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I have completed the work on fuel tank by sealing the inside with a special tank sealer.  It was not leaking but I was worried about the new welding causing rust in the future. I followed the instructions to the letter but after it was complete I found a crack in the sealer surface on the bottom of the tank 4" vertical face. It is hard to see inside and I am worried that it will flake off and block the supply. How about the  other areas that I can not see?   The kit comes with a cleaner and the instructions are to shake the tank with the cleaner inside and drain it off. You can use the  recovered filtered cleaner for second try. There was hardly any to drain off after the first try.  I used the sealer as instructed and now have a loose film along the length of the tank with a crack in it.

My local country garage suggested putting in more sealer to glue it all together. The supplier has suggested using their special solvent which in 1/2 hour will reduce the sealer to sludge which can be washed away. I am worried that the sludge may get stuck under the baffle plates and when dried out will block the fuel lines. I can slip the pressure washer into the tank filler but it will not have much effect on the two ends blanked off by the baffles.

I have already spent too much on this tank but I am determined to sort it out. Has anyone else had problems like this Please help with any advice.

Thanks Richard

 

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Hi Richard,

I used the POR-15 tank sealer from Frost in my Scimitar about 4 years ago. The process was successful and the tank has been fine ever since.

Removing all the sealer with a special solvent sounds difficult and raises some questions... Will all the sealer really be completely removed? Will traces remain, only to flake off into the fuel later and cause blockages?

I would be inclined to try applying more sealer after thorough cleaning and see if the crack can be covered. Sorry to say, if this doesn't work, a new tank may be the only sure fire answer.

Good luck,

Nigel

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9 minutes ago, stillp said:

That looks to me as if it's going to flake/peel off Richard. Might be worth sending that picture to the supplier to ask what they think.

Pete

+1

I wouldn't be happy about that holding together very long. Another call to the supplier seems to be in order.

Which brand of sealer did you use?

Nigel

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Cut your losses and ask for your money back and bite the bullet and buy a new tank.

Some things aren't worth saving any remaining flakes or debris are going to cause you hassle further down the line usually when many miles from home on a wet day! 

Andy

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1 hour ago, Richardtr3a said:

No new tank I am determined to get this right. Maybe leave it alone and hope that it does not flake?77334E98-FEAB-49A2-A8A0-A34722C5FBD4.jpeg.60853341920befb992857f11b586bed1.jpeg

That does not look promising Rich, and if the tank has been welded due to rust it usually finds a way out somewhere! I have used this on my Cooper tank, but decided against it on the TR4a and bought a new one. You know then the job is done with no leaks. The other important thing is if any of that **** gets into your fuel lines and carburettors you’ll be endlessly breaking down and trying to clean lines/pump etc.

Bin it, they don’t last forever !

Kevin

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The welding was the filler moved to a perfect line up with the access hole in the bodywork.  There was no leaking. I am tempted to use the chemical stripper that the supplier makes which will wash out the paint which has ben coated. Quite difficult to coat the whole of the inside. 

Richard & B

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2 hours ago, Richardtr3a said:

The welding was the filler moved to a perfect line up with the access hole in the bodywork.  There was no leaking. I am tempted to use the chemical stripper that the supplier makes which will wash out the paint which has ben coated. Quite difficult to coat the whole of the inside. 

Richard & B

Make sure your AA membership is up to date! 

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2 hours ago, Richardtr3a said:

 I am tempted to use the chemical stripper that the supplier makes which will wash out the paint which has ben coated. Quite difficult to coat the whole of the inside. 

Richard & B

I really wouldn't be confident about this approach.

I'm trying to say gently that the tank is FUBAR. That split sealant won't hold for long. Another coat of sealant may help but it's a long shot.

A new tank is the only certain answer.

Nigel

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I would be inclined to try and disolve the sealant and if successful just leave it unsealed as you said it didn't leak. I have two tanks that I have had to seal due to rust induced leaks, one on a Stag and one  on a Toledo both of which were done quite a few years ago. Can't remember what make of slosh sealant I used but it was a pale yellow/ almost clear colour and much thinner than your make which looks like it may have cracked due to shrinkage where it was very thick.

Neil

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Thanks for the advice. I am planning to strip out the entire tank and test it on the bench with a couple of gallons while I am away in Devon next week. I am sure that it will be OK now. It did not leak anyway and I was only worried about the new welding around the filler.

Richard & B.

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  • 1 month later...

I finally decided that the spare tank that I had in the back of the garage would be a safer bet than the dodgy sealer tank. The outlet and the drain off valve were in different positions from my original tank. I waited for a week before deciding to cut new holes in the floor. This morning I measured very carefully and finally cut two holes. It went well.  

I then offered up the tank only to find that it is a different height and there is no room for the filler connection. So now I have new holes in the car and no petrol tank suitable. It looks like a choice 

  1.  Use the old tank with some feathered edges on the sealer. Two gallons were inside for two weeks and there was no contamination at all, when it was drained off.
  2. Find a new tank that fits with the outlet on the nearside and not in the middle, and where is a reliable supplier where the inlet lines up with the filler neck.

It is lucky that I do not need the car at the moment thanks to Covid.

Richard & B 

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Richard - if you send me a photo with dimensions of where you need the outlets to be, it will probably fit in with one of the options Alicool offer on their  various tanks for the early cars, and if not, I'm sure they will do a bespoke one for little if no more money but I doubt that will be necessary.

As for quality and fit, I am pretty confident you won't have problems provided your bodyshell is within tolerance and hasn't been badly chopped about in the past - to be sure, if you are worried about the position of the main inlet in relation to the hole in your rear deck, then again send some check measurements.

Cost is cheap as chips as per my previous PM!

Cheers Rich

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 I am still working on my fuel tank problems. It is lucky that I do not need the car to drive thanks to the weather and the lockdown .

Are there any other suppliers of custom built tanks ?  I have found Alicool and Compra . Has anyone bought a new tank which fits first time with no alterations ? I f they offer quality products and have my original tank to copy it should be a straightforward fit.  I put fuel tanks into Google and there are a lot of offers for motor cycle kits and custom cars but not much for TR 3.

There must be good news out there I just need a link to a real precision engineer. Please help :(

Thanks Richard & B

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10 hours ago, Yarm 783 said:

I fitted Alicool, to my TR6 and Defender, great product, good value...it’s gasoline, don’t mess about.

 

Exactly so which is why I hope you fitted a firewall before refitting the back board.

Stuart.

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