Fuel tank leaking

[I have no memory]

Gary,
Glad to hear you got your new tank and I agree 1 month is WAY to long. For farm equipment I've never had to wait more than a week for parts and usually could get them quicker if I wanted to pay for shipping.

Personally I'd put your new tank on the tractor and put the patched one in storage for a few reasons:
-How does JB weld respond to Biodiesel? The filter should catch it if it dissolves but why risk it?
-I patched a gas tank on my Blazer and it's not a matter of if but when will it fail. How many gallons will you loose when it fails and how much will fuel be at that time?
-If your like me storage can be at a premium. What if your tank gets moved, ran over, played with and damaged, (grandkids/kids), it'll be for moot.

Just my .02.

 

[Vector]

i'm wondering if this is a problem that i'm having. losing power, i think the fuel is good, i've changed the filters, but maybe i have a loose sending unit, and got some water in the tank. my fuel gauge almost never operates, is this a clue? thanks, V

 

[Gary Fowler]

Cant comment much on loosing power other than to check your air filter also. Loss of power can be as much air starvation as fuel.
Regading the JB Weld and fuel compatability, I dont think that is an issue as most epoxys are tolerant to just about all chemicals. I dont think any got inside the tank anyway as it was just a star crack that weeped around the factory embedded nut. I put JB Weld on all four nuts just to be safe. At worse case, it will just drip slowly when it starts leaking. I have it parked now so I can readily see if it starts to drip again.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Water in the tank should not affect the function of the fuel gauge, but it needs to be removed. Most likely you have a gremlin in the wiring like on my tractors tachometer/fuel gauge. It works and then it dont and then it does again. I spoke to the dealer on this right after I got it and he could only say that if it quits he can fix it but if it is working, then he cant. The stupid thing comes and goes all the time and I can never tell when it will work and when it wont. I dont think there is anything worse to fix than an intermittent electrical short.

 

[Short Game]

I don't think that JB Weld is fuel tolerant over the long run. It seems to morph into something else and shrink. That's what I saw when I used it. But, that was with gasoline, not diesel. Your mileage may vary.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Well, I suppose the durability of the JB Weld will remain a mystery. The dealer wants the old tank back ASAP. That would be a while since I filled it full of fuel in order to empty my storage tank as much as possible. I will for sure not return it in less than 5 weeks or until the dealer decides on how he is going to fix my tach issue with the recurrent work/no work problem. They insist that I have to take the tractor to their shop (60 miles away) and let them search for the problem rather than just replace the instrument cluster. That trip will cost me at least $200 for transport as I dont have a trailer large enough to haul it.
That is an issue for another thread.
Note: The new tank came complete with fuel gauge and a new bracket to install in order to bolt on the skid plate. I think I will just leave my home made solid steel skid plate in place as it is much better than the little 10-12" skid plate supplied

 

[Short Game]

I've got a huge JB Weld test coming up this winter. I'm going to try totally coating the bottom of the water jacket on my K3M Mitsubishi to repair a freeze crack that I can't see. The engine is out of production and I haven't been able to find one anywhere. It was a great little engine that used little fuel. If I can restore it, I get my foamed tires and better loader back in operation. While the LS does some jobs better, the Cub Cadet (Mitsubishi) does many as well or better on much less fuel, and it goes anywhere with no fear of flat tires. I sure hope I can pull this off. The crack I'm trying to fix is on the pressure side of the oil pump. I'll need a perfect bond with the JB to keep the oil from finding a way past it.

 

[Gary Fowler]

If you can get all the gunk (oil antifreeze et) removed and rough it up a bit with a sand blaster or something, I think it will work. I repaired a broken crankcase on a motorcycle once with it and it held.

 

[Short Game]

If you can get all the gunk (oil antifreeze et) removed and rough it up a bit with a sand blaster or something, I think it will work. I repaired a broken crankcase on a motorcycle once with it and it held.

Unfortunately, the only access to the water jacket is through two freeze plugs. I have flushed it a couple times with mineral spirits, but it is still rusty. I plan to flood the bottom with Naval Jelly to convert the rust to ferric phosphate first. Then flush it again and dry it, then line the area near the main fore-and-aft oil drillway with sticks of brazing rod for rebar and then bury that in JB Weld. Doing everything through the freeze plug holes will make it a tricky job.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Sounds like you have a plan. You're going to need a boat load of JB Weld for that. Good luck on your repair.