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Repairing metal gas tanks


FLRyder

Question

I developed a leak in my snowblower gas tank(B&S 8hp). I had put some duct tape between the tank and the mount, and it held moisture, causing exterior pitting. So I tried wirebrushing, and soldering with propane torch and 60/40, but it wouldn't take. I eventually brazed it to fix the leak, but it's an ugly repair. Any hints on making a decent repair on a thin metal tank?'

Thanks

Tom

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Take a piece of sheet steel a little bigger than the area and feather the edges. Coat the bottom side with JB weld and place over the area. Sand the excess JB weld till the edges blend and paint...Should outlast the rest of the tank.

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Do a search on here for +leak +tank for more info. Motorcycle shops sell this stuff called Kreme, if memory serves, that you can coat the interior of the tank with. To remove rust, some have suggested removing the tank, throwing in a handfull of nuts and strapping it the the wheel of another tractor. I might be wrong about the name as it seems like there was this and/or another product to coat tanks with. Brent.

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I just looked at some old posts. The stuff I was thinking of is called Kreem. The other product is POR15. Search for Kreem or por15 on this site for answers. BRent

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There are many products that work well. Here are two other options... I've used something called Alvin's Lab Metal to repair a tank on a 725. I did a search for the post on that repair and other ideas, here's the link.

http://www.simpletractors.com/club2/topic.asp?ARCHIVE=true&TOPIC_ID=18461&SearchTerms=Lab+Metal

I have recently also used a couple of the two part steel reinforced epoxy putty materials commonly available. Though I don't recall off the top of my head, I think they're fuel proof. I know that you can supposedly use them to repair a leak underwater. They are only about $3.50 for a tube maybe 4" long. You just pinch off a chunk and knead it to a uniform color and use it. I fixed the thermostat housing on my truck with this stuff....

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I always go to my Autoparts store and Get a tank repair kit... Apears to be Fiberglass, you clean the area and then you cut a piece of mat or cloth.. I have never used the mat I just use the cloth, and then you spread the resin over it and let it dry... it works good... I never had aproblem with it after that....

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I was at Advance Automotive today, they have gas tank repair stuff that's like the epoxy putty but smaller size, it was $2.98. The Epoxy putty was only $3.48 for about twice as much stuff, and it says it can be used for gas tank repair. It has two of my favorite features, cheap and easy.....

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The Kreem for gas tanks works GREAT, I used it on a CA Allis that was scaled with rust. I cleaned it with Muratic acid first and after it was clean I used the Kreem kit. Kreem is approved by FAA for airplanes, and those guys don't let any halfa** product in a plane.

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I'd use a lining product like Kreme, but the inside of the tank has no sign of rust or corrosion. The rust came from the outside. I think I'll go over the rest of the corodded area with the fiberglass/resin kit.

The blower worked like a champ ;) clearing the 14+ inches of snow today, but I when I changed the oil I saw some bad glistening stuff in it :(... but no fuel leak.

Maybe I can figure a way to mount a snowblower to my CFC20!?

Thanks to all-

Tom

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