Leaking Diesel Tank:

[BobMurphy]

Ah the joys of buying a 13-year-old truck .

A week or two after I bought it I noticed a few spots on the tarmac. This developed during the next few weeks into a constant drip which only stopped when the tank was down to one quarter full (or, with my luck, three quarters empty).

On the '95' the tank is slung from the underside of the body and the guard is bolted to the chassis - the two never meet and the guard can be removed in order to inspect the tank.

The 100-Series is different, the tank sits in the guard on a couple of rubber strips and the pair are then slung from the body.

The only way to inspect the tank is to remove it .


First I had to drop the exhaust in order to get at the bolt that holds the rear strap. I would have liked to remove the rear two sections completely but they are plugged together and it will take more than my efforts to separate them (as I want to re-use them). I therefore had to work with the main silencer box in the way.

True to form, most of the bolts underneath are rusted solid and I didn't want to go near the tank with a gas torch . I ended-up cutting the rear strap after putting a transmission jack under the tank.


I won't go into all the problems but by 18:30 this evening I had managed to get the tank out:

It is very thin around the seam and the top. Some of the fittings are crumbling away.

I was hoping to save the guard as, according to Simon Holton, a new one is £306.41 and is on back-order until 4th September 2014 .


Unfortunately it is toast. It looked reasonable until I let it fall flat on the ground whereupon it fell apart. I'll now start searching the Breaker Yards.

So, I am now waiting for a delivery from Simon. A new tank, straps & fittings that are available now come to around £900. At least I won't have to worry about a leaking tank again .


Now to tackle those seized bolts with a gas torch while the tank is out. I'll attempt to replace all rusted bolts with stainless with anti-sieze paste while I await the delivery.

Shame really, as the truck looks very nice on top .

The things I do for daughters with horses . . .

Bob.

 

[AndycruiserguyLomas]

Mines 11 years old and not a deal better. There really isnt any incentive for the 1st and 2nd owners to look after them underneath and so this is what we end up with.

Andy

 

[frank rabbets]

Are the 80 tanks as vulnerable? In the old days a good quality tank was tinned with lead to protect it. My old Land Rover ones were. Salt again I'm afraid.

Frank

 

[Chris]

I'd say the 80 tanks are just as exposed Frank, but not generally known for tinworm like that. But then those that I have seen in thos sort of state, I haven't hung around to look at the tank in detail.

Chris

 

[Scott]

That is a shame Bob as she's a lovely looking 100 on top, I hope that the rest of the underneath is fairing better, are you going to rustproof and underseal it? That exhaust looks huge poking out from under there!

If I was in the same position I'd be considering putting in an aftermarket long range tank in its place, likely to be made from thicker metal, negate the need for a guard and the silver lining to the cloud being a longer range. The fly in the ointment is we aren't exactly blessed with a stock of tanks for Toyotas over here, Oz on the other hand they're falling over them.

Happy spannering, I'm following your 100 series experience with interest.

 

[lc 120]

So am I.....

 

[AndyCook]

Shame about the rust there, was there a hole in tank or pipe work then?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[BobMurphy]

Shame about the rust there, was there a hole in tank or pipe work then?

I haven't seen a hole as such, it appears that its rusted along the seam between the two pressings. The edges are crumbling like a Rich Tea biscuit.

I'll investigate further when I've got the last of the diesel out (I didn't want to attempt to remove the drain plug in case it all went pear-shaped and I ended-up with a flood ).

The truck came from Yorkshire, I guess they have as much salt as Scotland .

The guard is a concern as I don't want to re-use it and I can't find a better one at the moment - any ideas ??

I've been removing rusted bolts from underneath then replacing them with lubricated stainless ones. It took me over an hour to get one handbrake mounting bolt out.

I must remember to take some pictures but after all the work I did on the '95' my enthusiasm for crawling about under rusty trucks is waning a bit.

Bob.

 

[frank rabbets]

I meant vulnerable in a wider context Chris, such as non tinning or poorer quality steel on either the 80's or 100's. I'm going to inspect both my 19 year old 80 and 10 year old 100 tanks this afternoon and compare corrosion amounts.

