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Yes, I'm not joking. I was installing a 12V-5V USB converter to allow me to charge my GoPro camera during my track sessions, and chose an unfortunate spot. In my defense, it was on the opposite side of the car from where the gas tank is located, so it didn't even enter my mind that the tank could be behind the panel I was drilling into. The pictures below show the spot I drilled the hole:
I stuck a tooth pick into the hole to allow readers of this thread to see the location of the hole better. It's a very small hole, so it should be easy to patch, but it's in a hard-to-reach location, at the very top left of the tank, and I don't have access to it without moving the tank to some degree. So, it seems that I have two options: I could either loosen the tank's mounting straps, hopefully allowing me to move it enough to get access to the hole, or cut a larger hole in the panel where I drilled the hole (stuffing a protective plate between the body and the tank first!) to allow access to the tank from inside the car. It's a track car, so I don't care too much about the aesthetics, but still, this second option is a little ugly.
So, my question is, has anyone here ever removed their gas tank? I don't want to remove it completely, because I understand that involved dropping the transaxle. But I'd like to understand how it's attached - All I see holding it in place is a strap along the very bottom of the tank on the right side. Thanks.
Last edited by Cloud9...68; 09-04-2017 at 07:22 PM.
Pretty sure the tank is plastic. How are you planning on plugging that hole?
There are several sealants on the market that are impervious to gasoline, so I'm sure one of them would do just fine at plugging a tiny hole. The trick is going to be getting to it...
Dril a large 2cm diameter hole, use either epoxy or soldering iron & plastic filler rod to weld the tank, use chasis cable grommet to seal the new hole.
Just sit down and think for awhile, next to your car.
Mull over the defect; light up a cigarette to pass the time.
And then say 'hi' to Jesus, when the two of you meet...
Sorry. Just had to.
Saw a guy in my youth, cutting a gas tank out of a junk car, with a lit cigarette in his mouth.
It was not empty. He lived.
Sounds like you're unfortunately better off with a new replacement tank. Hard to imagine that the tank will do well, whether plastic or metal, with patching. It's not the sort of leak that you want to reappear, on the road with a hot undercarriage.
We've all had a few face-palm events in our lives. Mine was my first marriage. This was yours.
While it sounds like your idea might work, I'm a little queasy about intentionally drilling that large of a hole in my tank for the purpose of reparing what is currently a tiny hole.
jc in rb,
That's an intereting idea. But also, I've realized that I can peel back the insulating material on the horizontal surface near where I drilled the hole, and could safely cut a hole there to give me access to the hole in the tank, and then put the insulation back, so the hole wouldn't be visible. A few options here; just have to figure out which is the best one.
Does anybody know how the tank is secured? It isn't clear from the PET.
Just sit down and think for awhile, next to your car.
Mull over the defect; light up a cigarette to pass the time.
And then say 'hi' to Jesus, when the two of you meet...
Sorry. Just had to.
Saw a guy in my youth, cutting a gas tank out of a junk car, with a lit cigarette in his mouth.
It was not empty. He lived.
Sounds like you're unfortunately better off with a new replacement tank. Hard to imagine that the tank will do well, whether plastic or metal, with patching. It's not the sort of leak that you want to reappear, on the road with a hot undercarriage.
We've all had a few face-palm events in our lives. Mine was my first marriage. This was yours.
Yeah, a new tank is definitely an option, but I understand pulling the tank requires dropping the transaxle, so this is going to have to be a last resort. I would be more concerned if the hole were in the side of the tank, where fuel could spill out, but this one is in the very top, where I just don't see a whole lot of risk. Plus it's a really, really tiny hole, which should be very easy to plug with just a dab of some fuel-resistant sealant. I can't even smell fumes when the car is at rest, or even when driving it on the road; only when the fuel sloshes around during hard cornering. If I can get access to the hole, I think plugging it will be OK. And no, I don't smoke...
Pulling and installing a transaxle is not hard. I've done it solo a few times on jack stands. No big deal. With a friend it's 2 hours to remove and install. Don't let that worry you at all.
I grew up next to my stepfather's junkyard. The rule then was nevernevernevverNEVER cut on a tank that had, or might have had, petroleum products in it without filling it partially or entirely with water while cutting. A plastic tank is a bit different from raggedy old metal tanks; this was a long time ago.
But, still: cutting holes in a fuel tank requires skill, patience, luck or bravery. Pick two.
Fuel will leak every time you hit the brakes. When I bought my car the original owner had drilled four holes into the tank in a similar location mounting and wiring his sub woofers. Be glad the tank is plastic and you avoided a spark. I pulled the tank out and fixed it with plastic weld epoxy. It worked fine for the next year until I put a cell in the car.
I took a closer look at my little situation, and actually, I think the solution will be very easy, cheap, and safe - no cutting, drilling, or transaxle removal required. When I stepped onto the cargo floor, I noticed I could hear vapor hissing, and it was coming from the hole I had drilled. This told me the tank is mounted very snugly against the cargo floor. So I took a closer look at the hole (it's actually a second hole, a little over two inches to the right of the one I showed in the pictures with the toothpick sticking out), and saw that the tank is pressed almost against the sheet metal where I drilled this hole (no wonder in went through the tank, even with the very short bit I was using) - there's maybe a gap of a mm between the metal and the tank. Buit I can very clearly see the holes - the one in the sheet metal, and the one immediately behind it in the tank. I had also done some more searching online, and found that there are plenty of people as dim-witted as I am, who have done exactly the same thing (to cars, motorcycles, snowmodibles, etc.). In every case I read about, the leak was permanently fixed with the application of various brands of gasoline-resistant plastic epoxies or putties. In my case, I should be able to apply the epoxy to the hole, with the small gap between the tank and the sheet metal providing additional "anchoring" for the epoxy.
The other alternative I thought of would be to cut a section of an o-ring made of a gasoline-resistant material that's slightly larger than the diameter of the hole, and stuff it in the hole. Whaterver method I use, I can test the integrity of the fix by periodically stepping into the cargo area, and making sure I don't hear any hissing when I put my weight onto the area where the tank is pressed immediately below.
09-26-2015, 04:02 PM
Drilled a hole in my gas tank!
