Gasoline seeping at the fuel tank

[JucenBrudi]

Hi Gang,

This morning I was under the rig doing some chassis lubrication when I noticed something amiss at the fuel tank. There are 4 steel straps holding the fuel tank and each has a rubber pad between the strap and tank. I noticed that the rubber on the 2nd strap from the front is protruding from under the strap. Closer inspection showed gasoline soaking and obviously swelling the rubber. It is not dripping and this may have been going on for years. Off and on I have noticed the smell of raw gasoline inside the rig, just outside the bathroom door and above the trouble spot I just discovered.

What might be happening here? We are scheduled to leave in a week for 2 to 3 months traveling from western NC to Wyoming, then back through Michigan, New York, and New Hampshire. There's never been any sign of gasoline actually dripping to the ground so there isn't much of a leak. If repairs can be put off until Fall I'd have the work done at our favorite service center (Larry's Auto Clinic in Myrtle Beach, SC).

Thanks,
Bruce

[DriVer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JucenBrudi There's never been any sign of gasoline actually dripping to the ground so there isn't much of a leak. If repairs can be put off until Fall I'd have the work done at our favorite service center (Larry's Auto Clinic in Myrtle Beach, SC).

Bruce, Larry changed my tank but mine was dripping. There may be a loose clamp at the fill hose or even on the other side of the tank there's a plug on top that might be leaking at the alternate fill opening. It took Larry a month I believe to get a replacement gas tank I bet or longer but all is well at the moment. If you do neeed a tank, I'd get on the short list and have the tank in transit so it'll be waiting when you get back.

If you are here stop by and see Larry and he'll let you know right away where it's leaking. I hope you make it back by October. Come and join us at Ocean Lakes. Tell him Mike said Hi!

[JucenBrudi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DriVer Bruce, Larry changed my tank but mine was dripping. There may be a loose clamp at the fill hose or even on the other side of the tank there's a plug on top that might be leaking at the alternate fill opening. It took Larry a month I believe to get a replacement gas tank I bet or longer but all is well at the moment. If you do neeed a tank, I'd get on the short list and have the tank in transit so it'll be waiting when you get back. If you are here stop by and see Larry and he'll let you know right away where it's leaking. I hope you make it back by October. Come and join us at Ocean Lakes. Tell him Mike said Hi!

Hi Mike,

Thanks for the reply. It also occurred to me over night that Larry mentioned to me that at the age of our coach, it's an '04 with 79,000 miles on it, problems often develop with the gasoline line to the generator. This would require removing the tank <GROAN> but it also sounds like something that could be put off so long as the actual gasoline loss is so minor at this point.

I wish we were near by, I'd run by Larry's tomorrow for an initial impression. Unfortunately, we are booked up with doctor appointments, etc. and it is a two day's drive to Larry's from here. The upside, of course, is we could arrive with a near empty fuel tank . It is topped off right now.

I think we are scheduled for Christmas at Huntington Beach State Park.

Thanks again,
Bruce

[DancinCampers]

This link may be of interest.

Gas tank leak

[JucenBrudi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DancinCampers This link may be of interest. Gas tank leak

Very interesting, indeed. It seems an almost perfect description of our situation except I haven't removed the strap to inspect. You may have resolved our problem and indicated some directions we can move.

Thanks,
Bruce

[cvrvr]

I guess I was lucky. Had what I thought was a gas tank leak. Turned out to be the fuel filler and vent hoses. They were both rotted by good clean Southern California air. It cost me about $400 to have both of them replaced.

George

[Whaler]

How old is your coach George?

[cvrvr]

Info used to show up in my signature. It is a 2004 Allegro 30DA on a W20.

George

[DriVer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cvrvr Info used to show up in my signature. It is a 2004 Allegro 30DA on a W20.

George, Go to the "User CP" on the tool bar and look for your signature link. It's easy.

[texans]

Our fuel line from tank to generator had to be replaced 2 years ago when MH was five and a half years old.

Richard

[JucenBrudi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DancinCampers This link may be of interest. Gas tank leak

Good morning Gang,

DancinCampers nailed it! to follow this update I recommend you read the link, above.

I removed the steel strap at the leak (an easy job) and quickly found the dimple. I wiped the area clean and immediately could see gasoline seeping from the dimple.

I then cleaned the area and applied a patch with JB Weld's Water Weld (also indicated for fuel tanks and compatible with gasoline). JB Weld was mentioned in the other thread as a possible fix. In an hour I had a cured patch which looked secure. I then applied a coat of Rustoleum primer and will top it off with Black Rustoleum enamel.

Several hours after the repair I saw no sign of a leak. That was about 14 hours ago. I'll be checking it again in a few hours.

JB Weld's line of products is new to me. We bought ours at WalMart and I've been told it is commonly available.

After making the repair I studied the JB Weld product line some more and think now that, rather than Water Weld, JB Stik might have been a better choice. At this point I don't think Water Weld was a bad choice, but it appears JB Stik cures to a harder material. It appears that if the repair doesn't hold it will not be too difficult to remove the Water Weld repair and replace it with JB Stik.

In the other thread which described the nature of the leak, it was also mentioned that the "repair" (replacing the tank) cost about $1900.00. The Water Weld cost about $5.50. The labor involved was not bad at all and, compared with taking it to a service center, was almost totally insignificant. Also, the repair could have been done "on the road," even in a WalMart parking lot.

Thanks everyone,
Bruce

[JucenBrudi]

Here's an update to my tank repair.

After about 5 weeks and over 3000 miles traveling I can see no sign of the original seeping.

It looks like it's is holding great and may have saved me a bundle. At the very least it would have allowed me to get to a service center of my choice at a time of my choice for tank replacement or welding.

Bruce

[RottenRalph]

It's great to see you have solved your issue (at least a good temp repair) and even better that you came back to let us know so we may use this in the future.

Thanks