an issue with these things.

Rubber fuel pipes or a badly routed breather pipe would be more common leak issues, or a choke that's stuck a bit open can give the petrol smell.
 
Hi
I have just taken some photos of the tanks
1 off the car and 1 I have tried to repair on the car
It is strange to note that both leaks are almost in the same place
The hole is tiny and has obviously rusted from the inside out
 
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..." I'm surprised you've got a fuel tank that leaks, never mind a whole selection of the things. I've only once known a tank to leak and that was when someone pulled it out of the car without first removing the pipes..."

I am also surprised that you, having faced all usual and unusual chassis and body rust, haven't come across a rusty fuel tank!! They are very common even here in dry Greece! But as they always rust from the inside out, it may be related to petrol's corrosive action, and not wet weather.
The way to repair them is soldering, not welding. There are a few people here that repair radiators and also fuel tanks. As far as I know they first fill it with water, but don't try this at home, I have never repaired a tank myself! I had such a tank repaired five years ago and it is still leak-free.
However, I think that if it has reached the point of puncturing due to corrosion, the sheet metal may get very thin in a lot of places, and maybe will puncture at another place while trying to repair it.
Removal-refitting of a R4 fuel tank is not too hard! (you should find a way to drain it first).
You people living in the Mecca of car restoration (England), don't you have any fuel tank restoration specialists?
 
angel said:
You people living in the Mecca of car restoration (England), don't you have any fuel tank restoration specialists?
Click to expand...
We don't need them :D Don't know why, but the insides of my tanks have always been clean and shiny (or at least the insides of the ones I can see into). Maybe it takes a bit of heat to get the corrosion going.

My first port of call would be a motor factor or Renault to check on prices for new tanks. Welding is possible, though risky, so best to get someone else who isn't a friend to do it. I welded a diesel tank once by emptying it and filling it completely with water - that reduces the air space available for an explosion.
 
I'm not sure if they are still available from Renault, but it's worth a try. There are no pattern tanks available that I know of. I now feel very guilty as I threw a tank away just because it had some surface rust.
 
i once tryed a product called liquid metal on daisys radiater and it is still going strong 10 years later:smile:
i must admit i have not tried it on a petrol tank but it does say it can be usedon the cylender block and on pipes that come under presure it may be worth trying it out:wink:
 
take the tank to a radiator repair shop, they can do it. i had mine done a couple of months ago 4 pinholes in 2 different places, i think it was about £50Try an independent, not national like Serck
good luck
Allan
 
Thanks for all your comments and suggestions
I have now got the knack of removing the tanks
Remove the cross member from the chassis rails but leave it attached to the tank Makes it easier to giggle it out

I am going to take a tank out of another car and fit it to this one to get it through the CT (MOT)

Its so much easier to work on the tanks off the car
I may try one of the products advertised on ebay The Petro Patch I used was 15 years old so maybe has lost its effectiveness
 
This is a general if you have decided to go for another tank
POR do a tank sealer kit that lines the inside of the tank, it worked very well on my Gwagen
ALSO when I was on a "parade" of jaguars to a car show my friends E Type had a drip from his tank I drained the tank as low as poss and with a self tapping screw smothered it in Araldite and screwed it into the pin hole. No hyperbole its 12 yrs on now and it still there with no leak...:cool:
 
Hi Greeney
Thanks for the link to Frost`s they have some good stuff on there
I have solved the problem for now as I found a car with a near new tank on it
All I need now is some stickers for the side then I can chase the gendarmerie around in it
 
Hi,
I once repaired a tank on an AJS motorbike with a piece of chopped strand mat (grp) and some West System epoxy, as like you, I didn't fancy the idea of welding up the hole.

I cleaned off all the paint, rust etc first with emery paper and then degreased it with acetone. Primed it with the epoxy resin, stuck the piece of mat on and then wetted it out.

It stuck like the proverbial to a blanket and lasted for ages with no problems whatsoever - probably is still stuck fast, wherever it may be !

Maybe worth a try if you do eventually have to repair that tank.

Cheers,

Perkins
 
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