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Fuel tank sealer issues.
Big Stu - 8/12/12 at 06:36 PM

Hi All,

I made my fuel tank myself several years ago, and used some tank sealer that I got from Frosts in order to give my a bit more confidence that it would not leak.

Recently I have been getting fuel starvation problems with the car, and decided to have a look at the filters. These were ok however when I removed the hoses I found the pipes to be full of the tank sealer flakes. The outlets for the tank drop down from the top of the tank into a little swirl pot at the bottom.

I am guessing that most of the sealer material is now flaking off and floating around at the bottom of the tank. Do you think that I should get a new tank made in aluminium or somehow try and clean it out and re-coat the tank. (Tank currently mild steel).

Cheers

Stuart

rdodger - 8/12/12 at 06:48 PM

To avoid it happening again I can't see that using more sealant would help unless you could get all the old stuff off and use a different kind?

I would have a new ally tank made and forget about it.

steve m - 8/12/12 at 06:49 PM

i had similar issues on my home made tank, so went down the blingy alui route, and made it bigger,

Steve

designer - 8/12/12 at 06:56 PM

I sealed mine by painting it a coat fibreglass resin.

Big Stu - 8/12/12 at 07:07 PM

Any recommendations for someone to build a custom Ali tank?

mark chandler - 8/12/12 at 07:08 PM

In my experience once the sealant starts to break up the tank is doomed, you will just be cleaning filters going forward,at worst it will work its way forward and screw up something else.

Time for replacement

rdodger - 8/12/12 at 07:15 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Big Stu
Any recommendations for someone to build a custom Ali tank?


Bryn Allyfab.

http://www.allyfab.co.uk/

He will make one to your design or size. He makes them for MAC1 and MK I believe. He made mine baffled with a sump and 10mm plates on the top for fuel pump and sender.

The baffles are more like 3 compartments with tubes feeding the centre section so that whenever you are cornering fuel gets sent to the centre section and into the sump.

T66 - 8/12/12 at 08:52 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Big Stu
Any recommendations for someone to build a custom Ali tank?




Windle sidecars are in Mansfield, make a cardboard template of it, post them it and they will make it for you.


Ive seen their sidecars tanks, and they are very neat.

britishtrident - 9/12/12 at 10:35 AM

This is an age old problem WW2 era jerry cans were famouse for it there is a simple work around that was used in the 1970s when UK car manufacturers experienced the problem with paint flakes inside the tank. They introduce a screen filter inside the tank on the end of the fuel pick-up pipe. The filter was in effect self-cleaning because it gets washed by fuel.

When clear your existing lines and filters remember to disconnect the fuel pipes and blow the lines back against the direction of flow.

minitici - 9/12/12 at 10:44 AM

quote:
Originally posted by designer
I sealed mine by painting it a coat fibreglass resin.


I have heard that the higher ethanol content of the current fuels can attack polyester based fibreglass resins.