gas tank "nipple", J-B weld question.

[Xplorer82]

ok, in preparation of installing my new filler neck i had to pull the hose connections from the gas tank to the filler neck to find my other leak.

well when i pulled the thicker hose off, i discovered a horrible view.

my question is::: do you think j-b weld will fix this? the holes are not huge (might look it in the pics, did on my phone), i just will not fork out $235 for a new tank, nor do i want to take the task of dropping a pull-a-part tank and swapping them out as i have quite a bit of rust and with my luck will run into a ton of snags..

i have already bought some 2 part j-b weld and got a stick of J-B Stik for 50% off. i am just unsure which i should use. i have to do something though because what you see in the pics is my biggest leak i have.

any input is appreciated and as quickly as possible as i need to have the stuff done and ready to go by friday.

thanks in advance.

 

[IZwack]

My suggestion would be to either replace the tank or take it down and have it properly repaired (welding - but that in itself is a problem because of the gasoline/heat issue). But you said this isn't financially feasible so I guess at this point, you're choices are limited - so JB-Weld away. But a suggestion: maybe put something round inside the tank's port, aka a "plug", that's about the same size as as the port so as to minimize the chances of any JB-Weld dripping into the tank's main cavity. A plug can be as simple as a rolled up thick piece of paper (mailers or junk mail ads). Put a thin coating of petroleum jelly (Vaseline) on the surface of the plug before you put it into the tank's port and once the JB-Weld has set, pull the plug and you should be golden. Of course, cleanliness is important so stuff the port with a rag (to prevent dirt from getting in), use a wire brush to remove the rust scales, and then remove the rag.

 

[lounge lizard]

yes,

JB weld would work. you would have to get some thing on the inside that will form the tube.
like a gas resistant rubber hose that fits tot he inside of the metal tube.

then coat the outside and wait till it is fully cured before re assembly

 

[Joe Dirt]

I have seen instances where JB Weld softened when in contact with ethanol blends, so caveat there... Pure gas was fine.

 

[IZwack]

I have seen instances where JB Weld softened when in contact with ethanol blends, so caveat there... Pure gas was fine.

Good point. To counter this, there are some coatings / tank sealers that can help isolate JB-Weld from gasoline. But of course this raises the price of the repair a bit more.

 

[Joe Dirt]

Honestly- that's pretty gone, I don't know if I'd be trying to save that tank. Even at a pick 'n pull you should be able to find something a lot better. Even up here the tanks I've pulled haven't had rusted fittings like that, and a lot of the trucks were way gone with rust.

HERE is a thread on people having issues with JB Weld and ethanol blends, and some solutions in there, although a lot of the issues were sealing, not so much fittings. Just some reading though.

 

[Xplorer82]

My suggestion would be to either replace the tank or take it down and have it properly repaired (welding - but that in itself is a problem because of the gasoline/heat issue). But you said this isn't financially feasible so I guess at this point, you're choices are limited - so JB-Weld away. But a suggestion: maybe put something round inside the tank's port, aka a "plug", that's about the same size as as the port so as to minimize the chances of any JB-Weld dripping into the tank's main cavity. A plug can be as simple as a rolled up thick piece of paper (mailers or junk mail ads). Put a thin coating of petroleum jelly (Vaseline) on the surface of the plug before you put it into the tank's port and once the JB-Weld has set, pull the plug and you should be golden. Of course, cleanliness is important so stuff the port with a rag (to prevent dirt from getting in), use a wire brush to remove the rust scales, and then remove the rag.

thanks..
yeah i sanded up the surface and acetoned it. to be honest once i roughened up the surface to remove the scales and crap, the holes got much bigger. and i did plan on using something to form the inside to keep it as smooth as possible and to prevent it from getting in the tank.

i was also thinking of using the jb stik to fill in the holes, let that cure then use the 2 part jb weld to finalize the "weld" and make it as smooth as possible. plus it says its sandable, so i can always smooth it out to make sure i get a good seal at the rubber hose connection.

yes,

JB weld would work. you would have to get some thing on the inside that will form the tube.
like a gas resistant rubber hose that fits tot he inside of the metal tube.

then coat the outside and wait till it is fully cured before re assembly

thanks as well.

Honestly- that's pretty gone, I don't know if I'd be trying to save that tank. Even at a pick 'n pull you should be able to find something a lot better. Even up here the tanks I've pulled haven't had rusted fittings like that, and a lot of the trucks were way gone with rust.

HERE is a thread on people having issues with JB Weld and ethanol blends, and some solutions in there, although a lot of the issues were sealing, not so much fittings. Just some reading though.

i would love to swap tanks, but right now i am trying to avoid it as much as i can. and another thing i was thinking is, since i dont fill my truck up daily, it shouldnt soften up the jb weld that quickly. that would give me sometime to grab a tank later on and maybe swap it all over the winter or when i get my second truck.

i just dont know. going to think this over for the night. probably just end up jb'ing it and buying them hoses off you joe. i'll let you know bout those 2morrow for sure.


thanks for the help guys.

