Gas tank repair on a Original

mobermiller · #1 08-25-2015, 01:22 AM

After overhauling and painting the engine on my O, I discovered a leak in the gas tank.

It is a seep and is coming from the outlet where it attached to the tank. The photo shows the leak where the fuel seeps and sits on top of the settling glass. I'm sure it's the tank and not the pipe threads themselves.

How would one make this repair? Is this fitting soldered onto the tank?

Advice is appreciated!

Yosemite Sam · #2 08-25-2015, 02:30 AM

Yes, the little square fitting is soldered to the tank.

I have had good luck repairing leaks by re-soldering them.

It usually only takes a little heat and some flux to clean the existing solder well, several times I haven't even needed to add more solder (that is not the norm).

I always screw a long 1/8" pipe fitting into the square fitting to use as a handle, to prevent the fitting from falling into the tank once the solder liquifies. Lose one in the tank and they can be a bat turd to get back in place (trust me).

Sorry but I don't know how to fix one properly without messing your paint up.

Be careful with open flames and gas tanks...

mudpatrol1 · #3 08-25-2015, 07:53 AM

i have used 2 part epoxy to repair pinhole leaks and bad solder joints. i have also used solder,but the tank was bead blasted first of all paint and rust. i would try using permatex 2 part epoxy first,just clean the paint from the leak area. mask off the area around the repair and let it sit for 24 hours. if it works then you can just touch up that area.

mobermiller · #4 08-25-2015, 09:01 AM

Thanks for the advice. I have a sand blaster cabinet and I'm going sand blast the paint off the tank for the repair. I'll just repaint the entire tank after the repair. Thanks!

austin8214 · #5 08-25-2015, 09:13 AM

If you purge the tank with an inert gas you won't have to work about the gas fumes burning while resoldering it.

Alvy · #6 08-25-2015, 06:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by austin8214

If you purge the tank with an inert gas you won't have to work about the gas fumes burning while resoldering it.

Yeah I watched an old timer run an exhaust tube inside a tank once and proceeded to braze away on it. Scared the crap out of me but he was excellent at doing it.

DoubleO7 · #7 08-25-2015, 06:51 PM

once sand blasted, check it real good for cracks around the perimeter of the flange at tank.
The fuel bowl hanging out there tends to be a lever and sometimes the vibrations are too much for that set up.
Kinda looks like it has maybe seen a bit too much torque and your about to run out of pipe thread.

ol'George · #8 08-25-2015, 08:57 PM

Before you do anything, check real good to see if indeed it is a solder problem, and not leaking around the thread because it is bottomed out.
BTDT.

mobermiller · #9 08-25-2015, 10:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DoubleO7

once sand blasted, check it real good for cracks around the perimeter of the flange at tank.

Kinda looks like it has maybe seen a bit too much torque and your about to run out of pipe thread.

Ok, if it is indeed a pipe thread issue, what would on do to repair it? I'm using Teflon tape as a thread sealer should I use something else? I thought I really had it on tight but I was able to remove it by hand.

After removing the settling bowl, I saw one area of suspicion for a seeping leak but nothing obvious. I haven't sand blasted it yet so not too sure.

Yosemite Sam · #10 08-26-2015, 03:33 AM

The guys looked at your picture better than I did the first time, they may be right, that nipple looks like its threaded in pretty far. It's possible that someone might have run a pipe tap in a little too far at one time.

I've seen epoxy putty for fuel tank repairs (have never used it myself) you might be able to load the threads up with that and screw it in, if that is where it's leaking.