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Plastic gas tank repair?


steve-wis

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Helping out a friend, had a gas leak in his Sabre mower. Seems as tho the tank had a hole in it from the factory and it was patched. Had a kind of glue in the hole and a pc. of clear tape over the fix. Can this be repaired? Here are some pics.....








Thanks for any advice. The guy isn't rich and I would rather not buy a new tank. Steve
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Does that rub against anything? If it doesn't I'd try an epoxy that's impervious to gasoline. I had done a couple of highway cars where you cleaned the rust of the tank and mix a two epoxy composed like cookie dough and mixed til it got gray and then applied it to the tank. Held up quite awhile.
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quote:
Originally posted by steve-wis
Bob, Did you do a metal tank or a plastic one? This one is plastic. Steve
Steve I did steel, but would think it would do a good job on plsctic also. Check at Farm and Barn in automotive section.
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Automotive Goop or E-6000 are the same and they stick well to plastic. You have to get that really clean with electrical cleaner that leaves no residue. Check the gas cap that it vents. I have run into a few of these and the Scotts brand identicle to this Saber that do not vent and they suck the tank sides in until it shuts down.
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JB weld should work. i have used a two part epoxy soft strip on my mustang plastic windshield washer reservoir. been holding for 20+yrs. just make sure the product can handle gas. there is a little yellow tube of seal-all that has been around for ever that works good. buddy repaired his trans-am gas tank with it.
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Thanks for the advice to all, going to Fleet Farm in a bit to see what they have. Will post pics of the repair later on. Steve
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Well, Fleet Farm has nothing that doesn't say "not for gas tanks" so will go to my simplicity dealer tomorrow. They are also a hardware store that has about everything you can imagine, so am guessing they should have something if there is something to be had. Also, a correction, he bought this mower a year or two old from that same dealer "they carry Simplicity and John Deere" so am guessing they patched it before reselling it used. Steve
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I patched a plastic fuel tank on a mid seventies snowmobile when a gremlin mischievously punched a hole during removal. sm00 I left the tank empty for a week with the lid off to evaporate all the fumes. I found a heavy piece of ABS plastic laying around in the shop. Using a heat gun I heated the tank until the plastic was soft. As fast as I could I used a propane torch to melt a small piece of the ABS plastic and placed it in the hole. I worked the two pieces together until they cooled. The first two times it didn't take, the plastic were not close enough in temperature to "blend". The third time I got them to blend together. I built up several layers getting wider and wider each time. The patch was on a corner and on a seam. It worked well and does not leak. I did pressure test the patch/tank and could not force it to leak. It has held for a year now. You can tell it was patched and it not pretty but it works. I am not sure this was the best way or smartest way to repair this tank but I was confident I was going to have to replace the tank anyway so I had nothing to lose. Hope this helps 8)
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Found a product on line called seal all, says it is ok with gas and should work on a plastic gas tank. Going shopping today to see what I can find. Steve
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Found Seal All at the hardware store, cleaned the tank good, used a rough file to rough up the surface around the hole, and put the stuff on. Will cure in a few hours. Instructions say you can put tape over the fix and then put a coat over that to help hold it all together, so will do that after first coat cures. Will take pics as soon as camera battery charges. Steve
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I've used Seal-All for years on plastic tanks. It works like the directions say it will, be sure of CLEAN plastic, though. I am still using a Ryan string trimmer that has patches on it, and has for about 15 years(I got a lot of spare parts for the one I had at an auction). I patched the tank before I met Seal All with a plastic welding tip on a soldering iron and part of a detergent bottle made of similar plastic. Did it like soldering , put the patch down, then heated the edges until the plastics melted together. I did have to patch a couple of the patches when I didn't move the tip fast enough and made new holes on the edge of the patches, though
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Here are pics of the repair, although I didn't get any after I put tape over it and recovered with two more coats of Seal All. Tractor is now returned and will see how long it goes. Steve






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