fuel tank repair

Indy Jess John

2024-02-06 15:38:04 UTC

Post by Abandoned Trolley
Does anybody here have any direct experience of any of the various fuel
tank repair products on the market ?
I have a load of pinholes in the fuel tank of an ancient lawnmower.
Whats left of the material (a mixture of mild steel and rust) is way too
thin to use a MIG welder on, so I was wondering if any of the various
tank repair products on the market are any good.
Some of the "pour in" products are apparently suitable for large car
tanks of 50 litres or more, which might be a waste as I dont suppose
this tank holds more than 2 litres
Granvilles "Petro Patch Putty" looks like it might do the job, but I
would welcome any sensible alternative suggestions.

If you have a decent soldering iron, I would be inclined to rub down to
non-rusty metal the area round each pinhole, treat it with flux and put
some solder over each one. DON'T use a flame, it isn't safe near
anything that has held petrol!

The other possibility is to google the make and model of the lawn mower.
If someone is getting rid of one with a decent fuel tank because the
engine is kaput, it might be possible to swap the tanks over. If the
company is still in business it would also be worth asking them if they
can provide a replacement tank.

There are also replacement tanks advertised online:
https://duckduckgo.com/?t=ftsa&q=lawn+mower+petrol+tanks&ia=web
See if you can identify one that might be suitable - it is bound to be
cheaper than a replacement mower. Also some on ebay:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=lawn+mower+petrol+tank&_sacat=0&rt=nc&Type=Fuel%2520Tank&_dcat=260923

I have never tried any of the pour in treatments so I can't comment on
how effective they are.

Good luck!

Jim