Fuel tank Maint...

[towpilot2003]

I will be stripping my 4 for paint next month and pulling the wings and tail off for the paint booth. Obviously a good time to repair a fussy tank that seems to have a slow leak. I'll be putting new o-rings in the gascolator and checking the seal for the sending unit yet the blue dye seems to live on the bottom out board portion of the tank. Any advice on sealing the tank or know of someone who's familiar with this in the SO CAL area?

[Av8torTom]

Keith,

There's a lengthy thread in the Tips section dealing with sealing tanks. The very last post talks about sealing a leaking tank. I assume once off the wing you will be able to locate the area(s) that are leaking (pressurize and spray with soapy water looking for bubbles). The author thinned sealant with toluene (I believe), then used a shop vac to draw a vacuum in the tank through the filler hole. He left the vent line open so as not to damage the tank with too much negative pressure. Then he put the thinned sealant on the places where there were leaks. He was able to draw sealant into the leaking areas fixing the problem.

I'd give that a go.

Tom