What to Use to Seal a leaky Coolant Tank in the UK

Clive603 · Dec 1, 2009

Time for a second go at my leaky coolant tank. Silicon sealer and duct tape held out for about 6 months, considering the size and number of holes a miracle on par with the loaves and fishes. Gonna weld it up this time but I'm pretty sure I won't find all the pinholes or soon to be pinholes and my welding isn't really up to guaranteed 100% liquid tightness every time.

So what can I paint or slosh around the inside to keep the coolant in. I use a Rocol semi-synthetic at around 30 to 1 dilution. Petseal has been suggested but local reports are that it doesn't work that well on flat surfaces or plain angles, crevices being more its thing. I imagine surface preparation so that whatever I put on actually sticks may be a problem after so many years of oily stuff. Darn thing is too big to fit in the blast cabinet.

Clive

Limy Sami · Dec 1, 2009

Araldite

good brushing, degrease & away ya go. works a treat.

Mud · Dec 1, 2009

From my experience welding up pinholes in tanks, I'd suggest brazing it with Silicon bronze (Everdure) rod and TIG. Much easier than welding, less warpage, and more secure, less likely to leak.

boslab · Dec 1, 2009

if using the trusty araldite [1080] warm the tank up, quite a lot, torch it good the ol sticky goes fluid as a runny thing an gets in the holes [smells like popcorn!], if you want some big tubes i can post you some as i just received about 50 of each to test, email me
mark

Ghost · Dec 1, 2009

I once used spray on bed liner to seal and protect a water tank in an old firetruck used for training at the local tech school. I can't think of any reason it won't work in a coolant tank.

gbent · Dec 1, 2009

What is this araldite, and does it have a US equivalent?

Limy Sami · Dec 1, 2009

Araldite here ( the top two products) I don't know what you have or call it.

http://www.huntsman.com/advanced_ma...ite®_Consumer_Adhesives/index.cfm?pageID=5902

bhigdog · Dec 1, 2009

If it's fully open at the top just line it with about 3 layers of fibreglass fabric and resin. I have a 50 gallon goldfish "pond" in the floor for 35 years that has not leaked a drop..............Bob

Piek · Dec 2, 2009

Fuel tank sealer might work.
http://www.frost.co.uk/item_Detail....atID=25&frostCat=Tanks&frostSubCat=&subCatID=

Second thought: Lead loading (old fashioned body solder) will most likely work as well. The tank will have to be properly degreased though.

Leadfootin · Dec 2, 2009

Dupont Corlar epoxy primer works very well and is used to line tankers for both leakage and corrosion protection. I use it to seal porous aluminum castings on the old Rolls engines. They originally used boiled linseed oil. Without sealing we get oil seepage problems and I have seen the primer come right thru a competent appearing part, sealing it completely and solving the problem.

Peter

Clive603 · Dec 2, 2009

Thanks for the advice. Looks like Araldite is the way to go. Especially as I can actually buy the stuff local in the shopping desert known as Crowborough. Further inspection shows the the tank is further gone than I thought and has been weld repaired before, with Araldite as sealant. Guess I shall hafta treat this as temporary, bite the bullet and get a new one which isn't as expensive as I feared, not cheap but at least I've got positive income for the first time in months.

Glass fibre build up is a lovely idea but impractical due to the sub divisions and flow holes. Maybe if I were real good at glass fibre.

Mud is right over using silicon bronze and TIG. Seen the results and its lovely. But that's way outside my skill set. A career path from atomic physics to carer and part time machinist via statistics, electronics, IR target detection, thermal imaging and single photon counting didn't have room for a welding course. I got some lovely expensive toys to play with along the way.

If you have a tank problem its worth remembering that the catering folk do a range of handy "Gastronorm" sizes in drawn stainless steel quite cheap. My original intention was to use a gastronorm 1:1 as an insert being close enough to the right size. Like so many such adaptations actually making it work would have been a bear. In this case the necessary dividers would have been too hard.

Clive

Pete F · Dec 2, 2009

I definitely wouldn't be using araldite, and caution heating it too much too. Over-heating many plastics can cause some real nasties. Araldite is designed as an adhesive, so if you wanted to go down that path why not just buy epoxy resin and do the job properly?

