GC tank is leaking
April 19, 2012 - 12:11pm
3.5 year old greasecar 40 gallon tank is leaking from a bottom weld. Anyone else have this happen? What can I do to fix it?
April 19, 2012 - 4:23pm
#2
How about consider this as an option?
http://aluminumrepair.com/land/index.asp?src=google&gclid=CJHU5O_dwa8CFc...
Just need the brazing rods and a touch!
April 21, 2012 - 2:50am
#3
Kirk,
Welding aluminum is a different animal than welding steel with either stick or gas. IMHO, take it to a welding shop that has a qualified welder. If you ask a qualified welder what a good AL should look like, he would describe it as a "stack of dimes all laying down on top of each other and in a straight line". Welding AL is not a DIY job.
April 21, 2012 - 2:12pm
#4
Thanks Y'all. I am going to take it out completely next week and fully evaluate.
April 23, 2012 - 6:59pm
#5
Justin replied to my email and said welding it is pretty much out due to oil getting in the layers of aluminum. He said I will probably need to buy a new tank. Grit between the tank and truck bed plus cutting oil and tight tie downs equals holes in the tank. I am going to try to epoxy it. I would recommend putting a rubber mat between the truck bed and tank.
June 6, 2012 - 6:22pm
#6
Eight inch crack in the bottom weld, backside. The local high school welding team is going to TIG weld it for me. This is a big downside of heating an aluminum tank. I believe the crack was caused by heating and cooling of the tank.
June 6, 2012 - 6:22pm
#7
Eight inch crack in the bottom weld, backside. The local high school welding team is going to TIG weld it for me. This is a big downside of heating an aluminum tank. I believe the crack was caused by heating and cooling of the tank.
June 7, 2012 - 1:45pm
#8
use super clean to clean it. you can also start using a plastic farm tank
June 18, 2012 - 9:02am
#9
So I had a couple of high schoolers weld the crack in the edge of the tank. Looks good and so far, no leaks. Our high school welding shop was very impressive! I wish I had made my son take the class.
The welder said that veggie oil kept sucking up into the weld, even after a thorough cleaning. I think this oil is from the layers of aluminum in the tank wall. We will see if it holds.
My friend the mechanic thinks that the vibration of the truck caused the crack and I think that the heating and cooling of the tank caused the crack. Probably a combination of both.
June 18, 2012 - 9:33pm
#10
One trick I've learned watching Master Welders is to "cut out the crack" with a jig saw. The new cut would clean out the contaminated aluminum material. The width of the jig saw blade leaves a channel that is still close enough to run a good bead. Aircraft mechanics will drill a small 1/8" hole at the ends of each crack. By drilling the hole, the crack will stop growing. If the crack is considered a "stress crack", I'd plate it with a wider and longer piece of aluminum over the crack and weld it in.
June 19, 2012 - 9:41am
#11
We did drill out the ends of the crack. If this does not take, we will cut out a piece with a jigsaw. And if that doesn't work, it's gonna be a plastic tank!
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I would say you have to remove the tank and do the AL welding again.
How about give GC a call and see what's their opinion and let us know.
Hopefully I will not have that experience in the future. My tank is only 14 months old.
__________________
'05 Cummins CTD 24V HPCR RAM 2500 QC SLT SB Black 4X4 48RE 325 hp 610 ft.lbs
GC Kit + 3rd Tank WVO(80%)/RUG(20%) + Co-Pilot
3-Tank Operation managed by Co-Pilot: Blending(warm up) / Veggie(hot run) / Diesel(purge for next start)
Smarty Jr 40/70/100 hp (Timing Map Modification)