Fuel tank leak

[ianpdexta]

My super Dexta has a weep from the back of the tank around the soldered seam where the semi circular section is fitted. Judging by the state of the electrics and everything else under the back of the tank I think it had been leaking for a long time before I bought it.

At first I thought the seam must be leaking beacuse the tank appears to be in reasonable condition, however after resoldering twice with a big electric solding iron I now think the leak might be tiny pin holes in the otherwise solid steel. It is really hard to see exactly where the fuel gets out, I have wiped the area with acetone several times and waited to see it come through but it is still difficult to pin down.

Is this a known problem? I am thinking about soldering some brass shim over effected areas but it this could be difficult to disguise and it is in a very visable area. Any ideas?

Regards

Ian

[Jerry Coles]

Try 'slosh fuel tank sealer'. It does mean removal and internal clean (a handful of nuts swirled around will generally scour out old sediment etc).
Jerry

[Brian Cox]

I've used tank sealer on a number of tanks, works perfect every time

[ianpdexta]

Thanks, I have ordered a Slosh kit. I could post some pictures here of the tractor although restoration will be slow, I have promised to finished something else off before I start in ernest, maybe in the spring?

Regards

Ian

[Bensdexta]

I used Caswell two part Tank Sealer, supposed to be proof against ethanol that we now have in our diesel. So far, coming up a year, so good.

Whatever you use, prep is very important. You'll have to remove your tank to get a decent job. Look forward to hearing how you get on.

[pjjms]

Mine had a few pin holes in the same area, some of them were beyond what sealer could do. I used a ball pein hammer to put a small dent directly over the hole, filled the dent with solder to fix the hole, and then used sealer on the inside.

I agree with the comments above about tank sealer. I have used it many times with great results. Without it these old tanks just keep putting crap into the fuel system.