Hi Will,
Sorry to hear about your tank problem. My tank developed a split back in 2016,
at first, I explored installing a bladder inside the tank as I really didnt like
the idea of installing a new tank. I had studied the repair process and lots
of photographs from the web and even produced the mouldings required ready to
install a new tank, but I really didnt want to go that route.
I produced two or three bladders, but I couldnt produce a bladder that didnt
leak.
The idea was to fill the bladder with explosion proof foam as used in racing
cars, it would have reduced the tank capacity a bit, but would prevent the
bladder from collapsing when empty. I approached several bladder manufacturers,
but they all wanted thousands to produce a bladder which is why I went the DIY
route. Although the bladder idea didnt work out for me, I still think this
is a great idea if someone can produce a bladder at a reasonable price.
Having spent a lot of time and effort on the bladder, I stumbled on the process
of welding plastic fuel tanks in a youtube video. At this point in time, I knew
that my tank was split, but I didnt know where or how bad as I hadnt cut open
the top of the tank. I figured that if I had to replace the tank with a new
one then cutting some holes in the tank top wasnt going to matter, and if I cut
the top of the headrests off then any holes I cut could be easily repaired
in the replacement process. There was already an LAA scheme for installing a
fuel
tank sender unit that involved cutting an inspection hole between the headrests,
so I knew I wasnt breaking new ground doing this. Anyway, once the holes
were cut I could see the split in the tank for the first time and I thought
repairing it was feasible.
Ive included some photos of the bladder for reference, a copy of the repair
scheme
that was accepted by the LAA in the UK and a pic of the inside of the tank.
Its pretty self-explanatory, but Im happy to help if something isnt clear.
I should add that my original welded repair failed earlier this year after 7
years,
but it was only a mornings work to pump it out and reweld it and its been
OK since. The repair approval dictates that I must remove the inspection panels
at annual inspection to inspect the repair. I usually pump the tank out to
do this which gives the opportunity to remove any debris from inside the tank
and have a good look at it as well.
Good luck with your repair.
Read this topic online here:
http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.php?p=507536#507536
Attachments:
http://forums.matronics.com//files/mod_8_redacted_1_114.pdf
http://forums.matronics.com//files/inflated_tank_rear_592.jpg
http://forums.matronics.com//files/bladder_top_180.jpg
http://forums.matronics.com//files/bladder_rear_116.jpg
http://forums.matronics.com//files/bladder_front_898.jpg
http://forums.matronics.com//files/2018_inside_of_fuel_tank_242.jpg
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