Hi guys:
Accomplished MUCH this fine 70+ degree day (Texas). I will share elsewhere, but I wanted to shout out first here.
I removed my gas tank today ('76 Pinto wagon) as I was concerned about some minor but noticeable leaks that supposedly were around the sending unit. Unfortunately, these turned out to be a number of pinholes (and, one hole that was about 3/16" in diameter) that had been sloppily repaired with Bondo. Interestingly, I had about 8 gallons!! of fuel in the tank, but the leaks were very minor.
Some questions - lengthy - PLEASE bear with me:
1) STRANGE STORY - I had noticed that after buying the car, I would see an occasional "unusual red ant" around the car - not something that was typical for this area. I could never understand where they were coming from, as the interior was stripped out. WOULD YOU BELIEVE that when we let the tank down, there was a COLONY of ants living between the spare tire well and the top of the tank? How strange!!
2) QUESTION 1 - how does one TEST a sending unit? By ohms reading? I would assume if so, that ohms would change as the float position was changed? If this is the case, mine seems strange (meaning, inconsistent at best).
3) QUESTION 2 - are fuel sending units available as aftermarket items? The one in my tank WAS aftermarket, but if I need another, I need to know where to get one.
4) QUESTION 3 - what would anyone suggest as a viable way to fix the hole in the tank? I have removed all the bondo, and carefully revealed the various pinholes. My plan is to "Red-Kote" the interior, but what about the larger hole? Possible options would be POR-15/fiberglass mesh, or Fiberglass gel. I figure if I can plug it, then the Red-Kote will take care of the seal internally. I do not believe this hole can be welded, and I really don't wanty to search long and hard for a replacement tank.
Thoughts, opinions, ideas please. More pics on another post later. Thanks!!
Chris
Chris, I used a KBS Coatings sealer kit in one of my tanks. It is a three part system that seems to have worked well. The cleaner(aquakleen)is very good. They offer a metal epoxy that sounds good for your small holes. Apply it, cure, then seal tank. I spent $60 and one afternoon on my tank. Process is a little messy and you'll have to fab some plugs for the 3 holes. I let mine cure a week before I reinstalled, so there is some downtime. Been several months now and all I see in the filter is clear fuel. Happy me! ;D ;D
JT
Wow, not much help on this one. Thanks for the response, 72pair - the fuel in the tank was very cloudy, so I was happy to remove it.
All - I found a new sending unit at Green Sales in Cincinnati - $75. Can't beat that!
Chris
that is probly your best option for a sending unit as no one that i have found makes a replacement The only other option i know of fro fixing a tank is to have it redone there is a place in Greensburgh , PA ( http://www.gas-tank.com/ )that does it but i dont know the cost.
try this link
http://www.ehow.com/how_2079121_repair-hole-gas-tank.html?ref=fuel&utm_source=yahoo&utm_medium=ssp&utm_campaign=yssp_art
sending unit repair
http://tristarrradiator.com/index.html
Or you could use that time to fab int. lens and buy a wagon tank from me with sending unit for $80.00 + ship. Fred :)
your right on testing that sender. check the resistance while doing a sweep from full to empty, or the other way around it doesnt matter. it should be a smooth change in resistance with no jumps. i dont know off hand what these senders look like but if the copper terminals are showing...try cleaning them and retesting. cheveron with techron is what has fixed that problem on about a dozen or so cars. i think ford and gm use it for the same concern. maybe worth a try.
as far as a cheap patch, i had an 85 daytona as a beater with about the same size hole in the tank. the hole was above one of the straps. i used this 2 part epoxy from napa just for gas tanks. possably made by jb weld, but i dont remember for sure. anyhow, i drained the tank, cleaned the surface with a wire brush, put the epoxy on and let it dry. i got rid of the car a little over a year later and it still wasnt leaking.
bob
Thanks guys, excellent advice. My sedning unit is bad - it reads 500 ohms - all the time, regardless of position. I ordered a NOS sending unit today from a supplier on the net ($75) - they even had a NOS tank ($225) but I'll repair mine and save the $$ for something more "visible".
Fred, no worries, you are gonna get a lens.....
Chris