think i drilled into fuel tank

[bt1jd]

ey guys
the other day me and my mate were fitting my sound system in my car every thing went good, untill we put the sub in the boot

my mate drilled the sub to the floor of the boot and im pretty sure he when into the fuel tank
the boot now stinks of fuel
any one know if there is some kind of filler or plug or something like that to fix the prob its just 3 small drill hole


thank

[acarmody]

I think your up for a new tank mate. Just visit your local wreckers, should be cheap, and easy to fit.

[savage1987]

Yes you drilled into the fuel tank you pair of goons, it is directly pressed up against the boot floor. WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!

As for the hole, chewing gum will do the trick temporarily.. Seriously, it will. Hardens in contact with fuel if I remember correctly..

Good excuse to get yourself a long range tank. You will find them for around $200. Then you can be cool like me:



Sam

[bt1jd]

haha yes we are a pair of goons i didnt even relise coz i was inside and when i came back out the boot smelt like fuel lol so bubble gum for now you say
there is no filler so something like that out there coz i really carnt afford a new tank no job

[acarmody]

Mate wreckers are your friend. If you can't afford a tank then sell the audio gear. You would rather drive around with a potentially serious problem but listen to your sub then get it fixed?

[savage1987]

Get a job, then get a tank.

No cheap fix for a fuel tank man, and DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT WELDING IT.

In future, make sure you know what you are doing before you modify stuff. My VR 304 had the same issue, the fuel pump died and I had to drop the tank to replace it, undid everything and the tank wouldn't come down. The previous owner had kindly put a big long coach screw straight through the top of the tank doing the same thing you were doing.

Come to think of it, when I had the tank out I fixed it with a tech screw.. one of those ones with a rubber washer. Did the trick OK, and will get you by for a cheap fix UNTIL YOU CAN AFFORD A TANK which should be the FIRST thing you do with any money that comes your way. Wind it in by hand with a spanner or ratchet to be on the safe side, and do it with the tank out of the car.

Sam

[old mate]

pull the tank out and put some quicksteel on it to fill the hole up. all sorted.

[Grennan]

Selleys Foam!

[Verynice]

just weld the holes up lmao

[acarmody]

First have a look in the holes to see how the interior of the tank is, torches are bad at this, use a match or a lighter as a light source!

[Verynice]

yes true acarmody, you cant just drop a torch down the hole, however a lit match will slip straight through the hole and light the area nicely, be sure to check for metal shavings, dont want them in your piztonz lulz

[acarmody]

Correct, little handheld torches are only good for dropping into engine bay, best at spots where you can't retrieve it, like on top of transmission. Lighters are the absolute best for fuel tanks, especially jet lighters as they won't go out. Just make sure you tie the button down.

[LeeoD]

Simple fix to that. Jack up the rear end and put it on some stands. Empty the fuel tank by removing the lowest 2 or 3 bolts from the fuel pump flange and let the fuel drain into a suitable container/s. Undo fuel inlet and outlet hoses from the fuel pump housing and the power connector. Undo/ loosen the fuel filler hose clamp R/H Side. Undo the 2 bolts and 2 nuts whilst supporting the tank with a large trolley jack in the center. Remove the tank support bands. Drop the tank slowly about 4 inches and then wiggle off the 2 fuel tank breather hoses right next to the fuel tank filler inlet pipe. You can now drop it all the way to the floor and out from under the car. Clean up the hole with some wet and dry emery paper so the hole is totally back to shiny bare metal. Get a 40 watt soldering iron and some fluxed soldering wire and put a few nice blobs over the hole. Use the soldering iron to smooth the blobs out a bit to make it look neat. Problem solved. They solder the breather tubes in from the factory so a small hole will be totally safe and the same process as in the factory. You should probably replace the small breather tubes with some fuel compatible rubber hose because over time the plastic hoses become brittle and sometimes crack when wiggling them off or putting them back on.
Cheers, let us know how you go !!

[acarmody]

If your going to do any of the recommendations above that requires a hot tool (soldiering, welding, etc) take the tank off the car, drain fuel, then fill tank with water. Fuel doesn't burn to well , fuel fumes though burn like crazy (or explodes, whichever). Just make sure that you get ALL the water out before refilling with fuel.

[savage1987]

You should probably replace the small breather tubes with some fuel compatible rubber hose because over time the plastic hoses become brittle and sometimes crack when wiggling them off or putting them back on.

carby fuel hose is good for this and much cheaper than EFI stuff

[benno9911]

thats why i did not drill my sub box down cause i knew this would happen

[hako]

I'd coat a suitable sized self-tapper with Sikaflex and then screw it into the hole - it's not in fuel, only the vapours so fuel ain't gunna leak out. Other than that, there a a few tank-seal products available that will seal it properly. I used some on a KB Laser with a big split 150mm long on the bottom of the fuel tank and it lasted for years till the car was sold.

[greenfoam]

Like mentioned up there somewhere by old mate, steel epoxy, quick steel, jb weld etc will fix it and fix it for the rest of your life so do that

[Dinwoodie]

All lighter jokes aside dude, you now know how to fix the problem, but looking back on what you did, go and sit down with your mate and a beer and talk about how close you both come to getting taken to the hospital with 3rd degree burns, drilling metal around anything flamable is a no no.

[redrags]

Make your mate pay for the beer to as it was him who drilled the holes