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Old 04-23-2012, 11:20 AM   #1
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fuel tank leak

I am new to this forum so not sure I understand proper portacall.

I have a 1998 Winebago Chieftain on a Freightliner chassis that appears to have a fuel tank leak, I'm wanting to see if anyone else has had this problem,, ever had a fuel tank leak? It looks like it may be leaking out of the weld.
is there anyone out there that has seen this happen before ?
Thanks
Bill
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Old 04-23-2012, 11:38 AM   #2
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:welcome:

Sorry to hear about your problem.

Last one I heard that had this problem was MonacoMama (MM) when we meet at Quartzsite in January.

I have no personal experience, but if you don't get a satisfactory reply, try looking up MM in the Monaco forum and send a PM (personal message). MM is always willing to share her knowledge.
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Old 04-23-2012, 11:52 AM   #3
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:welcome: I've had this issue in a car, not an rv. I had to drain and drop tank, get it steamed and cleaned to get rid of all fumes, then had it welded and I reinstalled it. Welder wouldn't touch it without having it steamed.
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Old 04-23-2012, 12:08 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by airplane View Post
I am new to this forum so not sure I understand proper portacall.

I have a 1998 Winebago Chieftain on a Freightliner chassis that appears to have a fuel tank leak, I'm wanting to see if anyone else has had this problem,, ever had a fuel tank leak? It looks like it may be leaking out of the weld.
is there anyone out there that has seen this happen before ?
Thanks
Bill
Sir,
Pardon my confusion here, is it a diesel or gas tank? You see, in the old days the Chieftain used to be gas, if I recall. But you say it's on a Freightliner chassis so, that's kind of telling me you have a diesel. If so, it's no big deal to weld. Yes, there are procedures for doing such a repair but certainly doable. I've done it lots times on many of our fire trucks. I used "Argon" to flood the tank and then welded away. But, each weldor has his/her certain precautions they must take in augmentation to the standard ones.

Can you see the leak out in the open or, is it hidden to where you can't get your eyes or a mirror on it? You can spray some carb cleaner on it so it's really clean and then check for migration/propagation from the suspected area(s). If it's a weld or any place for that matter, then yep, you've got a job in front of you. If you have to drop the tank, then obviously you empty it as much as possible and then drop it. Then get the remaining fuel out. Then, it's off to the weldor or, are you planning on doing the repair yourself?
Scott
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Old 04-24-2012, 12:09 PM   #5
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Thanks. it is diesel, I'm wiping it off everyday trying to see where it's coming from

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Originally Posted by FIRE UP View Post
Sir,
Pardon my confusion here, is it a diesel or gas tank? You see, in the old days the Chieftain used to be gas, if I recall. But you say it's on a Freightliner chassis so, that's kind of telling me you have a diesel. If so, it's no big deal to weld. Yes, there are procedures for doing such a repair but certainly doable. I've done it lots times on many of our fire trucks. I used "Argon" to flood the tank and then welded away. But, each weldor has his/her certain precautions they must take in augmentation to the standard ones.

Can you see the leak out in the open or, is it hidden to where you can't get your eyes or a mirror on it? You can spray some carb cleaner on it so it's really clean and then check for migration/propagation from the suspected area(s). If it's a weld or any place for that matter, then yep, you've got a job in front of you. If you have to drop the tank, then obviously you empty it as much as possible and then drop it. Then get the remaining fuel out. Then, it's off to the weldor or, are you planning on doing the repair yourself?
Scott
Thanks
It's diesel and I'm still wiping it off everyday trying to see where it is actually coming from. I was wondering if anyone else has ever had a Winebago fuel tank leak.
Thanks
bill
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Old 04-24-2012, 08:10 PM   #6
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Your 'name' airplane brought back something we did to an F-4 aircraft in Vietnam which had a fuel leak at some rivets on the underside of a wing tank. 'By the book' repairs would have taken significant time and we needed the airplane for a mission. We wiped everything as clean and dry as possible and used automotive body repair Bondo to cover the area , about 1/4' thick. That 'tremporary' repair held for months til the airplane was brought in for scheduled, more extensive maintenance and repairs. It had to be ground off.
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Old 04-25-2012, 03:46 PM   #7
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Thanks
It's diesel and I'm still wiping it off everyday trying to see where it is actually coming from. I was wondering if anyone else has ever had a Winebago fuel tank leak.
Thanks
bill
jb weld has a product for fuel tank repairs. i haven't used it personally but have heard good things about it. i carry their stick weld for emergency repairs. i got mine from wally world.


J-B Weld Company - Products Overview
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Old 04-25-2012, 04:08 PM   #8
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I read the J-B Weld info, it mentions gasoline tanks, nothing about diesel. I've used J-B on a few projects, it is good stuff, but diesel OIL might create adhesion problems for the epoxy. I think the best idea would be to remove and weld the tank. Diesel is too expensive to let leak!

If you want to try the J-B Weld, perhaps try it on a tin can with a slice in it, add a little diesel, see if you can seal it up.
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Old 04-26-2012, 11:50 AM   #9
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Shortly after I bought mine, I discovered that there was a leak when it was stored with a full tank of diesel. As it turned out, the leak was actually on the top of the tank, where a short fill pipe is threaded into the tank. The flex hose connects to that pipe nipple, which was not tight. It was actually accessible without dropping the tank. It has never leaked since.

Diesel tank leaks are hard to find, as the fuel will find it's way around, and down any number of places, where it finally presents. I'd suggest to clean and dry as much of the tank as you can, and then tape a strip of newspaper around the tank, to leave a tell-tale where fuel runs down.
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Old 04-27-2012, 09:41 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CaptBill View Post
Shortly after I bought mine, I discovered that there was a leak when it was stored with a full tank of diesel. As it turned out, the leak was actually on the top of the tank, where a short fill pipe is threaded into the tank. The flex hose connects to that pipe nipple, which was not tight. It was actually accessible without dropping the tank. It has never leaked since.

Diesel tank leaks are hard to find, as the fuel will find it's way around, and down any number of places, where it finally presents. I'd suggest to clean and dry as much of the tank as you can, and then tape a strip of newspaper around the tank, to leave a tell-tale where fuel runs down.
Thannks, it does now appear to be coming from above, I can't see what yoour talking about but will look better, thanks for the tip.
Bill
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