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Triumph TR6 - Fuel Tank Leak

Anyone have any experience with Fuel Tank leaks? Entered my garage tonight and discovered a drip (sometimes slow and sometimes fast) coming from what looks like a one inch circle at the bottom of the tank surface. It looks like a rubber material in the center of the circle. Not sure if this is the drain plug seal? I pushed on it and the leak seemed to slow...also reduced the gas some as I just had filled the tank up.
Has anyone had to replace the plug and rubber seal or does this sound like a tank removal situation. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

Shawn 74 TR6

Shawn

Sounds like the tank has developed a hole. No drain where you mention that I am aware of.
sorry
don
DON KELLY

Shawn,there is a foam rubber "donut" on either side of the tank. On the curb side is indeed a drain plug, but I very much doubt that that;s the spot leaking. More likely is the street side which has a threaded hole with a short length of pipe screwed in connnected to a short length of rubber hose before connecting again to a pipe to the fuel pump. If that's the side leaking, I'd remove the tank, but you may be able to just tighten the pipe. Remove the cover in the boot and examine the situation and you'll know more about what's needed.
db
Doug Baker

Shawn,
The later cars (with the 11.5 gal tank I guess) didn't have a drain plug, only the fuel pipe outlet. Any year tank will fit in the space though, so it could have been swapped at some point.
Anyway, my old TR-4 that started leaking from a crack where the threaded outlet pipe fitting was brazed/soldered to the tank. I don't know what made it start, but I had to remove, drain, air-out, and resolder (electrically) the fitting.
Was there some recent work in the tank outlet area that may have jarred the pipe? Once you remove it, you might as well seal it. I'm prepairing one now with POR-15 tank sealer to replace the hopelessly holed one in my 74.5. Good luck!

Jeff
74 & 74.5 TR6
JB Fetner

Thanks for the feedback...I pulled out the talk this AM. Not too difficult. Tank looked dry and I am suspecting the rubber hose the connects to the tank line may have torn and hense was leaking gas into the trunk and out the drain holes at the bottom of the trunk. Had to tell with some much gas all over the place. Before reassembling with a new rubber line, I will try to test the tank and metal tank outlet/line to make sure I have not missed a leak.....Any known ways to test the tank short of swishing around gas in the tank on a bench and checking for fluid leakage?

Shawn
Shawn

Air pressure test?
DON KELLY

Be carefull if you do an air pressure test! Keep the pressure VERY LOW, no more than 1 or 2 psi. Otherwise your tank may:
1. Take on a new and 'interesting' shape.
2. Turn into a bomb with hazardous shrapnel.
These tanks were never meant to be pressure vessels!

Spray suspected areas with a soapy water solution if your testing with air pressure. Bubbles will form at any leakage point.

Otherewise take it to a radiator shop. There's one around here will dip, test and seal for $75-100.

Good luck,
Tom
Tom Sotomayor

Thanks for the suggestions. I discovered, once the tank was out, that it has had some repair work once before bpo. As soon as I got the gas out and looked in through the top....well I could see light through a pin hole at the bottom....Now its at a radiator shop getting repaired.


Shawn
shawn

Anyone know where I can purchase a new fuel tank at a reasonable price? I had the existing one repaired from the outside, however, when I installed it I believe stuff/crap from the inside of the tank has now clogged my fuel line from the tank to the gas filter. Installed a new gas filter, yet it does not fillup with gas! Anyone with experience with this situation...Shawn
Shawn

Can you try to disc the line at the filter or a connection before it and blowing compressed air thru' it ?? of course starting off at a low pressure first..
That may dislodge the crap in the line.

Charlie
Charlie B.

This thread was discussed between 21/06/2006 and 07/07/2006

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