Sealant that petrol WON'T dissolve?
Discussion
Right, I'm exploring all other avenues first, but it may come to pass that I will have to drill a small hole in a fuel tank with a hand drill. How to seal it back up?
It's a stainless tank on a boat. The hole won't be large, only enough to drain the remnants of what's in it. Maybe 3mm diameter. How best to seal it up? I was thinking about a rivet then a s
tload of some sort of sealant over it. What to use? Gelcoat filler sets really hard and seems fuelproof. Epoxy resin? Is there anything at all that would do the job?
It's a stainless tank on a boat. The hole won't be large, only enough to drain the remnants of what's in it. Maybe 3mm diameter. How best to seal it up? I was thinking about a rivet then a s
tload of some sort of sealant over it. What to use? Gelcoat filler sets really hard and seems fuelproof. Epoxy resin? Is there anything at all that would do the job?Hmmmm I don't know that's a toughie. Maybe you could try something aptly named like:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fuel-Tank-Repair-Putty-50g...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fuel-Tank-Repair-Putty-50g...
CraigyMc said:
Why?
I have about a 1/2 inch of water-contaminated fuel in the tank. I have tried to pump it out from the top, but it's not having it. it's just a bit too shallow to get any decent pump action. It keeps sucking air up the pump.Due to the size of the tank it's between 5-10 litres.
I tried adding a load of good fuel in the hope that it would disperse it but all that's happened now is I have a load of good fuel floating on the top of the bad stuff. * For obvious reasons the fuel take-off to the engine is at the bottom of the tank.
So I have to get the good stuff out, then I'm stuck with the same problem I had before. I'm a genius.
My first plan is to disconnect the fuel line to the engine/filter and try to get a small hand pump on there and get it out that way. Failing that I may have to drill the hole.
- also, if you add a load of fresh fuel to the tank, and fill the filter (so it has pure good clean petrol for the first start of the season) you'll churn up all the good and bad fuel so the engine will run until the fuel settles down and separates out again. This takes approximately one hour. Which is enough time for you to run the boat on the mooring "just to play it safe and make sure it works" to have a chat and a coffee, cast off, and get halfway into the river. It is not, however, long enough to get back.
MX7 said:
Flush it through several times and then weld it?
I wouldn't trust a filler for a long term solution.
Can't really get the tank out to flush it through. Though I agree, if I could that would be an ideal solution. I'll try whatever means I have to pump it out first though. The hole is an absolute last resort.I wouldn't trust a filler for a long term solution.
Why not use a hand syphon pump like this: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-DRAPER-HAND-FUEL-PET...
So, an alternate question could be, how to get water out of a tank.
How about just pumping out all you can, then shoving in a sponge on a stick to soak up the rest?
A bag of silica gel on a string?
How about just going into the engine bay, finding the fuel pump (assuming there is one) and releasing the pipe on the other side of the pump, then just run the fuel pump to suck all the water through into a jug.
How about just pumping out all you can, then shoving in a sponge on a stick to soak up the rest?
A bag of silica gel on a string?
How about just going into the engine bay, finding the fuel pump (assuming there is one) and releasing the pipe on the other side of the pump, then just run the fuel pump to suck all the water through into a jug.
Seal it with this:
http://www.lasaero.com/site/products/article?id=D0...
Good enough for aircraft fuel tanks.
http://www.lasaero.com/site/products/article?id=D0...
Good enough for aircraft fuel tanks.
If the fuel pump that gets fuel to the engine is sucking up the watery crap, why not disconnect the petrol pipe at the engine end, direct it into a bucket, then run the fuel pump to evacuate the unwanted fuel?
I've found this a really easy way of draining fuel tanks on cars, not sure what sort of setup you have on your boat.
I've found this a really easy way of draining fuel tanks on cars, not sure what sort of setup you have on your boat.
RizzoTheRat said:
crofty1984 said:
For obvious reasons the fuel take-off to the engine is at the bottom of the tank.
...so you already have a hole at the bottom of the tank, whcih not drain the fuel through that?Hasn't the tank got a sender unit in it? Can't you take that out and syphon through the big hole?
Else you can seal a hole up with Sikaflex and a patch. It's what I use to re-seal the sender unit hole on the diesel tank on the boat when I have to clean that out. If you do cut a hole, I'd do it on the top though, for obvious reasons.
Edited to add: Thinking about it, can't you just get the syphon tube in through the filler neck?
Edited by Riff Raff on Tuesday 22 May 12:16
aww999 said:
If the fuel pump that gets fuel to the engine is sucking up the watery crap, why not disconnect the petrol pipe at the engine end, direct it into a bucket, then run the fuel pump to evacuate the unwanted fuel?
I've found this a really easy way of draining fuel tanks on cars, not sure what sort of setup you have on your boat.
That is a very good ideaI've found this a really easy way of draining fuel tanks on cars, not sure what sort of setup you have on your boat.
Thanks all, I really appreciate it.
At the moment Plan A is to take off the fuel line at the engine end and try to syphon pump from there. The fuel take off is via a fitting at the top of the tank, which has an internal pipe going to the bottom. So it will take fuel from the bottom of the tank which is the stuff I need to get at but unfortunately there's not a simple hose fitting at the bottom which would have made this whole thread redundant.
aww - It's a good plan but it's a mechanical fuel pump and I don't want to be cranking the engine for long enough to drain 10l, but you're right. Pumping from the engine end (whether mechanical, hand pump or just a good ol' fashioned suck!) is definitely the best way to go if I can.
Plan B is go in through the filler pipe and try to get it out that way. Failing that, the tank sender unit's coming out. I'll have to use a thin hose otherwise I won't get the last dregs out.
Plan C is the hole, but it's a last resort.
At the moment Plan A is to take off the fuel line at the engine end and try to syphon pump from there. The fuel take off is via a fitting at the top of the tank, which has an internal pipe going to the bottom. So it will take fuel from the bottom of the tank which is the stuff I need to get at but unfortunately there's not a simple hose fitting at the bottom which would have made this whole thread redundant.
aww - It's a good plan but it's a mechanical fuel pump and I don't want to be cranking the engine for long enough to drain 10l, but you're right. Pumping from the engine end (whether mechanical, hand pump or just a good ol' fashioned suck!) is definitely the best way to go if I can.
Plan B is go in through the filler pipe and try to get it out that way. Failing that, the tank sender unit's coming out. I'll have to use a thin hose otherwise I won't get the last dregs out.
Plan C is the hole, but it's a last resort.
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