I used a standard solder iron to fix the plastic gas tank in my 2016 Toyota Tacoma. CORRECTION - AT 3:05, I meant half a GALLON, not half a tank. UPDATE, AUG 28, 2020 - Gas tank is still holding strong! No leaking or weeping.
Wow! I’ve had a tiny hole in my plastic gas tank since bought my truck from a friend. Been only filling it up a quarter tank since. Tried the putty, didn’t work. Thought of the same way right before I saw this. So excited to give this a shot! Finally!!! Maybe I can get a full tank of gas!!!
I ran over a huge screw believe it or not, all gas is out and the gas fumes are out since I opened the cap, would I be able to use this same method on the car like you did?
For those people who are worried that the heat from the soldering iron will ignite the fuel, here are the numbers. HDPE (the plastic that fuel tanks are made from) have a melting point of 275F. Gas has an instant combustion temperature of 525F. That's the temperature that the liquid or the fumes will spontaneously combust with just heat, not flame. A soldering iron, depending on the brand, can get as hot as 392-896F. You have to know your tools. Keeping your iron on its lowest setting, staying in a well ventilated area, and having no way to create a spark or open flame, you can do this repair safely.
3 year update - still holding! To address some of the concerns about safety - it may not have been clear in the video, but the tank was virtually empty, and it was parked on a relatively steep slipe with the rear going downhill. The puncture was at the front of the tank, so there was zero gasoline anywhere near where I was working.
Fuel Funnels are typically made of the same materials as fuel tanks. I trimmed a sliver from the edge of a red funnel to repair a puncture leak on a six gallon gas can I found along the road. It worked like a charm and I filled the tank with water for 24 hours to make sure it didn't leak.
Just used your method ( regular soldering iron an a cleaned up scrap of black oil bottle) to fix a seeping seam on the plastic tank on my BMW K1200LT motorcycle. I'm sure the dealership would have charged around $3k to install a new tank! Thank you for posting this!
I punched a hole 40mm x 10 mm in the fuel tank on my tractor, I have just put the fuel tank back into my tractor after doing your repair it did a great job thanks
Anyone else thought this was going to end badly for him , I would recommend removing the tank and emptying of fuel , drying and maybe even filling with water before soldering fuel tanks . Fumes are combustible , even more so than liquid fuel. He's lucky to be alive and so is anyone else that has used this ' method '. You have been warned.
@@truthseaker3742 you have been warned? He just schooled you in a video. If your schooling was accurate he would have not been able to post - so you are wrong
Awesome video. So I found a puddle of gas under my truck and found that someone drilled straight into my tank and stole the gas. Shop quoted me 2500 for a new tank, pump, filter, and hoses. Glad you made this helpful video.
Just replaced mine today. Used 2 pieces from old oil jug, one smaller then the other. Got a soldering iron with a flat attachment from Amazon and it worked great. Lifted the truck on one side so the fuel wouldn’t be near the hole, then I went at it. Came out SOLID and I saved $2500. Thanks again!
I used your method but with a black comb on a Jeep Wrangler plastic fuel tank and it worked great. I soldier it from inside and out because I have the tank out of the vehicle. Thank you.
I did the same thing, what i did diffrent,was melt the plastic to almost liquid in a metal lid/cap and then used a flat tip screw driver and pack the slit with the melted plastic, great video
Thank you sir. I live in a bad neighborhood my dad's PE gas tank was drilled through. They maybe got away with 1 gallon but ran out of space so the rest of the 14 gallons drained onto the street. Tried tank weld, will do this if it doesn't hold.
JB weld doesn't work. I tried it myself last night and woke up to my tank dripping this morning. I originally wanted to try your idea but was afraid of combustion. Now I'm more confident I was on the right track after watching your video. Thank you!
Use to use zip tie for plastic welding. Helps with a ton of crap. Sanding and re welding plus spraying a new coat of paint helps a lot in the end for a good result
Glad to hear from you that 2 months ago there was still no sign of any fuel leaks. At the 12:00 minute mark you ask if we have any suggestions: Although it is more work, I would have removed the fuel tank and would have done the repair with the fuel tank away from the vehicle. Needless to say, it is safer for the repairman with the fuel tank removed, you have more room to safely work on the fuel tank and you can still test it safely while removed. But again, that's just how I would have worked it. And from time to time, please put out an update to let us viewers know if no more fuel leaks, as we all wanna know. And thanks for sharing your video with others who like you, want to save $$$ on expensive repairs.
