Help - Expansion Fuel tank/ Can I drive w/o one?
 

Hi all. I've been having trouble with a fuel leak, and I found the cause. The expansion tank behind the spare tire has a big crack in it. Also I broke one of the 3 hoses that connect to it (the middle one) when pulling the tank out. Is the car driveable? It looks like the three hoses connect to lines that run to the fuel tank - what are they?
Thanks in advance
Sanjay

I'm guessing it's drivable temporarily if the tank is at least 1/2 empty. I'd put the hoses in a plastic bag in case they burp a bit. My wagon's plastic expansion tank cracked too and I found I could use a low wattage soldering iron to fix the crack. You basically weld it by pushing hot plastic over the crack. In areas where the plastic seemed thin I cut scraps from the edges of the tank and melted them on the crack(s). I also broke one of the hose nipples and fixed that the same way except that I added a metal tube on the inside (purchased from a hobby shop) and "welded" the base of the nipple with the soldering iron. To be sure it would last I also built up the base of the nipple with JB Weld (be sure you use some mineral spirits to clean off all the fuel around the base and I roughed it up a bit with sandpaper too just to make sure it would stick). At first I tried not using the metal tube but the nipple cracked again in about 6-8 weeks. For a temp fix you may not need a tube but if you want it to last use the tube liner to strengthen it. I did this repair about two years ago and it is still holding fine.

LRG, good repair tip. I plastic weld a lot of car stuff ,It's a good idea to wear a decent resperator one for painting cars should do as those hot plastic fumes are nasty .Some types of plastic welds better than others........
William Rogers.......

Thanks lrg. My tank was cracked pretty badly, so I just waited to get the new one. Good tip though.