What type of plastic is the fuel tank made of?
04-09-2014, 10:07 PM
#1
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What type of plastic is the fuel tank made of?
My 968 has a leak at the very base of the main filler hose where it attaches to the plastic tank's filler neck. Either it's the hose or the tank neck. I'm ordering the hose and while I hope that's it, I want to be prepared for the worst.
From what I've seen, no one makes a sealant for the plastic fuel tanks. The reason is that while plenty of sealants are resistant to fuel, noting seems to stick to the plastic the tanks are made of.
In my case, that's not a problem because I can get a clamp around the area of the neck that could be leaking. My thought is to get some of the same plastic the tank is made of and then with acetone use the extra piece to make a sealant. I'm assuming the plastic will stick to itself.
Either that or I use some flexible material with fuel resistant sealant to make a sort of bandage with the use of the clamp to hold it in place. I don't need a permanent fix, just something to last a few months while I save to have a new tank put in.
Any idea or anyone know what type of plastic is the tank made of?
From what I've seen, no one makes a sealant for the plastic fuel tanks. The reason is that while plenty of sealants are resistant to fuel, noting seems to stick to the plastic the tanks are made of.
In my case, that's not a problem because I can get a clamp around the area of the neck that could be leaking. My thought is to get some of the same plastic the tank is made of and then with acetone use the extra piece to make a sealant. I'm assuming the plastic will stick to itself.
Either that or I use some flexible material with fuel resistant sealant to make a sort of bandage with the use of the clamp to hold it in place. I don't need a permanent fix, just something to last a few months while I save to have a new tank put in.
Any idea or anyone know what type of plastic is the tank made of?
04-09-2014, 11:05 PM
#2
I had a leak in my 86 N/A tank. Couldn't find anything that would stick to it. A plastic welder didn't do the trick either. Had to replace the tank. Not a terribly expensive propostion, but ya, the tranny has to be dropped. It'll be a much easier job if you have a helper, muscleing the tank back into place was a chore by myself.
04-10-2014, 01:35 AM
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it's probably a polycarbonate compound, and it is probable that neither acetone or MEK will do much good. I have had good luck using a specific epoxy that DEVCON makes for plastic, not their regular epoxy - it has a very distinct and strong smell and it is one of the few things that adheres to nylon - I repaired the gear carrier on my 944 starter with it and it lasted about 100K miles.
04-10-2014, 05:40 PM
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OK. I'm taking my hose off tonight to see whether it is the hose or filler neck that is leaking. If it's the filler neck, for those interested, I spoke with 3M today and their product DP-8005 bonds to polyethylene and resists gasoline. It's about $35 and then you have to buy a 10:1 gun and nozzle. About $115 all together.
04-10-2014, 05:49 PM
#6
Burning Brakes
Just found this. Might be a solution, though it doesn't mention whether it is safe with gasoline.
https://www.tapplastics.com/product/...d_adhesive/435
https://www.tapplastics.com/product/...d_adhesive/435