Leaking Fuel Tank

[philmeup1]

Hello folks,

A few weeks ago I posted about hard starting on my van. It was suggested that I may have some fuel lines that need to be replaced. I just got back from a trip to Jamaica, and finally getting around to dealing with this issue now.

I took my van to my local Volkswagen dealer as I have a friend who works on it there. It turns out the tank about halfway back near the sliding door is leaking at the seam half way up the tank. As we all know how skanky diesel fuel is, this is quite a problem. I've been working on sourcing a new tank, and actually found one on ebay-UK. It appears the tank is in Germany, and is listed for $100 GBP. The problem is that it doesn't specify which tank it is, and I'm not sure if they ship to Canada. Steven at Rising Sun has a decent used one, but the shipping to Ontario is ridiculously expen$ive!!
I can also get the tank repaired locally, but that's stupidly expen$ive too!!

Summer is quickly coming to an end here in Southern Ontario. I'm hoping to use my van this weekend for the last long weekend of the summer. As whatever I decide to do is going to take at least a few weeks to happen, I'm wondering if I can drain the fuel to below the halfway point on the tank (where the leak is) and continue to drive it with a minimal amount of fuel inside to avoid further leaking? I started to read up on how the twin tanks work and just got confused. I know this is absolutely not the way to deal with this problem. But can it work until I fix the problem properly with another fuel tank in the coming weeks?

Any advice here would be greatly appreciated:)

Phil

[deskinthewoods]

You've said before that you are not mechanical but you could give something like this a try:

https://www.amazon.ca/Versachem-90180-H ... B002N5JAO2

• Permanently repairs gasoline and diesel fuel tank leaks

• Repairs leaks in less than 20 minutes

• Set time: 8-10 minutes; Cure time: 1 hour

• Repairs pinholes, rust-outs, hairline cracks and holes up to 1/2" in diameter

• No draining and no welding required

Sounds good to me!

(I've never used this stuff or repaired a fuel tank myself but anytime I read "stupidly expen$ive", I'm willing to give anything else a try.)



Barring that, you could just camp out in the Deli in your front yard for the rest of the summer...

[Growlerbearnz]

I swear by POR15 Fuel Tank Sealer, as long as you follow the instructions. (https://www.por15.com/POR-15-Fuel-Tank-Sealer). You also need Cleaner/Degreaser (https://www.por15.com/POR-15-Cleaner-Degreaser) and Metal Prep (https://www.por15.com/POR-15-Metal-Prep).

When I added the extended fuel tank and modified the middle tank I didn't bother to weld up every single pinhole, just got it close and used Fuel Tank Sealer. I've used it on all sorts of fuel tanks over the years and none have come back for repair yet!

You have to get every trace of diesel out of the tank. Use lots of very hot water, a slosh of cleaner/degreaser, scrubbing brushes on sticks and rags, and repeat as many times as you can. It should take a few hours.
Then apply the Metal Prep as specified, rinse, and let the tank dry for a couple of days. I use an old hairdryer to keep the air circulating.

When you apply the tank sealer, take your time to drain as much out of the tank as you can- you don't want a thick puddle to form, thick deposits can break off. Turn the tank every 30 minutes or so as it dries to let the dribbles/thick spots distribute themselves evenly. Don't use a hairdryer or airflow to dry the Sealer, if you force dry it it forms a skin, and then solvent under the skin causes bubbles. Just let it dry at its own rate. It's safest to leave it for a week to cure thoroughly.

[philmeup1]

Thanks for the responses fellas. I've heard amazing things about that Por 15 stuff.

Something else I forgot to ask is whether or not the two fuel tanks are the same size and shape? The new one that's listed on ebay doesn't specify this.

Anyway, I've had my mechanic suck the fuel out of the tank so it's now below the halfway seam where it's leaking. He used this machine called a "Gas Guzzler" that he had at work. It looked like it was right out of the 70's which I thought was very fitting!! lol.

If anyone has info on the difference between the two tanks, I'm all ears:)

Cheers,

Phil

[Ralph in Winnipeg]

There's a product called Seal All, you can buy it at Princess auto and maybe Canadian tire. It seals leaking tanks even if the fuel is dribbling out a pinhole. Lasts quite a while too!

[Growlerbearnz]

The two tanks are completely different shapes, and have different connections. The front tank is rectangular, the rear tank is squarer but deeply scalloped to avoid the driveshaft.

http://www.delica.ca/forum/viewtopic.php?f=91&t=17225

...I'm guessing you haven't tried sticking your head under the van and looking, it's pretty clear even with the tanks installed.

[philmeup1]

I've had my head underneath the van lots over the years, but it's currently at the VW Dealership and I couldn't remember what they looked like. I saw that awesome post you shared Growler while poking around on the internet earlier today.

Unfortunately, the tank that's for sale on ebay in the UK is the rear tank, I'm quite certain. It's got that scalloped bottom you described and it's more squarish than the front one.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/Fuel-Tank-MITS ... 1300&rt=nc

I'll try sealing it up for now and perhaps get a good used one from Rising Sun and have it sent snail mail at hopefully a cheaper cost.

It's funny, people always ask me what it's like getting parts for my van. My response is always, No problem, unless.......

[Growlerbearnz]

Yup, that Ebay tank is the rear tank