FUEL TANK BUSHING LEAK

[TDF5G 2,072]

HELP!  I'm having great trouble trying stop a fuel leak on my Dad's B-80. 

 

It's leaking from around the grommet/bushing.  I bought a ten pack of new bushings a while back on eBay.  I've tried about 6-7 different ones and a even new shut-off valve with no luck.  So I bought a used tank from a RS member here, (thinking the tank must be bad) and I'm having the same problem with it also, after trying several different new bushings and a new shut-off valve on it.  

 

Both of these are definitely leaking between the tank and the bushing/grommet in exactly the same way.   I have no idea what to do now. 

 

I've replaced these bushing before on other tractors with great results.  I just don't get it.

 

The only thing I can think of at this point is, I'm wondering if all bushings are not created equal?  Are there some inferior brands out there that do not work well?  It seems if the bushing was just slightly larger it might make a better seal. 

Todd

 

 

 

[lynnmor 7,559]

Check carefully for a crack at the tank hole.

[TDF5G 2,072]

26 minutes ago, lynnmor said:

Check carefully for a crack at the tank hole.

I will certainly do that.  The mold seam of the tank runs right through the hole where the bushing goes I know.  I hope I don't have 2 cracked tanks.

 

[Ed Kennell 40,468]

Sounds like you may have got a pack of undersized grommets.    They should fit really tight in the tank without the valve barb inserted.

[TDF5G 2,072]

11 minutes ago, Ed Kennell said:

Sounds like you may have got a pack of undersized grommets.    They should fit really tight in the tank without the valve barb inserted.

That's the only conclusion that I can come to.   I don't have any other brands to compare these with.  I'm going to have to try another kind I reckon.

[953 nut 57,885]

I bought a couple from @rmaynard and they worked great,    

 

[rmaynard 15,915]

12 minutes ago, 953 nut said:

I bought a couple from @rmaynard and they worked great,    

 

I am out of shut-off valves, but I do have some of the grommets for $1.50 each plus shipping.

 

The black tanks will crack at the hole making it impossible to seal. Some people have been successful "welding" the crack with a soldering iron. However, if you need another tank, I have one complete with bushing and shut-off valve. 

 

Contact me directly by email at:

rmaynard@qis.net

 

Edited August 13, 2019 by rmaynard

[TDF5G 2,072]

14 minutes ago, rmaynard said:

I am out of shut-off valves, but I do have some of the grommets for $1.50 each plus shipping.

 

The black tanks will crack at the hole making it impossible to seal. Some people have been successful "welding" the crack with a soldering iron. However, if you need another tank, I have one complete with bushing and shut-off valve. 

 

Contact me directly by email at:

rmaynard@qis.net

 

 

Thank you sir.  I will take a look at the tanks and check for cracks in the next few days.   

[Goldnboy 992]

Well if you want to drive 30mins to my garage i have a spare tank from my test stand you can try.. 

[Tuneup 1,433]

OK, I know I'm red-necking this but it worked for me on a tractor I didn't want to lay-out more cash on at the time. Tossing this out there as an option. The old C120 dragged out of a friend's yard got its trans repaired but I reached my end at the leaky tank after its contents trashed my garage floor. Since the seam was bad, I melted some fresh plastic to the base to seal it and tapped it from above with a 90° tube. No grommet needed as the rubber base tube sealed the opening. The pump has enough to siphon the height of the tank. No problem.

 

Yeah, not factory...one of these days the old 120 will be fully refreshed. Right now, it's content mowing down the weeds in the backyard and the C125 can take a break. A 42" deck makes short work of 3' tall weeds, by the way but prefers reversing.

[TDF5G 2,072]

12 hours ago, Goldnboy said:

Well if you want to drive 30mins to my garage i have a spare tank from my test stand you can try.. 

Thank you.  I appreciate the offer.  I'm going try to some genuine Toro bushings.  There's a Toro dealer not far from my work, where I've bought them in the past.  Gonna try to make it over there on my lunch break today.

 

I do have a test stand myself, consisting of a 4' retaining wall and 2X4 blocks.  

