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Repairing a Fuel Tank

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Old 09-14-2015, 05:31 PM
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Default Repairing a Fuel Tank

Fuel pump went out on my 1996 1500 4WD. When the tank was pulled, there is a hairline crack about 2 inches long along the top corner at one end. Have noticed some odor over the years when it's completely full, but otherwise no issues. Having difficulty finding an exact replacement, even at the local salvage yards. Is there an effective and safe means to reseal this crack? It's a standard polypropylene tank. I would think you could find a means to heat the crack and hopefully reseal the gap, which is very small. Of course, by means other than open flame.

Any assistance is appreciated.
 
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Old 09-14-2015, 07:01 PM
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You could do a classic plastic weld, or solvent weld.

polypropylene can be solvent welding using:
1,2 Dichloroethane
Acetone
Dichloromethane
Methyl benzene



Info on the solvents:
  • 1,2 Dichloroethane: Also known as Ethylene dichloride. Found in paint removers
  • Acetone: Found in small quantities in nail polish remover. Also found in various plastic cements. Also found in acrylic paint thinners and varnishes. Can be bought pure.(I would use pure)
  • Dichloromethane: Also known as Methylene chloride. Found primarily in paint stripper. Used as an industrial solvent. Banned in Europe
  • Methyl benzene: Also known as Toluene. Used mostly as a paint thinner or paint remover. Found along with MEK in polystyrene model kit cement.
From the looks of it, availability and price wise, I would attempt Acetone to solvent weld it together.

For plastic welding you could try:
http://www.harborfreight.com/plastic...ent-96712.html
Or similar
But don't forget, you will need polypropylene plastic rods to weld it together
 

Last edited by Monroe00ES; 09-14-2015 at 07:10 PM. Reason: More info



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