Gas dripping at rear after fill-up

[sblake01]

Under normal circumstances, a simple question wouldn't generate some of those responses. But we rarely have normal circumstances here. Having droped many a gas tank in my time, I'd say don't do it unless you need to. If your car hasn't sat for any substantial length of time and doesn't exhibit any of the symptoms of a clogged tank, just replace the vent hose a move on.

[MikeW]

This thread provides a perfect opportunity to use the new reputation feature of this site to provide kudos to those members here who go out of their way to provide excellent advice time after time. In this case some of the information provided is crucial for safely working on our cars and when it comes from people uniquely qualified to provide such advice it once again proves how useful a community this is.

While it's also possible to use the reputation feature to disapprove of posts I've found that the "ignore list" option works well in this sort of situation.

[JimmyZ]

Glad to hear it was "just a hose". Although talking about gas safety has created a lot of "heat" here discussion like this may save someone from making a bad mistake.

Below is a copy of an earlier post I made regarding fuel tank handling safety. A member reminded me of the important need for safety notes/disclaimers. I admit to not being an expert but I have talked to a few people who have done repairs on tanks. Their stories of accidents/injuries/deaths were enlightening.

Here is the copy of an earlier post..

Ah yes... A good point. This is a very important part because of the severe explosion hazard. Should have put up a disclaimer like this...

Gas tanks pose EXTREME explosion hazards which have been known to kill or at least break a few bones while sending someone across a shop. This is something which should not be taken lightly. Before beginning any work on a tank one should remove all traces of gas or anything combustible such as varnish which may produce vapors. Gasoline itself is highly flammable but one should remember it is the vapors which ignite and not the gas itself. Stay at least 100 away from open flames, water heaters, electric motors and anything else which could ignite the vapors. If something should ignite the vapors in a tank, the openings are unable to release the pressure resulting in a serious explosion. I've met a survivor of such an explosion. His description wasn't pretty and he confessed he was very lucky to have survived. Handling raw gasoline is equally as dangerous and requires extreme caution. Place drained gasoline in a sealed, approved container as soon as possible.

End of disclaimer

Here is what my research has found regarding creating conditions for safely work on a gas tank. (Welding, cutting, anything involving sparks or heat etc...)

Since a mistake with a gas tank is a one time thing I'll list methods which have worked for some but should NOT be relied upon. Ususally the work being done on the tank was welding or sweating. The following methods though somewhat sound have FAILED at one time or another and should NOT be used...

Filling tank with water

Assuming tank that has set dry for a year is safe(Can't smell fumes)

Purging tank with exhaust pipe. CO supposedly negates combustion.

Purging tank with inert gas such as argon. (Similar to above)

This method though sound can backfire unless all fuel remains under cover of inert atmosphere.

Washing tank with water

Methods that work and what should be used...

Take tank to radiator shop for boiling and any welding/sweating req.

It is interesting to note that one Renu franchise defumes tanks in an oven. Don't try this at home as I'm sure they have proper controls/safety precautions/equipment.

If you are doing it yourself...

Drain all fuel and place in approved container.

Use strong degreaser to thoroughly clean the tank interior. Clean tank until no residue is showing in waste water. Make sure that once dried there are no fumes present in the tank.

A good follow up for the degreaser treatment is electrolysis as this will liberate a lot of crud that the degreaser might have missed. (Varnish,etc) Electrolysis has dangers of it's own so I will make a page for the electrolysis and place in a later post. It's cool and it really works well. One shouldn't rely on it to remove all rust inside a tank despite using internal electrodes.

Cut access hole in top of tank and sandblast. Stop occasionally and use a light and mirror to see what you've missed. When you have removed 90% of rust then drain sand and apply ospho to inside of tank. Let ospho set up for 24 hours and sandblast to remove all traces of it.

Conduct any sweating or welding on the tank now that it is taken down to bare metal inside and out. Create and weld in patch for access hole.

Apply metal prep such as Hirsh's tank etch to inside of tank. Follow product instructions.

Apply tank sealer per instructions. See my original post for opinions/reasons for using RedKote tank sealer.

Some people use muriatic acid to nix their tank rust but this is very destructive as it eats metal. If the chemical reaction isn't neutralized it could continue to eat things or rust out the tank. The way to be absolutely sure that the rust is gone is outlined above. Make sure that you focus on the seams and any areas which harbor rust when sandblasting. Ospho gets the rest but needs for there to be as little rust as possible for maximum effectiveness.

Schew!!! That was a longgg post. Sorry.

Beandip, you're absolutley right about the need for extreme caution/safety. Thanks

Jim

Attachments are post tank cleaning/electrolysis. Single "L" shaped electrode was used inside tank. Tank was completely immersed in water and washing soda (environmentaly friendly). DC welder on 20 Amps was used for two days. Note how more rust was removed in areas closer to the electrode. Hole was cut in tank AFTER electrolysis. Coatings inside and outside of tank were removed by this process. Tank was sandblasted inside and out afterwards.

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Last edited by JimmyZ : 11-14-2006 at 06:52 PM.

[e_racer1999]

ya, after reading this thread i've pretty much come to the conclusing that i'm going with a fuel cell...

[beandip]

ya, after reading this thread i've pretty much come to the conclusing that i'm going with a fuel cell...

If you are going to take her to the track I would for sure. Otherwise for street use the stock tank is OK . If you could find someone to build a cell that fit under the car and still allowed the spare tire . Then that would be great. I just cringe at having fuel inside the cabin . It's bad enough to have the filler hose pass inside the fender well. A major design flaw in my estimation. If the filler was inside a enclosure of metal to protect it from the inside the passenger compartment . That would be acceptable . But the way these cars are built , if you get hit hard in the right corner you could be french fried . G

[TomoHawk]

If you're going to spend the money on a fuel cell, why not spend it on making a new gas tank that fits to the car? Maybe there's a fabricator in your area.

Like Gary said, you cou'd still have the room for a spare tire, and it would look much nicer for a street car,

[e_racer1999]

true. fabbing up a custom fuel cell/tank that fits in stock location might be in my future...