My Mini stinks!

[BruceK]

Why Mini stinks. And I've put up with a fuel smell inside the car for way too long. In fact, when I park it in the garage my habit has been to leave the boot lid open, because if I leave it closed the entire car ends up with an odor of gasoline inside. So it's been an annoyance, but I found a way around it.

I finally decided to fix it. I thought the odor might be coming from the fuel tank vent hose. But I verified that was not it. So today I drained and pulled the tank out and I discovered a discolored boot floor from what must be the world's slowest leak. Just enough to produce a gasoline odor, but not enough to do anything other than stain the paint under the tank. It was completely dry there.

Next step: New tanks are very expensive, so I'm going to try and restore and seal the tank with the POR15 fuel tank kit. Has anyone here ever used that product?  From my research it looks like meticulously following the prep is the key to getting it to work.  Should seal up any pinhole leaks or seam leaks. 

[scalpel_ninja]

I've used POR15 and it bonds really well with good prep work. Definitely wear a respirator with organic vapor filters! Aside from the need for good degreasing and etching to make a successful application; POR15 is also susceptible to UV degradation. Though the fuel tank would unlikely need any topcoat to protect it.

[94touring]

Can you even identify the spot where it's leaking?

[Dan Moffet]

I used the POR15 system with perfect results. MY fume problem (the car, not me) resulted from a porous fillet neck. Minis came with a foam rubber donut around the neck, which did a wonderful job of holding moisture.

If you got the motorcycle repair kit, it came with some gauze to repair weak or damaged tank areas. I wrapped it around the neck and applied the POR15 to the outside while coating the tank inside. Job done.

NOTE: Before you start the cleaning process, you need o remove the screen element from the tip of the outlet pipe. You do that by pushing it off from the outside through the little pipe, then shake it out and add it to your "can't throw old bits out" collection.

I got the motorcycle kit plus an additional small can so I wouldn't run short. It is a 2-part coating system, so use it outdoors. Fumes were not a problem for me. Leave it to cure outdoors The stuff sticks to anything, including concrete and the painted exterior of the tank, so protect your work area.

[MiniDave]

I used a kit called "Red Coat", stay away from the "white" coating kits - no idea who makes them but that was used on Don's Pup tank and it flaked off clogging the inlet pipe and leaving him stranded more than once. He took the ultimate parts choice and bought a stainless steel tank.

I had the red coat in my Jag and after 30 years it still looked perfect......the Jag tank was also porous in spots and this stuff did the job.

POR is generally good stuff, so I would hope it does the trick but make sure it's compatible with ethanol fuels.

My green Mini is also plagued with the smell in the boot and the rest of the car, I also see no evidence of a fuel leak and wonder if I have a similar issue?

[BruceK]

Can you even identify the spot where it's leaking?

Not a clue. I suspect the pinch seam, but haven't found it.

[BruceK]

I used the POR15 system with perfect results. MY fume problem (the car, not me) resulted from a porous fillet neck. Minis came with a foam rubber donut around the neck, which did a wonderful job of holding moisture.

If you got the motorcycle repair kit, it came with some gauze to repair weak or damaged tank areas. I wrapped it around the neck and applied the POR15 to the outside while coating the tank inside. Job done.

NOTE: Before you start the cleaning process, you need o remove the screen element from the tip of the outlet pipe. You do that by pushing it off from the outside through the little pipe, then shake it out and add it to your "can't throw old bits out" collection.

I got the motorcycle kit plus an additional small can so I wouldn't run short. It is a 2-part coating system, so use it outdoors. Fumes were not a problem for me. Leave it to cure outdoors The stuff sticks to anything, including concrete and the painted exterior of the tank, so protect your work area.

Dan, thanks for all the pointers. I didn't know about that little screen and I'm sure the sealant would clog that up very easily.

I've heard about that foam ring around the filler neck causing rust, but that  doesn't seem to be the case on my tank. Actually, the foam seems to be in really good shape and seems to be of the closed-cell variety. 

I think after I go through the entire process to coat the inside of the tank with a special fuel tank stuff, I will take an extra step and use some POR15 I have sitting around the garage, (the black stuff used for suspension and frames) and paint the outside of the tank to sort of double seal it.

[BruceK]

...

POR is generally good stuff, so I would hope it does the trick but make sure it's compatible with ethanol fuels.

My green Mini is also plagued with the smell in the boot and the rest of the car, I also see no evidence of a fuel leak and wonder if I have a similar issue?

Yes, it's supposed to be able to handle ethanol laced fuels. I do my best to avoid them, but sometimes you gotta take whatever fuel is available. 

Your Mini could very well have the same problem. As I said, there was no evidence of any leak visible while the tank was installed. And I really don't understand how it didn't eat through the paint under the tank. Just discolored it.

[MiniDave]

I have a bunch of things I need to take care of on the green one, but unfortunately, it's got a full tank right now, I need to do another long run and burn off the gas. It's a 9 gallon tank and I learned the hard way - it means it when full!

[BruceK]

I have a bunch of things I need to take care of on the green one, but unfortunately, it's got a full tank right now, I need to do another long run and burn off the gas. It's a 9 gallon tank and I learned the hard way - it means it when full!

My Mini's tank was about 3/4 full and it took a while to drain it using a 1 gal. can. Took about 6 iterations to empty it. Fortunately, my wife's car needed gas so I was able to dispose of it that way. 

[mascher]

With the tank out of the car it should be possible to find the leak. Pressurize the tank, a bicycle pump should work, and spray it with soapy water. Just like a leaking tire. When you find the leak it can be soldered if it's not too rusty. Radiator shops can usually do this work.

