Fuel tank leak

[Destroked 450]

I had posted about a fuel tank leak in the Ford section
Today I cleaned the tank some and found 4 holes in the bottom, the area looks like it has corrosion from water, also retrieved a thin piece of metal from the tank

I’m debating brazing up the bottom of the tank but remember a thread about some type of tank sealer possibly from NAPA
My concern on brazing is possible blew thru, a small patch is another option but one hole is close the a seam

Any recommendations?
Tank is from a 5600 Ford

 

[Janicholson]

Copper strip cut to cover that area then solder the strip to the tank 450watt iron needed. Acid core 50/50 solder. Then clean outside and inside. Jim

 

[bc]

No but if that piece is copper then it is what is left of the gas gauge float.

 

[wore out]

I had posted about a fuel tank leak in the Ford section
Today I cleaned the tank some and found 4 holes in the bottom, the area looks like it has corrosion from water, also retrieved a thin piece of metal from the tank
View attachment 80064
I’m debating brazing up the bottom of the tank but remember a thread about some type of tank sealer possibly from NAPA
My concern on brazing is possible blew thru, a small patch is another option but one hole is close the a seam
View attachment 80065

Any recommendations?
Tank is from a 5600 Ford

I would solder it with StaBrite or similar silver-bearing solder.

MUCH tougher than 50-50, and easy to work with.

 

[Destroked 450]

No but if that piece is copper then it is what is left of the gas gauge float.

It’s metal

 

[stevieb49829]

Poke around with an awl in suspicious places out away from your holes. There may be more that aren't quite all the way through yet. A brass strip will work as good as copper. But get the tank and patch shiny clean. I really like Scotch brand discs for getting a good soldering surface.

Sculpt the patch to match the tank contours and tin the patch and the tank with solder first. If the solder doesn't flow out on both pieces, it's not clean and shiny enough, or your torch is getting it too hot. Leave the bumps of solder from tinning and then when the patch is hot enough it will settle into the molten solder. If it doesn't flow out around the patch edges, add just a touch more solder so it climbs up the edge of the patch. I like plain old lead solder, and a really good soldering paste. I struggle with acid core solder, maybe because what I'm using is 100 years old, or so. Silver solder will work too, like wore out suggests, but on a broad patch like yours without stress on it, lead solder will work without the extra cost. Afterall, there are millions of radiator necks and accessories soldered on with lead solder.

The problem with any type of goop to patch it is you will always be waiting for it to leak again.

 

[john in la]

In my opinion that tank is done for.
The metal is so rusted it is very thin and rusting through.
Seal up one hole today only to have a new hole next week an inch away.
Your best bet is to line the inside with a liquid sealer like Por 15.
If you try Por 15 make sure you get the kit that includes the cleaner primer and sealer and follow the instructions to the letter.

 

[bc]

If all else fails then put liquid steel on the outside after sanding it real good. Might have to cover a large area and maybe another coat.

 

[Fixingfarmer]

I was surprised but it looks like you have alot of options for a brand new replacement tank. I wouldn’t do any repair to it and risk having to do it twice. Some brand new ones appear to be less than 150 dollars ASAP PART NUMBER 103895 looks like one possibility.
Coming from the green side where a used fuel tank costs 350 I’d take that and run with it.

 

[rustred]

I had posted about a fuel tank leak in the Ford section
Today I cleaned the tank some and found 4 holes in the bottom, the area looks like it has corrosion from water, also retrieved a thin piece of metal from the tank
View attachment 80064
I’m debating brazing up the bottom of the tank but remember a thread about some type of tank sealer possibly from NAPA
My concern on brazing is possible blew thru, a small patch is another option but one hole is close the a seam
View attachment 80065

Any recommendations?
Tank is from a 5600 Ford

Well I dont suppose u looked in the tank with a light such as ur phone to actually see how bad this rust is ? So I will throw my suggestion out there too. I would buy some metal and cut it to match the whole underside of the tank with it coming up an inch of two on each side. Then get some devcon , it’s like jb weld but better. Smear the whole bottom of the tank with it and then apply the new bottom. Then add heavy flat weights on top to get a good seal. Leave it for 2 days and done deal. Not even going there with the soldering on this as few people are experienced in good soldering jobs. And if u know what I mean then you would have it fixed already. I have soldered patches on leaking gas tanks with the gas still in them. Just no open flame !!!