 

[Chris]

I get that Frank and the answer is exactly the same. No, not that I am aware. I've had 4 80s in a row, all old and I have looked at the tanks on all of them, inside and out and not had a bad one. Plus a sub tank as well now and that's good too

Chris

 

[BobMurphy]

Well, I drained the tank and it looks fine inside .

Its leaking from the top face of the seam on the front nearside and along the front edge. I spent a couple of hours carefully removing the rusted setscrews that hold the pick-up & sender unit, the filler & breather pipes and the integral breather assembly. I will be able to re-use the pick-up etc. but I'll need new rubber hoses and clamps.

The sock filter had some dirt on it but wasn't blocked at all and there is no sign of the slime that some have reported so I'll clean it and put it back (its currently unavailable from Toyota anyway).

I've had no response to my 'Breaketyard' search for a tank guard which gives me a bit of a problem as I don't want to wait until September before putting it together. So . . . .

I have decided to make a new one out of fibreglass. I'll have to stabilise the fragile remains by coating the inside with resin and then use release paste on it.

I'll then cast a mould from the inside as that is the critical bit as it has to fit the underside of the tank.

Once the mould is done I can make the new guard, using some alloy strip to reinforce it where the suspension straps bear.

I'll keep the mould in case I'm called upon to make more .

It's probably not much use for extreme off-roading but fine for my purposes.

I feel a new thread coming on .

Bob.

 

[frank rabbets]

Hi Bob, That's a good idea using a sock as a filter. Mine have got holes in so I'll buy some new ones for the LC's.

I've checked my 80 and 100 tanks. I thought my 80 one was OK and yes it's like new. Fortunately the 100 is as well.

Good idea making a fibreglasss one as long as you remember to put the hardener in. .

I jacked my old Range Rover up and as I was putting the axle stand under it fell off the jack and the axle stand went straight through the petrol tank. I repaired that with fibreglass from the outside and it never leaked.

 

[BobMurphy]

Hi Bob, That's a good idea using a sock as a filter. Mine have got holes in so I'll buy some new ones for the LC's.

Bob.

 

[BobMurphy]

Just a thought about fibreglass . . .

The off-side of the Tank Guard extends in a curve over the propshaft - presumably to protect the tank from heat from the main silencer box.

How does fibreglass stand up to heat ??

I'm thinking that I'll have to incorporate an alloy plate on the outer surface as a heat sink - any suggestions ??


Bob.

 

[frank rabbets]

Yes and incorporate a small air gap so heat is not transferred ?

 

[Rodger]

Hi Bob,

Not sure that this will suit your needs regarding the tank but www:frost.co.uk have a fuel tank repair kit. The product is made by POR, whose stuff really does do what it says on the tin (IMO). Maybe worth a look.

Hope that helps

Regards,

 

[BobMurphy]

Hi Bob,

Not sure that this will suit your needs regarding the tank but www:frost.co.uk have a fuel tank repair kit. The product is made by POR, whose stuff really does do what it says on the tin (IMO). Maybe worth a look.
Regards,

Thanks Rodger.

I had thought about sealing it from the inside but decided to bite the bullet and get a new tank. Hopefully it will last another 13 years. POR make good stuff - we use POR15 to seal motorcycle tanks.

The tank is here and I'm waiting for a couple of fittings and a load of stainless 4mm & 5mm cap-head sets to arrive. I'll give it a couple of coats of black 'Smoothrite' before fitting it.

In the meantime I'm making a new tank cradle/guard out of fibreglass. I've taken a mould from the inside of the old one and have now got it ready - all polished and waxed. Today I'll lay the three coats of matting that will form the new guard.

I have taken photos but haven't put them onto 'Photobucket' yet - I'll show you what I've done later .

I'll have to bore drain holes into the finished guard and then give it a couple more coats of resin to seal it properly. Hopefully the tank will be in at the end of the week.

I've bought far too much resin and matting so could make a couple of extra guards. I'll see how the first one turns out before doing that though.

Anyone in the salt-laden Frozen North interested ??? .

Then the '95' will be due its MOT so I'll have to get working on that .

Gotta love these things .

Bob.