[MiniDave]

I have an empty 5 gal just I can use, but I ran it over full one time not realizing how much gas was in the car!

Pressurizing it is a good idea, but it's pretty obvious where Bruce's is leaking.....I hope mine leaves similar evidence......my tank is pretty clean inside so it shouldn't take much to prep it for the sealer.

This is the stuff they used on my old Jag that worked a treat! 

Red Kote

I like that the POR kit has the cleaner and metal etch with it too.....I may go that route as well.

[Willie_B]

This is the kit I used on my moke tank. I was pleased with the finish. It seems to holding up well. https://www.kbs-coatings.com/kbs-tank-sealer-system

[MiniDave]

So, how did it turn out? How did you block off the sender unit hole to clean the inside of the tank? How long do you leave the cleaner and metal etch in it before you rinse it out? Does it all just rinse with water? How dry does the tank have to be before you can put the sealer in it? Did you find the actual place where it was leaking?

I'm planning to pull the tank on the green car next week.....

[scalpel_ninja]

So, how did it turn out? How did you block off the sender unit hole to clean the inside of the tank? How long do you leave the cleaner and metal etch in it before you rinse it out? Does it all just rinse with water? How dry does the tank have to be before you can put the sealer in it? Did you find the actual place where it was leaking?

I'm planning to pull the tank on the green car next week.....

I didn't use POR15 to seal a tank per se, but when I used it for the underside of my car, both the degreaser and etch were water-soluble. The degreaser seemed similar to Simple Green, and the etch I think was phosphoric acid. The enamel cures based on humidity; the more moisture, the quicker it cures.

[BruceK]

So, how did it turn out? How did you block off the sender unit hole to clean the inside of the tank? How long do you leave the cleaner and metal etch in it before you rinse it out? Does it all just rinse with water? How dry does the tank have to be before you can put the sealer in it? Did you find the actual place where it was leaking?

I'm planning to pull the tank on the green car next week.....

Haven't started yet. I just received the POR kit 2 days ago. But I've been reading the instructions and watching videos. Tomorrow I'll start with the degreasing process. There's 2 degreasing steps and each one is at least 4 hours long, or longer. You've got to put the solution in the tank and move it around to different positions to let all interior services soak for several hours. Then you rinse it, and repeat with the second bottle of degreaser. The goal is to remove all gum and varnish and crud and loose rust that has built up over the years. I'm going to add a bunch of drywall screws to help scrub the inside of the tank. No doubt that will take up most of my day tomorrow. 

The second big step is to put in the metal prep and again rotate it around to cover all surfaces before eventually draining it out.

Now the clock starts ticking because there's a strong possibility of the interior of the tank flash rusting after the metal prep step. So the interior must be quickly dried with warm air to ensure there is absolutely no moisture in the tank. They recommend using a hairdryer or heat gun. And they say to definitely not use an air compressor because minute amount of oil will get in the tank and keep the sealant from adhering properly. 

Final step is to carefully mix the sealant and put it in the tank and rotate it all over to coat every surface before draining the excess out. Then it's a 96-hour wait time before the sealant fully cures.

I will update my progress here.

This guy's video on the process is pretty easy to follow as he goes by the detailed instructions written by the British distributor of POR15.

[BruceK]

Aw crap. Not having luck removing the fine filter screen at the end of the pickup tube in the bottom of the tank.

I've tried hitting it through the sender hole to dislodge it. But just succeeded in bending the pick up tube. Gonna try to get something flexible enough and strong enough to go through the pickup tube and try and push it off...

[MPlayle]

Do you have any long handled needle-nose pliers to reach in and try to unscrew it or break it apart to remove it?

[BruceK]

Okay. I now know what didn't work.

Striking the mesh filter to knock it off the end of the tube didn't budge it and resulted in the tube bending from a position in the center of the tank to pushing it to one side. The mesh filter is now half collapsed but still completely attached to the tube. I'm concerned that hitting it more may cause the pick up tube to crack or break off entirely where it joins the tank wall.

Next I tried fishing a thin, solid rod through the tube into the tank to try and knock off the mesh filter, but the curvature of the tube at the end is too too tight to get the rod all the way through.

Then I bought some stainless steel wire rope cable, frayed one end so it was expanded, greased it up, and fed it through the tube, and spun it with a drill in the hope that it would provide sort of a rotor-router effect and break off the wire mesh filter so I could retrieve it through the sender hole. All that did was to pierce the wire mesh filter, but it did not entrap it.

So, I am devising Plan D now...

[BruceK]

Do you have any long handled needle-nose pliers to reach in and try to unscrew it or break it apart to remove it?

Yes I do, and they are plenty long. I tried using them as my first removal effort, but through the small aperture of the sender hole there was not enough room to fully open the jaws enough down at the wire mesh filter. Actually, so those long needle nose pliers are what I used to help strike the wiremesh filter. 

[BruceK]

My Plan D, as I'm thinking about it, involves a method to secure a hacksaw blade on some type of handle that will go through the sender hole so I can saw through the pick up tube and cut off the end with wire mesh filter. Then I plan to use the needle nose pliers to gently bend the new end of the pick up tube down toward the floor of the tank.

I'm sure a filter on the end of the pick up tube is a real "nice to have" thing, but the reality is there's already a fuel filter just in front of the electric fuel pump on the subframe, and then there is another fuel filter just before the carb. Worst case scenario is some large junk gets picked up in the tank and clogs the filter near the fuel pump.