 

[Xplorer82]

Good point. To counter this, there are some coatings / tank sealers that can help isolate JB-Weld from gasoline. But of course this raises the price of the repair a bit more.

just saw his. was on my phone reading before... i will have to look into that sealer. i do not have a problem with spending the $ on it, just not $235 on a new tank when the rest of my tank is in pretty good shape..

thanks again IZ

 

[Xplorer82]

well, got the first coat on and sanded..

this is the J-B Stik... i will do one more thin coat of the stik then 1 smooth layer of the 2 part J-B Weld. I will also be tracking down some of that gas tank sealer to do the inside rim of the "nipple" to protect the J-B.

i will be scuffing up & cleaning the J-B Stik before i apply the (thinner) second coat..

hope all this effort pays off once i track down that tank sealer.

 

[lounge lizard]

it will at least buy you the winter (if not longer) to find a replacement tank for it at a better cost.

a long time back my sister had an accident where a car rear ended her 1968 mustang and punched a hole in the gas tank

I patched it with duct tape and two pieces of juicy fruit gum.

that patch held and never leaked for two years. soon as they tried to patch it with a gas tank patching kit it leaked all the time.

so you may find that this fix will last longer than the truck.

 

[IZwack]

Hey thats looking good.

 

[Joe Dirt]

Agreed- great job!

 

[Xplorer82]

thanks guys. yeah its looking pretty good. hopefully it'll hold up for awhile. if i do not notice any leaks or smells by winter time im just gonna ride it out till i do.

more pics...

2nd coat of J-B Stik, cured and sanded

with 2 part J-B weld.... right after i brushed it on. still wet. it's looking better as it dries..

(the off color on the bottom of the pic is light glare)

I might as well post some final pics 2morrow while i install the hoses and the new Filler neck (A+ to 1aAuto)

P.s. Joe, im going to see if that one hose i told you about will hold up. if not im paypal ready..

 

[Xplorer82]

to be honest once i roughened up the surface to remove the scales and crap, the holes got much bigger.

might as well post this picture up since i uploaded the rest from my phone and quote my words... they got Much Bigger...

 

[RomeovilleIL]

Very nice looking repair. A quick word of caution - that JB stick is good solid repair, but not flexible. Be careful not to clamp too tightly over the areas with no metal or it may crack.

I've found a small brush of indian head gasket sealer around the flange bulge makes a nice gas-proof seal hose/fitting connection when re-using the old ones. Otherwise kept getting small vapor leak codes.

 

[Xplorer82]

thanks for that tip. im planning on putting the clamp up at the top near the flare. i was wondering and thinking about that last night after i posted the pics and was examining them. great tip though and appreciated

also thanks for the tip on the indian head. i'll have to see if i can find some of that at the autozone up the road. i think i still got some free rewards $ left over (rewards paid for my new hose clamps and both kinds of J-B Welds as well, i love free stuff )

and you want to hear something pretty odd...... I never once had a code pop up for the multiple gas leaks between the filler neck and the tank nipple. I know my CEL works because i unplugged a EGR component one day while doing something under the hood(forgot to plug it back in) and i got a code right away for that, and that was not to long ago. never once got anything for my leaks. and the leaks were bad. every time i put gas in i would have 2 pretty big puddles under the truck.

o well, all is done, installed, just waiting to put the hoses over the nipples and clamp them on. not yet 24hrs for the full cure. might even wait till 2morrow morning to do it just for peace of mind.

 

[Xplorer82]

Engine meet fuel pressure.... i think you two will become very good friends... again..

i could not wait any longer to drive the truck. it has been down for ehh, 3 days total i think. i buttoned everything up around 8:30ish tonight and took it for a 65mile round trip and man, i did not realize how much fuel pressure i was missing. but how would i when i did not know how bad the leaks were in all actuality (especially the nipple leak).. i guess if i did a fuel pressure test at any point before the fix (within the last year i've noticed a decline little by little in power) i would have known how bad it was, but w/229,965k i thought maybe the truck was just getting sluggish finally........ Nope, big fuel pressure loss was the cause. it feels like a new truck to be honest. no force pedaling anymore.

i gave her a big 'ole pat-n-rub on the dash and put the pedal to the floor, and she thanked me in her own special way....

 

[yavapaires]

I guess I'm pretty stupid, but, how did fixing the leaks at the filler neck affect your fuel pressure? The tank isn't pressurized, the only pressure is in the fuel lines. The leaks would affect the vapor from the return fuel.

 

[Xplorer82]

I guess I'm pretty stupid, but, how did fixing the leaks at the filler neck affect your fuel pressure? The tank isn't pressurized, the only pressure is in the fuel lines. The leaks would affect the vapor from the return fuel.

it wasnt only "leaks at the filler neck" (where you put the pump nozzle), the main massive leak i had was at the actual tank.

i am not a "mechanic" and dont know much about fuel systems, so i could not give you a definite answer to your question. maybe someone else might chime in on the pressurized stuff, there had to be some kind of pressure loss at the tank tho.....

obviously the rubber hose that went over that nipple did not have a seal, yes at the flange bulge it did but them rust holes explain why when i filled up i had a big ass puddle under that spot (also puddle under fuel return line at filler neck where it connects to the rubber hoses) and explained the massive fuel smell after driving. which the fuel smell i thought was coming from the cracked and rusted filler neck all along since i did not know about the rusted out nipple at the time.

maybe im the "stupid one" and worded my last post wrong, But i Can tell you this, i have owned my truck for 7yrs and know how it drives on a daily basis. and the drive last night was the first time in a year (that i have noticed the fuel smell) that i did not have to pedal push my truck.