Gas Tank Hole...WHAT is the FIX?

Hi all,

I've got a 2nd gen w/ a perfect 1/4" hole in the plastic gas tank. The hole is in the bottom, at the rear of the tank.

Dealer wants $920 for a new tank

So...my question. Can it be fixed? I mean permanently and definitively fixed (I mean like new or better than new). So I don't worry about it failing me when I'm out in the middle of nowhere, and miles from help.

I've searched the forum and found next to nothing.

Thanks all!!!

_______________________________________________________________

ADDENDUM TO ORIGINAL POST...

Adding the "rest of the story" to the post"
I originally didn't include this to keep my question uncluttered...but with all the insurance debate...I think it's now
prudent to disclose the chain of events.

I damaged my original tank off-roading in a dry wash near Socorro, New Mexico. I was backing out a dead-end and
ran over a 2" angle iron sticking up out of the ground about 4 ft at a low angle. (I never saw it on the way in). I've included
pics of that tank and it's resulting damage. Gas was pouring out at a fast rate so we jumped in the truck and was able to
haul ass back to town...barely.

Ford dealer tried to patch the tank. It didn't work. I found and bought a used tank in Albuquerque, NM. Drove up in a rental
to get it and brought it back to Socorro, where the truck was parked. Installed this tank and when I put gas in it...I noticed the
DRILLED HOLE in the tank. I was able to plug it with a piece of tubing, a screw, and a vacuum cap. Not a drop since I did it, and
it got me back home to El Paso, TX.

The salvage yard (Downtown Imports) in Albuquerque is working with me to get another one. So don't be too hard on them...it
was an honest, if not careless, mistake on their part...and the owner feels pretty bad about it.

So...everyone on the thread is both right and wrong on the DRILLED HOLE theory. It is...but it wasn't vandalism.

This is the old tank w/ damage. Note the grey goop of the patch
attempt that did not work.


Old Tank...damage from the inside.


"New" tank...with 1/4" hole. My temporary fix was to shove a tube
in the hole. Run a screw up the inside of the tube. Cap it with a
vacuum cap.

 

Did someone steal your gas?

 

I'm thinking its new tank time.

 

I fixed a gas tank leak for a friend of mine because he couldn't afford a new tank. We just took a screw and coated the screw with RTV then put it in the hole. Once the screw was all the way in we put more RTV over the head of the screw and then smeared it around like cake frosting. Tank never leaked again.

Now I must advise that this is not necessarily a good idea. The right thing to do is replace the tank. But what you do to your truck is up to you.

 

This^^^^
But also I was thinking JB weld or some kind of Epoxy. Plumbers putty maybe... I am still wondering how one gets a perfect 1/4 inch hole in their tank.

 

Find one out of a wrecked vehicle.

try car-part.com

I see used ones 170-300 dollars. You could grab a URD fuel pump/filter kit for a little extra or re-use your stock setup.

 

JB does have that water weld stuff... maybe... maybe...

 

Didn't think of JB weld or epoxy. Those would work pretty good too!

 

I wouldn't use epoxy, it seems to break down after some time. Now there may very well be some industrial stuff I'm not familiar with. I've patched crankcases on motorcycles with JB weld, with no problems.

 

2006
Fuel Tank
Toyota Tacoma A $AA831 $100 LKQ of New Mexico USA-NM(Albuquerque) E-mail 1-800-469-0665


2005
Fuel Tank
Toyota Tacoma 140.9' WB A 11L019 $65 G & N Auto Recycling L.L.C. USA-TX(El-Paso) Request_Quote 915-877-5353 Request_Insurance_Quote


2006
Fuel Tank
Toyota Tacoma BARE TANK A 4914 $70 Ace Pickup Parts USA-AZ(Tucson) E-mail 1-888-862-4223 / 520-889-9000

 

Depending on your deductable I would turn it into insurance as vandlism some body drilled your tank and stole your fuel. My vandle deductable is $100

 

Sheetmetal screw and JB weld?

 

hell just duct tape it son!!!! by god that'll do it!! haha

 

Bubble gum

 

Ask your local auto shops, i've heard of people getting their cracked or punctured poly tanks repaired before. Some kind of plastic welding or somethin'....

 

So your suggesting fraud? No wonder my insurance is so high.

 

It's not fraud if someone actually did drill the hole and steal the gas.

 

When I worked at Kragen we had a gas tank epoxy patch kit. My understanding is that gas eats damn near anything so I would want something that is specifically for gas. Not sure that qualifies as a permanent fix or not.

I second the suggestion of finding a used tank from a wrecked truck.

There is such a thing as plastic welding for sure, but good luck finding someone who can do it and is willing to do it on a gas tank. I know that not many guys will mess with even a metal tank anymore. Although come to think of it, I'm not sure plastic welding involves a flame, so maybe it's safer?

 

You can cut a piece of aluminum can to cover the hole and jb weld it. My uncle did that on a car and it lasted the whole time he had it.

 

I must have missed where the OP said anything about someone drilling a hole in his tank and stealing gas, maybe you can direct me to that part of his post.