 

[olddavid]

I was surprised but it looks like you have alot of options for a brand new replacement tank. I wouldn’t do any repair to it and risk having to do it twice. Some brand new ones appear to be less than 150 dollars ASAP PART NUMBER 103895 looks like one possibility.
Coming from the green side where a used fuel tank costs 350 I’d take that and run with it.

Just be aware that sometimes the new tank is set up to work for differing models and may require some modifications. Case in point; I bought a new tank for my TE-20 and found that the outlet was farther back. Not a big deal, I put in a longer fuel line (actually used steel brake line). Also I believe the tank was taller than the original as I had to shim the hood up a bit. Big plus though is it's an all new tank and shouldn't cause trouble for a long time. Alternately, I think they still sell gas tank repair kits at the auto parts stores. It comes with a fiberglass mesh and epoxy. I used one on a car tank once and it held up very well.

 

[Destroked 450]

I sprayed the inside of the tank with brake clean and then flushed it with water, then shined a bright led work light in the fill hole while looking in the fuel sender hole. That’s how I seen the corrosion in the bottom, located the holes by shining that light at the bottom from outside.
I did check on new tanks today and found so amazing cheap prices so I’ll probably be ordering a new tank, looks like the same tank was used on a number of the 4 cylinder models from 65 - 90
Meanwhile I have another tank from a 7000 model I was saving for a future built project, I’ll use it on the 5600 after a good cleaning to get that tractor ready to cut some 2nd cutting hay once this weather front passes
Since we have 3 tractors that use this same tank I may just order 2 new ones, one for the project and other as a spare, not sure if I’ll try to patch the old tank or send it out with the next load of scrap, may look into the coatings some more but the ones I’ve found are half the new of a new aftermarket tank

 

[caterpillar guy]

I would do one of a couple options either cut out the bottom and replace with a welder so no soldering and all new bottom or have it lined. 30 Years ago I had the tanks in a pickup done with that gastank renezit and is still holding yet was a bit costly but those long tanks were not cheap at the time either. I like the replacing the whole bottom if I had the time the weld seem will polish down clean and smooth when done.

 

[showcrop]

I would cut out a rectangle large enough to ensure that I was cutting out all of the thin steel, then cut and butt-weld in a new piece.

 

[Hobo,NC]

I sprayed the inside of the tank with brake clean and then flushed it with water, then shined a bright led work light in the fill hole while looking in the fuel sender hole. That’s how I seen the corrosion in the bottom, located the holes by shining that light at the bottom from outside.
I did check on new tanks today and found so amazing cheap prices so I’ll probably be ordering a new tank, looks like the same tank was used on a number of the 4 cylinder models from 65 - 90
Meanwhile I have another tank from a 7000 model I was saving for a future built project, I’ll use it on the 5600 after a good cleaning to get that tractor ready to cut some 2nd cutting hay once this weather front passes
Since we have 3 tractors that use this same tank I may just order 2 new ones, one for the project and other as a spare, not sure if I’ll try to patch the old tank or send it out with the next load of scrap, may look into the coatings some more but the ones I’ve found are half the new of a new aftermarket tank

I have replaced a boat load of fuel tanks for auto/light trucks. Cheap tanks do not last long the only place I have had good luck is from gastanks.com they are made of NI-Terne steel. I have replace a dozen are more tractor tanks with the cheap tanks I brought on line. The jury is still out on how long they last. I replaced a tank on a Ford 555? a few years ago with a new one it worked but the fit was horrible.

I would buy a new tank again if I had the time I would use Red coat in the new tank to ensure it lived a long happy life. I have always used Por-15 I would not rule it out. I have not used Red coat I have seen it used in tractors I have worked on and was impressed so I would like to try it. I would first fit the new tank up then clean and coat it.

To clean and coat a tank correctly is time consuming : (

 

[Blackhole49]

I repaired holes like that in my fist 8n tank. I used t pieces of furnace duct metal glued on with SealAll. wedged them in place and let them set for 24 hrs. They were still on the tank when I sold the tractor 13 years later.