I would be using fuel tank sealer for sure. I haven't used this product myself, but watched a demo at a recent trade day and was very impressed http://ppcco.com.au/coatings_sealer.htm These products are designed specifically for the purpose you describe.

Limy Sami · Dec 2, 2009

Clive603 said:
Thanks for the advice. . Guess I shall hafta treat this as temporary, bite the bullet and get a new one which isn't as expensive as I feared,

Clive

Just a thought;-

Is that a manufacturers replacement part, or a copy? ,............. sheet metal shops are in a very competetive game,........ and like the rest of us, hungry.

Pete F · Dec 2, 2009

Leadfootin said:
Dupont Corlar epoxy primer works very well and is used to line tankers for both leakage and corrosion protection. I use it to seal porous aluminum castings on the old Rolls engines. They originally used boiled linseed oil. Without sealing we get oil seepage problems and I have seen the primer come right thru a competent appearing part, sealing it completely and solving the problem.

Peter

G'day Peter, I have no association with this company, just seen their products, and thought you may also be interested in this http://ppcco.com.au/topcoat_glyptal.htm I remembered it as apparently it's being used to seal porous castings from the inside, and I recalled a mate of mine with that problem.
Pete

ObsoleteTom · Dec 2, 2009

Pete F said:
I definitely wouldn't be using araldite, and caution heating it too much too. Over-heating many plastics can cause some real nasties. Araldite is designed as an adhesive, so if you wanted to go down that path why not just buy epoxy resin and do the job properly?

I would be using fuel tank sealer for sure. I haven't used this product myself, but watched a demo at a recent trade day and was very impressed http://ppcco.com.au/coatings_sealer.htm These products are designed specifically for the purpose you describe.

Way back in the day our local Skidoo dealer used two part epoxy to seal pinholes in fuel tanks. Wasn't very expensive, worked like a champ and stood up well to both fuel and vibration. I would try that first.

Clive603 · Dec 3, 2009

Limy Sami

Local made pattern sounds attractive but its not a simple as just strolling down the road.
New one is £175 and change delivered, unpainted but ready to bolt in. About 2/3 rd what I expected given that its got more than the usual mounting gubbins, internal baffles and an over complex pump mount. Par for the course for Smart & Brown really. Cheapest option for a pattern is to just have a new basic tank made and re-use the existing baffles, pump mount and mounting plate. Round here prolly £50 up "when we can fit it in". I doubt if there would be much, if any saving on the base price of a full replica. Either way I'll loose my tank for at least a week as well as being out a couple half days and 4 gallons or so of petrol doing the delivery / collection bit not to mention phoning round to find someone to do it. Also I don't like to leave 90 year old dad on his own for too long.

Send a cheque and wait for the postman may come out theoretically more but the hassle factor of going the other way prolly counts as £50 plus. Under £300 or so its easy to burn up the saving over just paying list in chasing round expenses and lost time.

Clive

Norman Atkinson · Dec 3, 2009

Now that we are talking about tanks, how much is a couple of fills of Diesel in the UK?

The UK is where the leaky tank is and a gnat's cock away from your vehicle.

And hurry up because the VAT goes up next month.

( And I'm on an Old Age Pension- which doesn't)

Mumbles, shuffles off with Zimmer frame and tells the rest of a deafer World how the other half have to live.

Norman

Limy Sami · Dec 3, 2009

Clive, - Twas but a suggestion which depended on individual circumstances,.........I see where you are, and in your position would go for the same option.

I understand some of the situation regarding your father,........... could say it looks like we're in the same boat.

Take care.

Sami

DDoug · Dec 3, 2009

Clive,
whne you indicated your going to slosh and seal I'll
assume you've pulled the tank, and can move it around.

Here in the state's there are franchised places that do
"spray in bedliner" for the backs of pick up trucks.
That would work good in your tank,
IF you could get it clean (I think).

It dries in 5 seconds or so, so would probably be
a "bring it in and wait for it" deal.

acme thread · Dec 3, 2009

You can maybe try a hot glue gun, A buddy of mine patched up a water trough that someone thoughtfully blasted with a shot gun, was a damn sight quicker than brazeing.
Thats also the only thing I've found that will patch a plastic battery case, I broke my battery case on my Bobcat, patched it with a hot glue gun, and it lasted three yrs. till the battery died a natural death. dave [acme thread]

What to Use to Seal a leaky Coolant Tank in the UK

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