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2 weaping rivets on trailing edge of tank
- Thread starter gassman
- Start date
Sorry to say… Vans tank repair covers, drill access holes through rear baffle, get in there & apply Proseal along that inside seam (top & bottom!)
Also sorry to say… if you have a leak along that seam in one bay, highly likely you will have future problems in other bays along that seam joint ( because same sealing technique, results, will exist along the whole length of the tank).
Better to be proactive now & avoid multiple repairs later.
Also sorry to say… if you have a leak along that seam in one bay, highly likely you will have future problems in other bays along that seam joint ( because same sealing technique, results, will exist along the whole length of the tank).
Better to be proactive now & avoid multiple repairs later.
I had a similar problem. My seep was not bad. I thinned some Pro Seal. Set up my vacuum on affected tank. Had my son turn on the vacuum momentarily a couple of times as I worked the ProSeal around the rivets. It worked! Not my idea, saw this procedure on this site. Might give it a try.
I used toluene. Was able to purchase at ace hardware in Texas.
I used MEK
Open it up and do proper reseal. The rear baffle is likely the culprit , and will probably show again if you try a shortcut reseal from the outside. Historically the leakiest area on tanks based on the way they area assembled and the challenge of getting 100 percent sealed if the "bead" method was used.
I was able to see my weeping rivets, by diluting so pro-seal with MEK, and applying a slight vacuum. Work the pro sealant the rivet while using the vacuum tory and draw it in further. You can also search this site I have heard of people using thread lock (I want to say green but not positive) to help, not sure how successful that is though.
If it's only 2 rivets, does it hurt to try this? I'd venture to say that I'd try it and see what happens. If it's the rivet, maybe problem solved. If it's the baffle to skin seam, then you will still need to reseal that, which is the same position you're in now.
Well, look at the structure. There is the skin & there is the rear baffle mating flange. The tank is SUPPOSED to be sealed with a ribbon of sealant spread evenly across the flange. That means the primary sealing area is the inner edge of the flange to the rivet hole. This also means if you have a rivet seeping- there is a sealant void between the rivet hole extending to the flange inner edge.
You don’t want fuel sitting in a void long term, it will cause the sealant around the void to degrade- turn it into mush. If left long enough the degraded mush expands along the flange, what was a rivet seeping turns into inches of degraded sealant between the flanges & a much tougher problem to fix.
Diluting & sucking some sort of sealant through a rivet might temporarily solve a cosmetic problem issue, but leaves a lurking bigger issue you will have to deal with later.
Ive seen it… I’ve dealt with 20 tanks so far- & counting
You don’t want fuel sitting in a void long term, it will cause the sealant around the void to degrade- turn it into mush. If left long enough the degraded mush expands along the flange, what was a rivet seeping turns into inches of degraded sealant between the flanges & a much tougher problem to fix.
Diluting & sucking some sort of sealant through a rivet might temporarily solve a cosmetic problem issue, but leaves a lurking bigger issue you will have to deal with later.
Ive seen it… I’ve dealt with 20 tanks so far- & counting
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