Pin hole in fuel tank any ideas?

[Geno H]

Need your help guys. Right in the middle on the bottom of my fuel tank on my 82 Chevy is a very small pin hole. Is there any repair that works without removing the tank? If I need to remove it...then whats the best fix. And naturally I filled it to the top yesterday. I have the leak temporarily stopped with the old soap trick.





Geno H

[Albatrossian]

Tried JB Weld? I heard it works pretty well on gas tanks.

[chevymotocross]

I've jb welded a pin hole in my old tank. It worked great, until the rest of the tank rotted. The jb weld got me another 4 months without having to replace the tank so it payed for itself.

[gafiredog]

in the fire dept. our haz/mat teams use a product called pig putty. its used to stop small leaks on gas and fuel tanks to stop the leak preventing a major clean up. i think you can get the same stuff maybe under a different name at truck stops, or parts stores that cater to big rigs.

[79gmcsierragrande]

We get fuel tanks in at my work all the time (I’m a welder) we charge double for tanks that have been JB welded, not to be an a@#, because it takes twice as long to get all of the JB weld out. Honestly, unless it’s from a puncture, chances are that pin hole is surrounded by thin metal anyways and more holes will come soon. What we do is patch about 3”-4” around the hole but for a pin hole I would probably do a 4”X4” or 5”X5” patch with the pin hole dead center. Unfortunately you will have to drain it and remove it so the welder can back purge the tank otherwise it will most likely blow up. Anything else you do will just cost you more later.

[old Rusty C10]

well i totally agree with what 79 said but if its got a pin hole in it id use jb weld and order a new tank cause if its rotting in one spot you can bet your booty its rotting elsewhere too

[Rodms]

don't laugh but my sons 82 had a hole in it and 2 years later its still holding ,little black rv silicone and a screw!

[wicked_sky_gazer]

i had the same issue with my 81 and i got some stuff from the local parts house that was supposed to fix it, so i followed directions as it said too and 3 weeks later the gas had turned it to a jell and it leaked again, cant remember the name of the stuff though

[Geno H]

[QUOTE=79gmcsierragrande;2847761]We get fuel tanks in at my work all the time (I’m a welder) we charge double for tanks that have been JB welded, not to be an a@#, because it takes twice as long to get all of the JB weld out. Honestly, unless it’s from a puncture, chances are that pin hole is surrounded by thin metal anyways and more holes will come soon. What we do is patch about 3”-4” around the hole but for a pin hole I would probably do a 4”X4” or 5”X5” patch with the pin hole dead center. Unfortunately you will have to drain it and remove it so the welder can back purge the tank otherwise it will most likely blow up. Anything else you do will just cost you more later.[/QUOTE]

Ok your right.......I knew it all along. I will drain it & remove and take it to the welding shop.

[Phuloi68]

As in most things, preparation is VERY important. What a lot of people do with epoxies like JB weld is mix it up and slap it on. That usually doesn't last long.
You have to clean the area around the hole so the epoxy can hold. Plus leaking gas won't allow it to bond the way it should.
If you can get a small screw in to stop the leak, sand and clean around it, wipe the area with denatured alchohol or paint thinner, it should hold for a good long time.
I worked in a heavy industrial environment and we used products like JB weld, Belzona Molecular, and other epoxies to repair gear boxes, pumps, etc.
Went so far as machining it on broken flanges and cast breaks to get flat surfaces and some repairs lasted years.
Again, the key is to have good, prepared metal next to what you are trying to repair. Otherwise, it is just a tempory fix at best.

[SkylineNXS]

I used a product from autozone, too bad i cant remember what it was called, its a epxy putty similar to jb weld but u just squish it up clean everything, put the putty over the hole, make sure its seated, and then let it dry. Its formulated supposedly for gasoline and all other kinds a crap. my patch has been on there for 3 months now and its still holds. HTe previous owner clearly found the hole, and put a pig spongy kinda blob in between the tank and the cover and somehow it held until i got home with it after buying it. the tank was beginning to rot away, so eventually a new tank will be on order...just my .02...

BRAD

[gdriggs]

theres a new product 3m has it basiclly kinda like jb weld used mostly for bumpers that have a hole in them a freind of mine used it for his gas tank it works good sorry i cant remember the name of it... but basiclly its a small sheet with some kinda anhessive it warms up and bonds itself to the form... but if u wanna go cheep i would do jb weld