Fuel Valve Leak Around Threads

It will work for a while but silicone is not petrol (gas) proof. It will fail.

Exactly right.
I've seen it break down and get ugly on re-repairs that have come to me.

For my new Fuel Shut-Off Valve project:
Every liquid and paste that I've tested so far has dissolved in a jar of gasoline.
Only yellow Teflon tape has survived intact (3 weeks so far, and continuing).
.
 
I haven't seen much conversation about the hole itself.

This 90 year old 1/4-18 NPT hole most likely has rust, debris, and gasoline contamination. No matter what you use to seal the connection, the gas tank hole needs to be clean for the sealant to attach itself.

What are you doing to clean the hole?
In my experience, this process works well:
(Assuming the gas tank is empty, or close to it, and no longer leaking gas out the hole)
1. Use a non-ferrous bottle brush to scrub the threads clean.
2. Use a clean rag dipped in acetone and twist the rag into the hole. Rotate the rag, then pull it out.
3. Repeat step 2 until the rag comes out clean. This may take a few times.
4. After the acetone has evaporated, the hole is ready for the valve and sealant.

A related quick antidote:
My brother-in-law is a landscape architect. He says that people spend hundreds on a tree, but do little to prepare the hole in the ground. Then the tree dies.
.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top