Fuel tank issue

[PEJ5]

The return fuel line connection on the top of the fuel tank broke off on my DK5010. It went from dripping fuel to spewing fuel within 5 minutes. As for how - I am guessing the barbed connector was stressed last year when the tractor was split. I can see the return line and hose clamp laying on top of the fuel tank with the broken connector inside the line.
I am looking for advice from anyone who has removed their fuel tank or done related work. I am hoping to be able to repair the tank return connection. I am thinking that I can tap in a new barbed connection on top of the tank. Is the tank removal process straight forward? Does the return fuel just dump into the tank so I can dump it in via a new hole/spigot if I have to reposition the hole location, or is there something inside the tank such as a tube to the bottom? Do I have to invest in a new tank?

Feedback and tips appreciated.

Peter

 

[PILOON]

Heck, I'd simply drill a hole near the tank top and insert the return hose and seal as best you can.
Use a magnet to catch metal chips as U drill.
You could also solder (hot iron, not a flame) a flange fitting for a more permanent and professional job, also sealant and pop rivets could be another option.
Heck epoxy could 'glue' a flange suitably as well.

 

[fried1765]

Heck, I'd simply drill a hole near the tank top and insert the return hose and seal as best you can.
Use a magnet to catch metal chips as U drill.
You could also solder (hot iron, not a flame) a flange fitting for a more permanent and professional job, also sealant and pop rivets could be another option.
Heck epoxy could 'glue' a flange suitably as well.

I use epoxy for many things, and this would likely be another situation where I would use it.

 

[oosik]

Peter - I don't know about your Kioti. Mine heads back towards the fuel tank starting with a short steel line. It then turns into a nylon braid reinforced rubber line. At the fuel tank there is a 90 degree elbow. The rubber line ties into the elbow and is held tight with a hose clamp.

This is all well and good in my case. If I stand on my head and look thru my left arm pit - I can actually see it. Not even a piss ant could reach it though. I would have to drain and drop the tank.

Unless this elbow were broken off - flush with the top of the tank - imagination, more rubber hoses, bits of straight pipe - hose clamps - it's repaired.

 

[PEJ5]

Thanks for the assistance. My tank is plastic so epoxy should work well. Oosik, thanks for observing that the connection is an elbow vs a vertical connector. There may be enough left to work with. It sure is a tight space so I am faced with removing the tank to complete the repairs which will result in having to bleed air out of the fuel system. Hopefully that is not too difficult a task.
I would welcome comments from others who have tackled tank related work.

I have tractor work/chores backed up so I'll have to get at it.

 

[kantuckid]

"Epoxy" covers many products not all well suited for a plastic tank or diesel fuel.

 

[PEJ5]

"Epoxy" covers many products not all well suited for a plastic tank or diesel fuel.

Thanks for that advice. What should I use? Maybe JB Weld? It claims to work on plastic and I think it is fuel resistant.

 

[Amvcane]

Find out what the tank is made of. Abs, Pvc, PP, PE. And plastic weld it. I have repaired many tanks this way. I use a portasol butane soldering iron with a hot knife attachment. Melt the substrate then feed rod into it.
Plastic welding rods can be bought on e-bay. You get about 20 rods of each type of plastic.

 

[PEJ5]

The return hose was incorrectly wrapped around the floor/deck mount which put undue pressure on it. Oh well, time to repair.
There is a bit of tube on the tank but not enough to clamp to. See photos. I do not want to wait for special plastic welders. I am thinking of Seal All. I will glue the piece on and then build it up with a thin coat. The hose clamp should hold it in place. There is no pressure on the hose and the fitting other than me pressing on the hose once.
I have a brass fitting, but I'd have to drill a fairly large hole and get it just right for the threads to bite. I think this would be plan B.

Suggestions?

View attachment 703047View attachment 703048View attachment 703049

 

[RickB]

JB weld.

 

[jimglassford]

I am of the belief that plastic cannot be successfully repairs, especially a fuel tank. If you really have to take a lot apart to get to the fuel tank, do it once and spend the money for a new tank.

 

[PEJ5]

JB weld.

JB Weld did not adhere to the connection or the build up I added later. It pealed right off. I am trying Seal All now. If that fails I will try melting the broken connection point and fusing them together.

 

[PEJ5]

SealAll worked no better. After a week away I am back at it. I drilled out the broken fitting and screwed in a brass fitting with a 3/8" barbed connector.. The tank is likely 1/4" thick in that area and the brass threads bit in nice and hard. See photo.

