Ok......some lowlife rodents......came to visit last nite.....and drained my gas tank.....buy drilling a 3/8" hole in the bottom.

I'm exploring my repair.... or replace options......

03 Ranger 4.0......with polyethylene tank...

Looks like the replacement tank will be a dealer item.....haven't priced it yet.....I'm sure it's going to be $400...or more....

Junkyard.(used parts)..is an option...

I've done some internet research.....and from what I've read.......Permatex and JB Weld tank repair kits...are NOT for plastic gas tanks...

Plastic welding is.an option.....and there may be some miracle putty...in the marine industry.....that may work...

Anybody here have any input?

 

Wow, that's one way to steal gas I guess?

Get one at a junkard my dude, don't mess around with putties and other quick fixes.

 

Hard to find at junk yards they get holes in them, from the fork lifts

You can Plastic weld these to make them good as new, thats how they put the two halves together

I would get a short self tapping screw larger than the 3/8 hole size and some sealant to do a temp fix.

Then google plastic welding gas tank repair, you can DIY it but call around and see how much it would cost, to get it done with correct tools and plastic

 

[QUOTE=RonD;2146955

You can Plastic weld these to make them good as new, thats how they put the two halves together

I would get a short self tapping screw larger than the 3/8 hole size and some sealant to do a temp fix.

[/QUOTE]

I had already given some thought to a self tapping screw.....perhaps a cladding screw...with a bonded washer......Any ideas on a gasoline / ethanol resistant sealant?

 

Its temporary so any automotive sealant will work, non-hardening

 

OK....just for the record...

I've contacted JB Weld...and Permatex support.......and apparently...we are dealing with 2 difficult things....

There is not much in JB Welds catalog...that will stick to polyethylene permanently......due to expansion and contraction....

And Permatex has nothing that ethanol won't eat through....

They suggested a Gasola product....called E-seal.....but it's an oil patch product.....and a small container will cost me about 1/2 what a used tank from the wreckers will......so it's time to get off my butt....and drop the tank...

Isn't technology GREAT?.........We were able to put a man...on the moon.....almost 60 years ago.......but NO simple fix...for a plastic gas tank...

 

Plastic welding is the only permanent fix, and you can DIY it if you want, that's the technology that makes plastic gas tanks and other containers possible

Same things happened to metal gas tanks, they were actually worse as far as leaking, obviously if someone drills a hole in it it would leak too, lol, but metal tanks rusted at the seems or would get hit by road debris, and didn't hold up as well as plastic

 

Trying to post a picture....and not having much luck....

 

Decided to try "temporary repair"......before I pull the tank.

I thought about this way too much...but I'm retired....and have time to play...

I used a 1/8 x 2" metal toggle bolt...(hollow wall anchor)..

Picked up some neo-bonded washers from Ace hardware.

One fit snug over the bolt....and I put the next biggest size bonded washer on top of the smaller one.....Threaded the toggle head on.....gooped the washers with Seal all....pushed the toggle in and tightened it up...

Waited for the Seal-all to set....and re-gooped the whole thing....

waited for 24 hours....and added about a gallon of gas......24 hours later......added 4 more gallons......24 hours later......still dry...as a bone...

Seal-all was highly recommended by several people....so I gave it a whirl...

According to my research...neoprene IS methanol resistant.....and hopefully that is what is sealing the bolt...to the tank

I will update in a week...

 

Good work

Its more a weather thing that makes this temporary

Outside temp changes cause all things to expand and contract, we just don't notice it that much

Different type of materials expand and contract at different rates, this is why heating up or cooling down stuck bolts works, the bolt material and the thread material are different metals so expand and contract at different rates

So this temporary seal will last as long as the temp stays consistent, for this reason I would not run below 1/4 tank, as refilling tank with COLD gasoline is a temp change for the whole tank

The tank also has the EVAP system which creates a negative pressure in the tank, this is good and bad, lol, good for the environment bad to the temporary seal
Any pressure even negative pressure will try to pull air IN thru that seal, if it does then when engine is off, gasoline can flow OUT that opening in the seal

Read up on plastic welding, uses same material so expands and contracts at the same rate

 

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, BUT. The gas tank is no longer available through the blue oval

 

I was pretty much ready....to buy a junkyard tank....and put it in....but.....there is a distinct possibility that.....the gas thieves MAY come back.....

With my toggle bolt fix.....I'm basically buying some time...

I realize the issue with the plastic (polyethylene tank).....the temp. related expansion/contraction of the plastic.....is where adhesion problems will occur.....SO...if the Seal all has some joint movement....and actually IS methanol resistant.....my repair may last awhile...

 

It will certainly last awhile that's for sure, problem isn't that, problem is the "when" it will start to leak, lol.

Maybe a year or two, or three, and you've put it out of your mind, best case is you smell gasoline when walking up to the truck, middle case is you start up truck and notice gas gauge down to empty.
WORST case is someone tosses a cigarette and.....................well not a good thing.

 

For fun and giggles, I checked eBay.

If your local wrecking yard has it for cheaper, I would go that route.

2001-2003...$150 free shipping
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Fuel-Tank-A...8373:rk:4:pf:0

I don't know if the dimensions are the same, but 2004-2011...$148 free shipping
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Fuel-Tank-R...506:rk:40:pf:0

I despise thieves. I hope your temp repair holds until you get the thing replaced.

Best of luck!

 

this isnt on my ranger but but i do have experience with a leaking plastic gas tank.On my 20 year old SUV. 2001 ford escape, the fuel tank straps rusted through. the tank dropped down enough that the driveshaft wore through the metal protective skin and then through the plastic tank far enough that you can see a white layer through the black layers of plastic. there was no hole but gas actively seeped through this wearspot. ive tryed everything that i know of to patch/seal the leak from seal-all to jb weld plastic tank repair to blue steel plastic bonder and they all would fail within a few days. i work at a big box hardware store so i see a lot of sealants and adhesives. This leak persisted for the past 6 months so i would have to limit how much gas i could put in the tank or end up with a gas puddle underneath my SUV. I was willing to try anything and read as much as i could on the subject and then i saw a product that has nothing to do with plastic tanks or gasoline leaks. i bought this stuff and decided to try an experiment so i pierced a hole into the bottom of an empty ibuprofen bottle with a knife and applied this sealant over the hole and let it dry overnight. The next morning i filled the bottle with gasoline and set it on a folded up papertowel so i could easily see if it leaked. i left it on my desk for three weeks and it is currently still there and not leaking. 8 days ago on march 2nd i cleaned the leaking area on the tank and made sure there was very little fuel in the tank and applied the sealant to the wearspot while on my lunch hour. i waited until the next day, approx 24 hours and put in enough gas that i knew was over the spot that had been leaking and have continued to do that for the past 8 days and still no leak or seepage. The sealant that finally did the trick ?? loctite pl marine sealant that i bought at lowes.