[TDF5G 2,072]

2 minutes ago, TDF5G said:

Well, here is the verdict:  Both tanks are cracked, the original one and the used one I bought recently.  

 

I put the bushing and valve in each tank and got in a dark corner of the basement with an LED flashlight shining through the cap opening to find the cracks.  Both are cracked in the exact same spot, right in the mold seam on one side of the bottom hole.  The original tank has just a very slight crack that is barely visible.  The other one is much larger.  

 

Thanks to everyone for all the replies and help.  I learned something today. I just had no idea and never expected this.  I've had leaks on other tractors, and a new bushing always took care of it.

 

RS is a great forum!  

Todd

 

Edited August 15, 2019 by TDF5G

[Pullstart 64,523]

Is this indeed the under hood tank?  Possibly you could find a steel replacement and be done with the hassle?

[posifour11 723]

Don't give up just yet. I've heard of folks using soldering irons to seal cracks. Worth a shot. 

[TDF5G 2,072]

9 minutes ago, pullstart said:

Is this indeed the under hood tank?  Possibly you could find a steel replacement and be done with the hassle?

Yes.  I'm working on my dad's B-80.

 

6 minutes ago, posifour11 said:

Don't give up just yet. I've heard of folks using soldering irons to seal cracks. Worth a shot. 

No, not giving up at all.  I've got to get this tractor back in action. 

 

The local ACE HDWE store has a good selection of JB Weld products.  I'm going to see if they have some epoxy that I can use to fill the cracks.  They make some specifically for plastics.  I used a tan colored, JB Weld epoxy for automotive plastics a while back to repair a broken arm rest inside the door panel on a car a while back, and it worked very well.  I just don't know what they have that would be resistant to gasoline.

 

[Pullstart 64,523]

7 minutes ago, TDF5G said:

Yes.  I'm working on my dad's B-80.

 

No, not giving up at all.  I've got to get this tractor back in action. 

 

The local ACE HDWE store has a good selection of JB Weld products.  I'm going to see if they have some epoxy that I can use to fill the cracks.  They make some specifically for plastics.  I used a tan colored, JB Weld epoxy for automotive plastics a while back to repair a broken arm rest inside the door panel on a car a while back, and it worked very well.  I just don't know what they have that would be resistant to gasoline.

 

 

I did JB Weld a steel tank on my wife’s S-10 one time... and still holds up!  It wasn’t any special formula, just the normal JB Quick so we could hit the road again!

[TDF5G 2,072]

1 minute ago, pullstart said:

 

I did JB Weld a steel tank on my wife’s S-10 one time... and still holds up!  It wasn’t any special formula, just the normal JB Quick so we could hit the road again!

I used it on a radiator tank on my old Chevelle when I was a kid one time, just to get me by, and it never leaked again so I just left it. 

[peter lena 9,087]

found using silicone grease on a tight rubber to hole fitting ensures the seating of that bushing, if the hole is not cracked , that dry bushing might be rolling up a little to distort sealing, grease or silicone spray  helps it seat, my experience, pete 

[TDF5G 2,072]

8 minutes ago, peter lena said:

found using silicone grease on a tight rubber to hole fitting ensures the seating of that bushing, if the hole is not cracked , that dry bushing might be rolling up a little to distort sealing, grease or silicone spray  helps it seat, my experience, pete 

I know grease works well to seal a hose pushed on a brake bleeder valve when bleeding brakes on a vehicle. 

 

[Tuneup 1,433]

ACE does carry a gasoline resistant glue. Worked on my under seat tank on the C-125 so I tried it on the cracked C-120 tank. Worked for a whole week and then dumped the tank onto the shed floor. YMMV.

[TDF5G 2,072]

Thanks again for all the great replies.  I'm still fighting this leaky fuel tank.  I don't get time to work on (play with) tractors very often, so it's been a long time since I got back to it yesterday. 

 

I tried some plastic JB Weld epoxy that didn't stick very well to the plastic tank. (see pic attached)  It held for about 30 minutes when testing on the workbench, then after I installed it on the tractor and it began leaking.  I was so frustrated, I said a few words that I won't share here!    Probably not the right type of epoxy. 

