i have a fuel leak coming from the rear under side of my 52 gal. tank on my c/c. the stealer wants $750+250 to install a new one. what i need to know is what sealer would hold up to the diesel fuel in the tank. or a type of seal or gasket. i'm thinking of just dropping the tank and using a nut and bolt with big flat washers on both sides . i just need a sealer or gasket that will hold up. HELP! ! !

 

man........I dont think you will get it sealed up myself..........this thing a crack or a hole or what? how did this happen?

 

i don't know yet i have not dropped it down to see. i'm thinking a small rock got inbetween the shield and the tank. it only started leaking after one 1500 leg of my last trip. i ran from ky to ny then ny to ut then after the run from ut to tx thats when it started. i had it at the stealer and they want $250 just to drop the tank to see where its leaking. i wish i was in cl with the new warrenty rule it would be covered if i can't seal it i got a line on a new tank for $525 plus shipping. if its just a hole from a rock i should be able to fix it. i wish i had the plastic welder from my old job.

 

I think you should be able to put some sort of plastic cement in it to seal the hole. Maybe even some sort of plastic silicone. If its just a little hole I would try to fill it in myself first or maybe even melt another piece of plastic in the hole. Its not worth the $250 just for them to drop the tank. You can drop it yourself in about 20 mins. Its extremely light if you do it on closer to an empty tank. Maybe get a friend to help you just in case. Then once you get it down disconnect everything and pull it out from under the truck and see what the deal is.

 

most important thing before ya patch it will be to get it clean...inside and out, I think some electramotive type spray would work good

 

If it's just a hole (not a crack) you're on the right track with the bolt idea:

1) Drill it out to a good round hole the size of your patch bolt. Smaller is better, but of course depends on what you're looking at after you get it all apart.
2) Use large flat fender washers with an o-ring, and liberally smeared with gear RTV.
3) Red loctite to secure the nut.
4) Let it sit at least 24 hours to cure before refilling

That's how I assembled the bulkhead fitting for the outlet in my gravity feed bed tank in our '07, and it's been sealed nicely for the six months since I first installed it.

 

thanks guys. after looking on line to try and find out what sealer would work. i found that they are welding more stuff like this theses days. but they still will not weld a fuel tank. the bolt seems to be the best way to go if its just a hole if its a crack i'll have to replace the tank. there does not seem to be any way to seal it safely. i have sean where they drill it on both sides so it does not spread anymore but all the ways i see to seal it i would not trust . if there was a good sealer that would hold up to the diesel i would think about some type of patch. even the tank seal kits say its not for polyethylene tanks and most other sealers will not stick to the tank or the diesel will eat through it. i'll see what it looks like mon. or tue. when i drop the tank. i'm going to run it down to E and see what happens. if anyone knows of any type of sealer that will hold up to diesel and stick to the poly tank please let me know. thanks

 

JB Weld the crap out of it. Or some other 2 part epoxy.

 

An o-ring is what seals the holes I've drilled in my tanks.

 

i was thinking just some sheet rubber cut to fit but the O-ring is a good idea. i don't think
jb weld wil work on a poly tank