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Fuel Tank Leak

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fuel gas tank
2K views 16 replies 6 participants last post by  HDWildBill 
#1 ·
Wouldn't you know it, just when I thought I was going to get to use the new winch setup on the tractor today the tractor dies. So I check the gas tank and it's empty and I'm thinking I just filled the tank before we left on vacation so... anyway I put gas in it and then I hear the gas fall under the tractor.

Well I get the tractor over at the shop and see it is coming from the side of the tank, which is located under the seat and rear fender cowling. Well sure enough the left side of the tank had ruptured at the seam and has 3 good size cracks running from it.

Checking on the internet it appears that this is a common failure for my model Craftsman. The tank is plastic and I read were one person used a repair kit on his but then others have just replaced the tank. Does anyone have any experience with repairing a plastic gas tank and if so how well does it work? Any advise would be appreciated. Thanks Bill
 
#4 ·
Bill I believe there are plastic fuel tank repair kits but maybe if the plastic is falling apart it might not hold anyway ,Al
 
#5 · (Edited by Moderator)
Good news, a buddy called this evening, I think he was bored wife and kids are out of town, anyway we were talking and I told him what happened so he says come on over I have a craftsman with a sized engine I'm parting out. It has an under the seat gas tank so see if it will fit. I'm going over Friday to pull it and see if I can make it work. Amazes me how sometimes things just work out.

Thanks for the advice, I was leaning towards a replacement.
 
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#7 ·
Glad to here you found a replacement. I have used the plastic repair kits from auto parts stores on a few things with good success. But it does make them very stiff. I even fixed a radiator tank with it. Sounds like your gas tank was a bit far gone for a fix though. Make sure your gas cap vent is open, that may have led to your tank failing. (ie; pressure build up) When I had the tank off the GTV, I glued some new rub strips on it. It fit rather loosely and needed something to keep from wearing into the tank.
 
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#9 ·
If the tank has reached the point where the plastic is breaking down due to age then it's best to replace it. As plastic ages it looses it's...plasticity or it's plasticness I guess and becomes brittle and begins to physically break down. Some materials seem to be better than others at lasting a long time. It sounds like you may have the answer at hand!
 
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#10 ·
I'm champing at the bit to got out and get the replacement tank, but I had a mole removed on my back this morning and the Doc and the boss have said I had to take it easy today.
I personally don't using an air ratchet and some wrenches would be a big deal but to keep the peace I promised to be a good boy.
 
#11 ·
Always best to follow the bosses wishes, even if you think they are wrong! SWMBO has the final say!
 
#12 ·
Well I knew it was to good to be true. Same model tractor but wrong year. The gas tank from my friend won't work on mine so I will be ordering a tank tonight
We also found several other cracks on the same side but forward on the tank so it is best just to be replaced. Thanks for everyones suggestions / comments.
 
#13 ·
Sorry to hear this, Bill! Hope the replacement isn't too much nor too long getting there!
 
#15 ·
New tank finally arrived today, installed it this afternoon and got to play with my new winch setup leveling the driveway. Man do I like not having to lift that blade and a bonus is I can raise it just a tad and use it for spreading out a pile. I love the control it give me over the blade.
 
#16 ·
Glad you got it all fixed . It sounds like the winch is doing a good job. I wish I had better control over the hydraulic lift on my sleeve hitch. It's very touchy and almost impossible to make small adjustments like you are talking about.
 
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#17 ·
I thought I would update this thread, As previously mentioned I did replace the tank and all is well, but I also decided to get the cheap version of HF plastic weld kit and just play with the old tank and see if I could fix it. Well the out come is mixed results. I was able to fix most of the cracks, especially the big ones but the main rupture was at the seam with the cracks extending out from the seam and although I could get it to a drop every couple of minutes the bottom line is I couldn't get the seam to seal up using in water.

This being said since I haven't done this before it could be my technique causing the problem since each time I tried to seal the leak I would fix that leak but cause another. Also if you put sealer inside the tank I would think that would fix it.

I may revisit this later and see if I can get it sealed up, but the weld kit does work and it could be used in a pinch or for something that doesn't contain a liquid.
 
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