I have 2 cracked tanks that I'm messing with, trying to get one of them to not leak.  

 

On 8/15/2019 at 9:17 PM, Tuneup said:

ACE does carry a gasoline resistant glue. Worked on my under seat tank on the C-125 so I tried it on the cracked C-120 tank. Worked for a whole week and then dumped the tank onto the shed floor. YMMV.

Do you know exactly what this glue is?  I assume it's a 2 part epoxy of some kind.

 

I assume the black plastic tanks are ABS is that correct?  Would black ABS cement work to fill the cracks?  I attached a pic of some cement that I have.

 

I like the suggestion of using a soldering iron.  It makes sense to me and seems like that would be a great, permanent repair.  Wouldn't you need some plastic of the same type to add to the crack as a filler?  I think just melting it together might be risky of making it worse.  

 

Edited February 2, 2020 by TDF5G

[Pullstart 64,523]

56 minutes ago, TDF5G said:

Thanks again for all the great replies.  I'm still fighting this leaky fuel tank.  I don't get time to work on (play with) tractors very often, so it's been a long time since I got back to it yesterday. 

 

I tried some plastic JB Weld epoxy that didn't stick very well to the plastic tank. (see pic attached)  It held for about 30 minutes when testing on the workbench, then after I installed it on the tractor and it began leaking.  I was so frustrated, I said a few words that I won't share here!    Probably not the right type of epoxy. 

I have 2 cracked tanks that I'm messing with, trying to get one of them to not leak.  

 

Do you know exactly what this glue is?  I assume it's a 2 part epoxy of some kind.

 

I assume the black plastic tanks are ABS is that correct?  Would black ABS cement work to fill the cracks?  I attached a pic of some cement that I have.

 

I like the suggestion of using a soldering iron.  It makes sense to me and seems like that would be a great, permanent repair.  Wouldn't you need some plastic of the same type to add to the crack as a filler?  I think just melting it together might be risky of making it worse.  

 

 

I’ve heard of using zip ties as filler rod when plastic welding with a soldering iron.  I imagine it would be a bit like TIG welding.   Dip the iron, get everything hot, dip/push the zip tie into the puddle, pull it out s bit and repeat.

[rmaynard 15,915]

1 hour ago, TDF5G said:

I assume the black plastic tanks are ABS is that correct?  Would black ABS cement work to fill the cracks?  I attached a pic of some cement that I have.

 

Black plastic tanks are not ABS. They are HDPE (high density polyethylene). They cannot be glued. Plastic welding is the only way to make a repair. 

 

 

 

Edited February 2, 2020 by rmaynard

[Tuneup 1,433]

The glue at Ace is Seal All. It's still good on the under seat tank on the C125. It is in a singular tube - not 2-part. After a few uses, the C120 tank dumped its contents again. The Harbor Freight kit 'sticks' appear to work but the gas will finally find a way. I suppose if you can find the same material or have collected an old cracked tank or two, you'll have the spare material to complete the weld. I finally scored another tank and put it past me.

[TDF5G 2,072]

6 hours ago, Tuneup said:

The glue at Ace is Seal All. It's still good on the under seat tank on the C125. It is in a singular tube - not 2-part. After a few uses, the C120 tank dumped its contents again. The Harbor Freight kit 'sticks' appear to work but the gas will finally find a way. I suppose if you can find the same material or have collected an old cracked tank or two, you'll have the spare material to complete the weld. I finally scored another tank and put it past me.

Thank you I may try that.  I'm planning to get to Harbor Freight sometime this week also.  I'm going to look over the plastic welder and see what I think.   

 

On 2/2/2020 at 12:21 PM, rmaynard said:

 

Black plastic tanks are not ABS. They are HDPE (high density polyethylene). They cannot be glued. Plastic welding is the only way to make a repair. 

 

 

 

Thank you maynard.  I had no idea what kind of plastic it is.  I may look into getting a plastic welder at Harbor Freight possibly.