hole in fuel tank

[beanman1]

well i went outside today and saw deisel fuel on the groung under the rear of the m1009 crawled under and looked at saw that is was leaking from a pin hole in the fuel tank my question is if there is anything that i can do for a temp fix until i can get a replacemant fuel tank any help would be appriciated

 

[1986Blazerk5]

I would try JB Weld, they sell a stick putty stuff that might work better then the liquid. That stuff works wonders

 

[pigfoot63]

Sheet metal screw and some of that stick epoxy.

 

[1986Blazerk5]

Sheet metal screw and some of that stick epoxy.

Good idea!

 

[niferous]

I was going to say a short self tapping screw with a rubber washer. Stop often with the screw in place so you don't create too much heat. Also just to reiterate go really slow and take your time and get a really short screw.

 

[Troll1216]

In Florida our local criminal element has taken to using a screwdriver or awl to punch open a small hole in the bottom of large SUV type vehicle gas tanks to steal gas. Someone might have spiked your tank thinking it was a gasser and got a nasty surprise

 

[beanman1]

well where the hole is in the very center of the tank i have to drop the skid plate to fix it thanks for the tips guys

 

[beanman1]

oh i forgot to ask if i need to drain the tank before this operation takes place and also at the local truck stop they sell fuel tank repair kit will that work

 

[davidkroberts]

ditto on the jb weld. i patched a diesel fuel line with it and forgot to replace the line at all. it still holding the line steady. I had forgotten that i had even done it until i read your post

 

[Midnight Rider]

One of the off road magazine, that I use to read, mentioned using a bar of soap to plug a leaking fuel tank. Don't know how long it would last though.

Or you could try Mighty Putty!

 

[beanman1]

the bar of soap trick works on gassers not to well on deisels and i did try that all ready though i guess the oil in the fuel breaks down the soap

 

[beanman1]

well i went to the hardware store and got some jb weld i had a hard time dropping the skid plate to do the screw trick but i loaded the hole up woth jb weld and a little piece of paper lol to stick it up there with hopefully this works and i dont have to spend mega bucks to get a new tank lol oh yeah i almost forgot the boy that lives at the end of the street was arrested last night for stealing fuel out of peoples cars/trucks he was caought with a hammer, punch and a fuel can he got caught getting fuel from my next door nieghbor

 

[niferous]

Glad he got caught!

 

[Troll1216]

File a report and get restitution from the little dirt bag

 

[niferous]

File a report and get restitution from the little dirt bag

I think his was on the tank under the fuel tank shield and probably was not caused by the genius kid.

 

[beanman1]

mine was not caused by the kid i have it jb welded right now hope this works

 

[beanman1]

well went out to look at the jb weld and sure enough the fuel was pouring agian i dodnt see how because i have like 1/8 a tank in it and it is parked on a hill with the nose down i mixed up somemore and smeared it around we will see how that goes later

 

[Blood_of_Tyrants]

Well if I had read this sooner, I would have told you that there is a stick epoxy out there that is made specifically for pinholes in fuel tanks. The best thing is that you don't even have to drain the tank. Just clean the area off and sand it a little to rough it up and put the epoxy right over the hole.

On the negative side, a pinhole is usually caused by corrosion in the tank and will manifest itself as another hole in a few weeks or months. You will ultimately have to replace the tank.

 

[beanman1]

welli did drop the tank and checked to verify this no rust or corrosion what i think might have happend was my many adventures to the local mud hole i appartntly wasnt washing the underside good enough i ahd a heavy build up of mud/dirt between the tank and skid plate could of been a little rubbing going on lol

 

[JB]

Same thing happened to one of mine. I used JB weld @ 5 years ago and it it's still holding. Roll into shape of a small cone between yourfinger tips then press the tip into th hole. No problem.