Recommend glue for sealing cracked fuel tank cover

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My 97 Maxima has developed a gas leak which I traced to a hairline crack in the plastic fuel gauge sending unit, which acts as a cover for the fuel tank. The part seems rather expensive at $130+, so I want to try mending it.
Can you please recommend a glue that would work and hold up to gas and alcohol?
 
Long time ago I used leftovers from a glass fibre body repair kit, which is a polyester resin. IIRC that wasn't even supposed to work then (though it did) and petrol formulations have allegedly got more aggressive in the interim.

Now I'd probably try epoxy. If you can wait, maybe whatever you try you could test its petrol resistance first to avoid contaminating the surfaces with something ineffective, in case you find something better later on.
 
VersaChem, Permatex, and others make gas tank specific repair kits. Since your looking to fix a plastic part instead of the steel itself, I'd look into a plastic specific bonding epoxy that is solvent(or at least gas) resistant.
 
I repaired a cracked filler tube neck in a 1998 Ford contour, leak stopped. That was years ago and it never leaked again.
They call it PL S30 nowadays. Gas has changed since then. I would still use it today.
I used Black Loctite PL Polyurethane roof and flashing caulk. You can put on a layer about 1/8 to 1/4 in depth.
 
Originally Posted By: umungus1122
VersaChem, Permatex, and others make gas tank specific repair kits. Since your looking to fix a plastic part instead of the steel itself, I'd look into a plastic specific bonding epoxy that is solvent(or at least gas) resistant.


+1
 
Originally Posted By: tc1446
JB Weld makes a variety of epoxies that should work.
been there done that. works great.
 
Playing with small engines and chainsaws for a hobby I have often found problems with cracked leaking gas tanks. I tried alot of epoxies and sealers, all of which were short term solutions. Nothing worked for long. What I have found that works forever and quickly is a soldering iron or wood burner. Melt the plastic back together. I just repaired a plastic chainsaw tank with a large crack and hole. Works like a charm. Not dangerous and pretty much permanent.
 
Thanks for the replies!
I'm favoring J-B Weld at this point. Should I go with the regular or the WaterWeld?

@Panzerman - I assume you just melt a bit on the surface of the plastic, and spread it over the crack?
 
Originally Posted By: zorobabel
Thanks for the replies!
I'm favoring J-B Weld at this point. Should I go with the regular or the WaterWeld?

@Panzerman - I assume you just melt a bit on the surface of the plastic, and spread it over the crack?


You need to actually dig the tip into the crack, then force the material from the sides to fill and level.
It can work, works good on some plastics. Some it just does not work well, you get a weak result.

You can buy plastic welding rods, but the plastic types must match.
 
It all depends on the type of plastic you are dealing with. Some take glues well, some don't.

First choice for me would be a Putty Epoxy ... easy to apply, works on water wet or gasoline wet areas, and impervious to gasoline and alcohols. If you're dealing with certain plastics that won't glue up ... your option at that point is plastic welding (basically a form of heat melted plastic bond). Try Eastwood for the relevant supplies.

That may not work either ... some plastics get brittle if heated. But those are your basic options.
 
Originally Posted By: JimPghPA
Don't mess with heat and a gas tank.


You can boil gasoline. It will not go off. I showed my son this camping. Regardless you will never ignite gas with a soldering iron. Just as the other gentleman said, you heat the sides of the crack and draw the Molton plastic in and smooth it out. Makes a permanent repair.
 
I wouldn't take short cuts with a fuel leak. Editor of our local newspaper was working about 12:30 AM Wednesday when one of the delivery help came rushing in to tell him his car was on fire.Vehicle was a total loss. He reported that he had been going to take car in to mechanic this week for what he thought was a coolant leak. Kaboom. Too lazy to open the hood.
 
Originally Posted By: Panzerman
Originally Posted By: JimPghPA
Don't mess with heat and a gas tank.


You can boil gasoline. It will not go off. I showed my son this camping.


It MIGHT not go off. WILL not go off is something of a stretch.

If you were camping you were presumably using a naked flame?

To demonstrate how to boil petrol?

To your son?

!!!!!!

One can of course get lucky.

OK Close Shave Petrol Story.....um...bit spoilt for choice, but I find this one hard to forget.

1800 Marina estate. Prequel to the repair described above. Filled up on the way home and the smell of petrol seemed more persistent than usual. Actually stopped to check, but it was dark and (of course) [censored] down and I couldn't see anything. Home late and forgot about it.

Next day woken by nosey neighbour who complains my car is leaking petrol down the street. Indeed. ALL the way down the street gutter, under lots of much shinier cars.

What to do? Have a couple of large jerricans, but have learned that siphoning petrol out of a tank really only works well in the movies. Decide to remove the tank and decant petrol directly.

EDIT: I'd better point out, for any petrol-boilers who might be reading, that most people would probably consider this was a somewhat dangerous thing to do, but everything is relative.ENDEDIT

Lying under the car in a small river of petrol, I'd unbolted the (still almost full) leaking tank and lowered it onto my chest, where it was soaking my overalls, and had just started to wriggle out with it, when the nosy neighbour (who'd complained about the leak in the first place) stuck her head down over the gutter to check on progress.

Did I mention she was a CHAIN SMOKER?

I couldn't look at first.

Then I looked and couldn't speak.

Then I spoke, but I had to be VERY polite to avoid agitatating the STUPID COW, since the ash didn't look very stable.

One of my nearer death experiences.
 
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Same thing happened to my Camry last summer. Got a $50 fuel pump assembly from the junk yard. Working good.
 
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