Questions and Answers
It didn't work, the gas dissolved the adhesive and now it's really leaking (at a trickle). The fuel tank is metal and there is no rust on it or at the site of the leak. What can I do to fix it permanently or temporarily until I get a new car? Please help.
Sentra Taking A Leak
Q. Dear Mr. Ciulla: I have a 1988 Nissan Sentra with a lot of miles on it (not worth spending the money to fix it) and it has a pin sized hole in the bottom of the fuel tank. I let the gas run out of the tank and tried to fix it by applying a patch with some "Loctite" brand adhesive.
Eric
A. I used to fix small leaks like this by soldering it closed. It's not really difficult to do but EXTREME care is needed to do it safely.
Ideally a large soldering iron (I have a big 1500 watt iron) is needed but you can use a propane torch.
If you decide to attempt this, remove the tank from the car and work well away from it. Drain all the gas out of it and fill it completely with water four or five times. You MUST get every bit of gasoline and the vapors out before you even think about going near it with a torch. Also make sure there is a fire extinguisher handy for instant use if something should catch fire. Common sense will tell you to do this on a concrete surface and not the front lawn.
Now that the gas and vapors have been cleaned out, clean an area around the hole about 3" in diameter to bare metal. Then clean a penny to nice bright and shiny. Yes, I said a penny. You didn't think this was going to be totally free, did you? Put some soldering flux on the tank and place the penny over the hole. Now take the torch and heat up the tank and penny and apply the solder to the edge of the penny all around. The solder will flow under the penny and it will act as a patch to the hole. You don't need a lot of heat or solder. When it's done, let it cool off completely.
Install the tank and check it for leaks and you have a permanent repair.
