I managed to pull the tank before the rain came. I scraped off most of the epoxy and inspected visually. The only thing I can see is a rivet with a gap on one side, no cracks, the fittings look solid and everything seemed tight. Once I get some better weather I’ll test with some gas in the tank. Once I find the source of the leak I’ll coat the inside of the tank with POR15 tank sealer.

 

My fertilizer tank came with a battery powered pump. I probably worry too much, but I was afraid the switch on the pump might spark and be an issue--or the battery connections. Compressed air seemed like the perfect solution for moving volatile gas in an enclosed space. Good luck. The hardest part is threading the bolts for the support straps when you are putting the repaired tank back in place.

Jim

 

You can’t be too careful with gas, but I don’t think 3V battery power will cause a spark.

My tank is behind the seat, easy in and out once the seat and seatbelts are out.

 

I forgot your tank is behind the seat. Panel tanks are tucked in under the floor close to the driver's side running board. It's held in place with straps that are a devil to re-attach. I haven't really investigated, but my pump probably operates on 12v dc. Would a pump designed for fertilizer application be safe to use with gasoline? Thanks.

Jim

 

I really doubt that pump will work more than a few minutes on gas, it is surely designed with parts that are suitable for water-based solutions.

A 1/2"-dia. length of clear plastic tubing will siphon out the gas pretty quickly, and is easy to control.

Bob, I can't recall seeing those rivets on mine or others. I wonder if the outlet fitting is a piece that is riveted into the tank, with a gasket that is deteriorated? I would have expected it to be welded in. I'll get under mine to look.

 

Yeah, the original tank didn’t have those rivets. I can’t see it from the inside so I don’t know if there’s anything else holding it.

I also realized that since I plan on coating the inside of the tank, that’ll mean flushing the tank. Sometime soon I’ll flush it and fill it with water and look for the leak. Much safer than using gas. If it is in fact leaking from the rivets I’m sure I’ll be able to seal it up effectively.

 

The first tank we had in our 50, I tried the POR coating. Messiest thing I have ever done. I had that coating everywhere, including my hands, threads in the outlet, etc. I will never do that again.

I am a big fan of new tanks!

JB

 

I watched a video on YouTube and the guy didn’t spill a drop. My first thought was …yeah…that’s not gonna happen. 😂

I did a closer examination of the tank yesterday, looks like it’s already well coated inside so maybe I’ll skip the POR. I’ll still use water to check for the leak though, gas scares me.

 

Today’s saga…

I strapped the tank onto a couple of chairs for testing. note that with this tank the petcock wasn’t long enough for the gas line to clear the floorboard. I extended it with a nipple and coupler.

Then I …

1) plugged the outlet with an NPT plug using the aviation Permatex as Wayne suggested. Put about 5 gallons of water in and watched for leaks. No leak.
2) put the nipple and coupler in with the plug, again about 5 gallons of water, no leaks.
3) installed the petcock in place of the plug, 5 gallons of water, no leaks
4) just for added confidence I got a new nipple and coupler, installed them with the petcock, no leaks. Right now it’s sitting with water in the tank, a rag under the petcock so I can check it in an hour or so for leaks.

Observation, the Permatex allows me to screw up the fittings in easier and at least a few more turns. Like Greg said, it works as a lubricant and fittings go together much better than with the plumbers sealer I was using.

My suspicion is that the nipple simply would not screw in enough to get a tight seal. Using the Permatex allowed at least 2-3 more turns in without forcing. With the plumbers sealer I had to really crank on it to get it in, and I believe it never sealed completely.

Next steps, if there’s no leak after an hour or so, I’ll drain the tank and set it in the sun upside down to dry.

Damn this was a lot of work just to replace a leaking petcock.

 

Yeah, a bit of work, but the resulting confidence in the system will be worth it!

 

Thanks for the update Bob. So Permatex is better than plumbers dope.

Who did you buy your tank from? Do all their tanks have pet***** that are too short ?
edit: let me try this : pet*****es that are too short?
edit #2: you know what I mean...
​​​​​​

 

Bob, good job
Abe, are you tryin' to swear on this family friendly site???

 

Pet****, that’s funny. Beaver college in PA gets blocked with parental controls.

I bought the tank from an eBay seller, can’t remember who, but it was the same tank that LMC was selling for $100 more, and shipping was free as well.

As for the valve (pet****] being too short, I don’t think so. I put rubber blocks under my tank, probably a bit thicker than stock. That raised the tank 1/2”, just enough that the gas line rubbed the floor. The bend would’ve been too sharp so I decided to use the coupler. It worked fine for 3 years, until I took it apart to install a new valve as the old one was leaking at the valve stem.

Yes, I believe the Permatex is superior to the plumbers dope. They claim it’s a slow drying, non-hardening sealant where the plumbers dope is just a lubricant.

 

The saga is coming to an end.

After several hours of working with the leaf blower, heat gun and compressor, the tank is dry. I reinstalled it in the truck and added about 3 gallons of gas. NO LEAKS!!! I ran her in the driveway for maybe 10 minutes, enough time to draw fuel from the tank, and still no leaks.

I ran out of daylight so putting the seatbelts and seat back in will wait for tomorrow.