The problem with removing the tank is that you take all the load off the tank to make the repair and then bolt it back in and put stress on it. The best way to repair is to have it in it's natural position. Once the gas is drained it's no more dangerous installed than uninstalled. And really, gas is pretty stable with that type of heat source. Open flame or spark is where things can go wrong.
hi how are you? thank you for your video, im glad it worked out well for you. only thing i can think of different would be to melt in some whiskers of a wire brush or thin wire to act like rebar in the weld. on dirt bike fenders ive added in wire bug screen or even square mesh (small as possible holes) chicken wire and just heated it to melt in and then cover with plastic to bury it. also maybe a wider flat tip for the iron. thats just my 2 cents =-) thank you again. its always awesome to find folks that find a way for us to save a little money on things we are charged ridicules amounts for at shops and dealerships.
I like your suggestion about reinforcing the repair with wire of some sort. I'll keep that in mind if I have to do this again! Also, I definitely would have used a larger tip if I had one available.
I have an 06 toyota tacoma. I ran over a metal wired and it slashed my fuel tank. I've tried to block the leakage with jb weld fuel epoxy and it has been holding up but u can see that there's a tiny leakage. Imma try ur method. Thnaks for the video
Thanks so much! I did my first repair on a 2016 Nissan maxima attempting to use fuel tank grade JB Weld and flex seal tape. Horrible results but then I saw your video and you saved the day. God bless
@@gibby_gets_it Run the gas out, jack it up on the opposite side so that the gas is draining away from it. It’s the Gasolina will not allow it to cure… Hit it with some brake cleaner first
So a couple tips, number one is match the type of plastic you're filling the gap with to the tank material. The tank should have a molding stamp on it telling you what it's made of. Second tip is cut your filler material into skinny strip, like welding filler rod. Weldors use rod as filler for a reason, it's really convenient. Just lay the strip in the crack and stir it in.
I suggest that cutting out a piece of tin pan, wrapping it around the heating element, and then flatten the tip width so to press melting plastic better with heat.
Good job overall. My only recommendation would be to use the flat triangle iron head on your soldering iron. This seems to work much better than the standard round head for feathering in the additional plastic filler material. Other than that I like your repair.
If someone knows : can I use the old steel gas tank was installed in 1987 Chevy for the 1992 Buick roadmaster ???. The original roadmaster plastic or polypropylene gas tank is very bad
Could a person use a zip tie as sort of a welding rod or filler material if needed? I'm fixin' to try this on a riding mower gas tank. I have about a 10" separation of the tank at the seam.
I noticed the original repair looked like metal tank repair kit. They make a QUIK WELD plastic fuel repair kit, looks like white modeling clay. Might have worked better and also serves as malleable filler after the solder bond.
Where there's smoke there's fire. BOOOMMM!!! But you did it. Something I wouldn't do. It's not the liquid fuel that would initially ignite it's the vapor.
My car got stolen and brought me here coz mf drilled on my tank to get the gas. (One of the problems)...so i think i got a metal tank so i guess its better if i weld that hole using lead? Is that safe? Thanks.
I did not drain it. I drove it until it was almost empty, then parked it on my sloped driveway with the rear end downhill to get any remaining fuel at the back of the tank. Good luck with your boat!
yeah i would,i'm doing repair on my fuel tank definately going to empty fuel tank,fuel is a comdustible material crinky you end up blowing yourself and the vehicle to simerines
I used a patch kit that included a resin that temporary stops leaks. Then I used the Plastic welder to fuse the plastic back together. No need to drain the gas.
3 main reasons. 1- plastic is highly resistant to corrosion. 2- plastic will melt in fire and start burning the fuel inside it unlike metal tank which will start pressurizing until the tank explode. 3- light weight.
I know I thought the same thing I thought it would have been better just to drop the tank and drain it and let it air out for a day or two before I did that
Not sure if this is a question, but I tried JB Plastic Weld first. It held for about a week before it started weeping again. I got under there and it peeked right off. I prepped the area as per the instructions.
YOUR NUTS heat and fule not a good combo if gas comes out and drains in to that handel where the switch is or in the windings your next video will come from the burn unit .
No arguments with any of that except that I was indeed wearing safety glasses... they are literally in my face at the start of the video. Also, I was working in the driveway. 😁
hey man, I dont mean to troll you but everything about this from set up to safety and materials used was just wrong. posting this is dangerous as people may follow the bad practices and hurt themselves or others. I do appreciate the effort for making the film but this should really be an example of how NOT to do it. all the best going forward.
Video and methods are perfectly fine You however cited nothing of relevance besides a worthless opinion. Not everything needs to be bubble wrapped for everyone. If you don't have a basic understanding of mechanics then you shouldn't touch a car period. If you choose to tinker anyways then accidents happen. If you don't think people would arguably try far more "dangerous" methods of repair without this man sharing his safer technique you're sadly mistaken.
@@robertgriz2500 not bubble wrapped but done safely and effectively. Hopefully my worthless opinion might reach the people you haven’t considered. Stay safe everyone.
