Bu....ger Fuel Tank Leak

[lordb]

Just got back from a lovely 50 mile run, filled up at the local station......polished off the flies and garaged the car for the night...
snif..... bu...ger found a petrol tank leak from the sender unit valve thingy half way up the tank on the near side...... it's dripping pretty bad...
I've made safe as best I could, but I need to get this repaired for Sunday (Harewood). I think it is the gaskets cuz the leak is more of a seapage around the cap in the side...
So anyone got any magic fix (temporary or otherwise) before I trip off to me mechanic and give him an arm and a leg?
Help.... soooooooooooon

[Le TVR]

If theres nothing obvious like loose bolts you could try a liquid gasket. I did a temporary repair with a blue liquid gasket (hylomar?) when I replaced the sender unit and it never leaked since (some 10 years ago)

[crossle]

Hylomar (sp?) does not claim to be petrol proof, but it very often is, as opposed to the silicone sealants which just disolve in petrol... Once you've made the repair, don't overfill the tank - this should give the Hylomar time to harden off a little. I once had to have a tank welded - I hid in the pub while the welder did his work, waiting for the inevitable bang - but he assured me he knew what he was doing. Turns out he did.

[keirangrogan]

Le TVR said: If theres nothing obvious like loose bolts you could try a liquid gasket. I did a temporary repair with a blue liquid gasket (hylomar?) when I replaced the sender unit and it never leaked since (some 10 years ago)

Possibly try RED Hylomar as this sets HARD

[rpage]

I had a similar thing happen to my S3 last week. It was actually seeping around the outer edge of the ring that the sender clips into. I used JB Weld available from Halfords. This claims to be petrol proof and is hard as nails.

Filled the tank full this morning and it seems to be fine.

Obviously run the tank as low as you dare so that the area is dry when you apply the JB Weld.

Good luck.

Ralph

>> Edited by rpage on Friday 13th June 14:20

[RichardR]

There's some info here from Justin S about replacing the gasket.

[bondingi]

when I rebuilt my S I put a new sender in the tank. The fuel hardens the original cork gasket causing the leak. Go down a good plumbers merchant and they should have some cork sheet which you can cut out a new gasket from. A smear of blue hylomar will suffice but try to tighten each screw up evenly.

[lordb]

Thanks guys.
In fact I'd thought about a DIY replacement gasket using cork. But in the end, I had to take it to 'me mechanic', I just couldn't budge the steel ring - it was rock solid, and I was starting to think that my nice squared tank might develop a V8 bonnet hump!! So I gave up and left then to it. They managed to get it off (but unusable thereafter). Luck has it that they had a spare available from an old ....wait for it METRO!!
Anyway it works so Im happy as larry, and now off to Harewood with the South Yorks TVCC on Sunday....from the weather forecast, it'll be top down all the way and LOADS of SUNCREAM!

Cheers,
LordB