gas tank pin hole

[divinggodspeed]

i have a 91 VIP with a 4.3 in/out and a plastic built in tank. im restoring the hull currently and have removed the tank to inspect along with everything else. As im taking off the deck and tearing up stringers i notice the gas tank liner, stingers, bildge, everything smells like gas...i remove the tank thinking it was cracked but have only found a small pinhole in the top rear corner.

my question is...

has anyone ever repaired one of these successfully or can it even be done? tank does not seem brittle and is in relatively good shape except for this problem...

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: gas tank pin hole

Welcome to iboats.

That could pose a slight problem. West Systems makes an epoxy that is supposed to work on the plastic but I would be concerned about pressure.

The epoxy is called G Flex and I guess if you locate the problem you could give it a try.

 

[ENSIGN]

Re: gas tank pin hole

Why don't you just repair the boat the RIGHT way and install a NEW tank???

 

[divinggodspeed]

Re: gas tank pin hole

ensign, in my first post are you sure you want to start off with that kind of response?? you never know who's asking these questions and i don't think the question the way i put it was off base....maybe you should reconsider..

the right way is to fix the problem!! if it can be fixed safely...then i'll fix it, though first i needed to ask if it was possible.. thank you Bob-VT. i'll look into the epoxy. a little research never hurt anybody and this is a problem that didn't seem to be addressed through the 10pages of threads from my searches here on the forum.

 

[fishrdan]

Re: gas tank pin hole

Plastic fuel tank? It's most likely made out of cross-linked polyethylene and nothing will stick to it. It can't be plastic welded either.

If the pin hole leak is in a flat area here is what I'd do, though it would be a total pain in the.... Drill the hole out and seal it shut with nut/bolt/washer, gaskets on both sides. The tough part would be fishing the bolt (#10 machine screw) into the tank and into the hole, but if you are resourceful, I think you could do it. Epoxy a piece of fishing line onto the tip of the of the bolt and pull the bolt (with gasket and washer) into the hole from the inside. Slide gasket, washer, nut onto fishing line, finger tighten, grab extra bolt threads with vice-grips and tighten nut. You will have to find a gasket material that's safe for use with fuel though.

 

[divinggodspeed]

Re: gas tank pin hole

thats not a bad idea if the hole were on a flat surface. unfortunately mine is in the corner. i think the solution is to replace or build a new one....thank you for the help guys..

after i posted, the thread gave some similar thread links...would have come in handy with the search but unfortunately they were lost in the congestion..

here are the links ive found to the same problem with plastic poly tanks. maybe posting them will help keep someone else from asking this again...

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=292518

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=59698

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=61789

 

[redfury]

Re: gas tank pin hole

I'm not sure if it would work with this tank, but I do know that some plastic can be fixed simply by using a plastic dowel of the same make up and using a drill, you spin the dowel in the hole. The heat from the friction melts both the dowel and the plug which fuses them together...problem solved ( if the plastic used can be identified ).

realistically, this is the only way to do it as the tank was formed in a similar matter ( heating up the plastic and either injecting it into a mold, or pulling a plastic sheet into a mold with a vacuum )

I would assume that the tank was done with injection molding...as this is the only thing that would make sense as to how you could even get a pinhole leak in a corner.

 

[divinggodspeed]

Re: gas tank pin hole

yeah im really not sure how long the hole has been there....could have actually come like that. the tank is in really good shape all things considered..

considering fuel and the way it can gum...i think that i wouldn't put any epoxy or even a repair kit made from the same poly as the tank, mostly because of the inability to clean it properly before doing anything. i would however seal it with a nut if the hole were on a flat spot... the tank really is that sturdy!!

 

[jonesg]

Re: gas tank pin hole

A small plastic screw with sealant will seal it.
But with all the cheap tanks on craigslist, why bother.

 

[redfury]

Re: gas tank pin hole

problem is finding the right size tank on CL! I got a plastic replacement for my boat off CL for free, but the Steel tank is still in good condition...I'm not sure if I want to risk using the plastic one or not ( even though it is a direct replacement as far as dimensions go.