I have it all back together and fuel in the tank. I am following the bleeding instructions. My fuel filter has the priming pump on top. I opened the bleeding screw and pumped and pumped and pumped - no sign of fuel. I even removed the bleeding screw and pumped for another 2 or 3 minutes - no fuel. I checked the main fuel line out of the tank and it is not pinched.

Any bleeding suggestions?

Thanks.
View attachment 703878

 

[PEJ5]

SealAll worked no better. After a week away I am back at it. I drilled out the broken fitting and screwed in a brass fitting with a 3/8" barbed connector.. The tank is likely 1/4" thick in that area and the brass threads bit in nice and hard. See photo.

I have it all back together and fuel in the tank. I am following the bleeding instructions. My fuel filter has the priming pump on top. I opened the bleeding screw and pumped and pumped and pumped - no sign of fuel. I even removed the bleeding screw and pumped for another 2 or 3 minutes - no fuel. I checked the main fuel line out of the tank and it is not pinched.

Any bleeding suggestions?

Thanks.
View attachment 703878

I'll answer my own question. I did some more reading and watched a couple of videos. It seems that I needed very little bleeding because the fuel filter was still full.

I pulled the fuel tank hose off the filter assembly. I connected a clear hose to it and blew. The tank bubbled so the line was fine.

I connected my clear hose to the filter assembly and fed the other end into the fuel tank. I pumped the primer but no fuel pulled up the clear tube, so the primer is faulty.

I connected the clear tube back on the fuel line and with vice grips ready I sucked on the clear hose until I saw a bit of fuel. I crimped the fuel line, disconnected my extension, and connected the fuel line back up to the filter assembly knowing it was full of fuel.

With the clutch in and locked, I released the vice grips as I turned the key. The tractor started without a sputter.

A painful repair process for a simple break, but all is well that ends well. BTW, a new tank is $345 Canadian. That was my last resort.

Happy tractor days ahead, starting tomorrow morning!

 

[Robin Veerman]

Good job. Hopefully it lasts a long time for you Dutchy

 

[kantuckid]

In auto body shops plastic repairs are very commonly done. As a guy who used to build wrecked cars I often repaired a plastic part if the price and function along with esthetics made sense to do so. Often by doing a repair from behind this was possible. A very common e.g. is the modern vehicle headlights which tend to all be extremely expensive plus in front collisions their attachment tabs break while the part that you see & use is OK. Both salvage yards and repair shops do this repair and of course for many years now. You tube is full of those repair videos.
The first step as stated early on here is to know what plastic your dealing with? There's no doubt that a plastic welder can do a far more permanent repair than JB Weld. JB Weld is a good product but has limits when gluing a fuel tank. I actually often used a Weller soldering iron with the paddle tip, a spray btl of water and some plastic donor material as the "filler rod" material. As you progress through the weld, spray water to set the material just repaired. This only is possible with heat set plastics.
I hope your screwed in "fix" does stand up to vibration and fuel, good luck.

 

[Vaquero]

Thanks for that advice. What should I use? Maybe JB Weld? It claims to work on plastic and I think it is fuel resistant.

JB weld will work. I had a leak on my rx6010c. I pumped the fuel out and dropped the left side tank. Clean it well and let the jb weld cure overnight. Once it was reinstalled, I filled the tank and fired up. No priming was necessary.

 

[fried1765]

JB weld will work. I had a leak on my rx6010c. I pumped the fuel out and dropped the left side tank. Clean it well and let the jb weld cure overnight. Once it was reinstalled, I filled the tank and fired up. No priming was necessary.

Steel tank or plastic?
JB Weld should work fine on a steel tank....not so much on plastic.

 

[Cougsfan]

Congratulations on getting it fixed, and having the common sense to figure it out on your own. Please ignore all the post repair advice. Whatever works, works. What works for some applications don't work in others. I have never found JB weld to be overly satisfactory in applications where there is stress involved. It is OK for plugging holes or if loaded in compression, but less successful if a tension, shear or torsional load is applied as it depends strictly on the adherence to the base material, which can be "iffy". Your solution sounds much better.

 

[PILOON]

The most important is to know what the base material is.
Steel?, PVC?, ABS, or?.
Next what glue/solvent will work.
Heck on some simple glue sticks will do the job.
Others a hot iron will suffice.

I once 'welded' (hot glue) wing tip fairings on a Cessna aircraft and they experienced many happy hours of flying.
Same for a trailer wheel fairings.
But none would have survived had I used the best epoxy ($) adhesive,

Shucks I've repaired eyeglass frames using acetone.