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Fuel tank sloshing SB outsourcing or tips?

brian

Well Known Member
I have a fuel tank that has developed a slight seep, plus it looks like the sloshing compound SB was only about half-done on this tank, even though both tanks had been signed off in the logs as completed, checked, tested.

So, I've pulled the tank, and I'm debating doing the SB work myself or sending it out to have it done for me. I think I read on here a long time ago about people who do this work.

Do any of you have any recommendations on outsourcing the job? Places, people, prices, reviews of/satisfaction with the work?

OTOH, if I do it myself, my biggest concern is how hard that aft panel is going to be to get off after I remove the aft row of rivets. It seems to me that the ProSeal is going to glue that thing in there quite firmly and it's going to be a real bear to remove. Any tips on that? Try to cut through the ProSeal at the seam with a thin knife blade between the two parts? Don't try to salvage the old panel and just get a new one?

One thing that may make it a bit easier is that the person who half-did the SB on the tank back in 2010 apparently also either used old ProSeal or didn't mix it properly, because the new (at that time) ProSeal is still soft and sticky; more so in some places than others.

Are there any chemicals that will help with any of this by eating or disolving the ProSeal without damaging the metal?

I don't have experience with ProSealing, but it seems to me the second most difficult part will be making sure I get a very thorough coating of ProSeal on that aft panel when I put it back on. I'll have to put the ProSeal on all the seams, then install and rivet the panel when I no longer have access to the inside of the seams around that aft panel. Any thoughts or tips on that?

Any suggestions greatly appreciated,
Brian
 
Hi Kyle,
The leak is easy. I thought I could have fixed that without even removing the tank. I confirmed that after removing the tank; it was only coming from one place - outboard bottom seam, about in the middle of the seam, fore-aft. Easy fix through the filler hole. Very slight leak - not even wet, just staining, But the staining started spreading recently, so no longer acceptable.

I would have resealed from the filler hole, but I am also starting to see white flakes, from the sloshing compound, in the sump drain seal and gascolator. When the previous owner did the SB, he left the white sealer on all the seams. It's starting to crack and flake off, so I can't have that. So now I have to properly remove all traces of that white stuff. So I have to open it up.

I suppose I could just seal the leak and ProSeal one of those automotive sock-type in-tank fuel filters on the end of the pickup tube. From what I understand, you could dump a shovel full of dirt into the tank and you wouldn't clog up one of those filters.

Or I could do as you suggested - cut some round holes in that aft plate, big enough to get my hand in, and scrub out the sloshing compound from there. That'd be easier than trying to remove that entire aft plate and then reseal it perfectly on the first try.
 
Talk with Paul Beck of " Weep no More" in Willmar Mn. Slosh removal and leak repairs.
 
The access holes are a good idea and would be a lot easier than redoing all those rivets. They've already been redone once, when the SB was supposedly done back in 2010.

I contacted Paul at weepnomore. He responded quickly, even over a weekend. It's awful expensive, though - $1200 plus shipping for one tank. I'm still debating whether to do it myself or give it to him. One thing that may influence my decision is what I find out rgarding my other post about the ProSeal apparently de-curing. If Proseal can de-cure, then my guess is the fuel or whatever made it de-cure will continue to do so with any remaining ProSeal, and thus I'd need a "from-scratch, down to bare metal" redo by Paul.
 
I had to cut one access hole in one of my -4's tanks. I cut a fairly large rectangle in the back; I think I left about 1" around the outside of the bay. Made it a lot easier to get my hand in there and actually see what I was doing. This was the inboard bay, I didn't use a doubler around the hole, and I haven't had any issues with leaks since I did the mod. I did use #8 screws/nuts to attach the new cover, and I used Permatex non-hardening fuel sealant on the cover. Someone else recently reported problems with the stuff, but I've had great luck with it.

Charlie
 
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