Fuel tank leaking

kpbeddin · Sep 20, 2011

I don't consider myself to be a demanding customer at all, but I would be very upset if I had been waiting 4 weeks for something as basic and necessary as a fuel tank with no known delivery date. I think I would give my dealer the courtesy of letting him know that I would be contacting LS myself for an explanation and a delivery date. I would also be asking them why I should consider LS at my next tractor purchase. We have all been here before, but in today's economy, the customer (or the company itself) should not tolerate anything less than crisp problem resolution and good customer service. Just my $0.02.

I have no memory · Sep 20, 2011

I agree kp

In many posts on here LS owners have issues and LS takes forever to get them parts. This simply is inexcusable.

ProdaddyTX · Sep 21, 2011

Yes, LS has been slower than we'd like to see on some parts orders due to the parts being on back order from Korea, but delivery time on in-stock items has improved a lot over the course of this year. They've also done a great job of getting parts to us quickly, when we've tagged an order as "Tractor Down"....that included a U5030 fuel tank last February. It's surprising to hear that an order has been in for a month and there's no eta....sounds like someone somewhere (maybe LS or maybe the dealer) may be dropping the ball or not fully disclosing info.

Gary, My suggestion would be to ask your dealer for more details as far as back order status, when exactly the part was ordered, etc...and ask them whether it was ordered "Tractor Down"?

ProdaddyTX · Sep 21, 2011

Gary Fowler said:
Well it it now going on 4 weeks now and still no word from LS on a new fuel tank. According to the dealer, he has checked with them but no estimate on delivery date. To top all this off, my other tractor starter quit on me. Now I am without a tractor at all. I guess I will try to get my Yanmar starter rebuilt and maybe that will go faster.

Gary, I just talked to LS parts and they said the U series tanks are in stock.... so something's amiss. If your local dealer can't help feel free to give us a call and maybe we can.

ProdaddyTX · Sep 21, 2011

Oooops, Gary, just saw in another thread that you have a P, not a U... well, I was trying to be helpful.

Gary Fowler · Sep 23, 2011

Wife called again this morning and all they could tell her was that it was back ordered from Korea and no ETA. I decided that I would try to patch the hole in the tank. I got it removed which was quiet simple to remove 2 band and the supply hose and return hose clamps. I took the tank into my shop, inverted it, cleaned it several times with acetone to remove all the diesel. I had some JB Weld on hand so I used that to patch all 4 holes that held the skid plate on although it appeared that only one (front inside one) was star cracked. I found some scrap angle iron frame from my old welding rod oven and I had some 4" flat bar so I decided to build a more substantial brush guard. I will get some photos of this after lunch and try to post them here. The guard isnt beautiful as some of the stuff I have seen here, but my scrap pile is very limited. I think it will work to keep sticks from hitting the tank. I welded it all to the frame that holds up the tank. By the way the back bracket that held the tank (two bolts) was loose so I had to tighten them up also.

Gary Fowler · Sep 23, 2011

Finally got the tank fixed and it seems to be holding for now. Got a few photos of the skid plate modification that I did. Trying to attach some photos

Gary Fowler · Sep 25, 2011

I had to go by the dealer looking for some male hydraulic quick connects for my FEL and he said the tank shipped Saturday from North Carolina so it should be in by Monday.
I am going to keep using my old tank with the JB Weld repair till it fails then put on the new one.

Gary Fowler · Sep 30, 2011

Last post just to let everyone know, the dealer called me today. The fuel tank is in. I just noted that this thread started 8/26 and tank arrived 9/30. Glad I wasnt using it commercially. 4 1/2 weeks to get a fuel tank that the manufacturer knows is problematic with leaks is way too long. I did manage to fix the old one with JB Weld last week and it seems to be holding so far. I guess I will keep the new one in storage till the original one starts leaking.

Short Game · Sep 30, 2011

I had a fuel tank leak that I repaired with JB Weld last for years. I coupled the JB with a screw, washers, and a nut to also block the hole. The leak came back, but it was close to ten years later.

I have no memory · Sep 30, 2011

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 · Sep 30, 2011

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 · Oct 1, 2011

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 · Oct 1, 2011

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 · Oct 1, 2011

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 · Oct 2, 2011

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 · Oct 2, 2011

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 · Oct 3, 2011

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 · Oct 3, 2011

Gary Fowler said:
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.