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Sealing fuel tanks

mwhitnell

By mwhitnell
in Vintage Mooneys (pre-J models)

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mwhitnell Rookie

mwhitnell

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Can anyone provide a link to purchase the sealant?

Also can anyone provide a photo of the plastic tools used to remove the old sealant and maybe some hints on accomplishing this project?

Please no comments of discouragement such as: It's to hard, You should take it to a shop, You aren't qualified.

Yetti Grand Master

Yetti

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Chief or aircraft spruce has sealant.  Trying to figure out which one can be a fun exercise.  Best I could find for tools is autobody tools.  There are Hyde plastic scrapers and plastic smoothers.  Seems like the same as working with epoxy and glass...

orionflt Veteran

orionflt

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sealant and tools can be purchased thru aircraft spruce, I recommend using a demulsifier to help strip the tanks. take your time and do a good job stripping and prepping the tanks, when you start reapplying the sealant take tor time and make sure it is properly cured before you put fuel in the tank. I also recommend adding a topcoat (PRC 1005).     

par Rising Star

par

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I def don't think it's hard or impossible for the average mechanically incline person to do. My IA just patched up both my tanks for a very reasonable price. I did not want to put 6k into a total strip and seal because it just wasn't that bad. I don't have a link for you but I will share what I learned from seeing him do the work. 

First, it is entirely possible for the leak to originate in one spot inside the tank and for the fuel to exit in a totally different spot. This is what I had on my right tank and it took 3 tries to find the problem area inside the tank. I recommend that you have the ability to drain the tanks and store the fuel while you do the work. Once you finish the patch, do not seal up all the panels immediately. Fill up the tanks and let them sit for a night or 2 to make sure the leak is gone.

As far as the material is concerned, you need the sealant and what I think is the harder that is applied to the surface after the sealant has "set". This stuff is red in color and based on what I was told, absolutely needed to finish the job correctly. Hopefully others can give you the exact names of the products but they aren't cheap. As far as draining and storing the fuel is concerned, find your local Northern Tools store and buy the 5 gallon plastic gerry cans they sell. They are very cheap and extremely useful. They also sell an electric pump for $10 bucks that works very well. You will have about a gallon of fuel remaining in the tank that can't be reached by this pump and that will need to be drained out fuel strainer. Goodluck with your project and post some pictures if you can.

 

mwhitnell Rookie

mwhitnell

Posted
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Thanks to everyone...orionflt, Aircraft Spruce has so many sealants listed, how about recommending a part number and perhaps quantity required.  I did find the topcoat you recommended.

orionflt Veteran

orionflt

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I will pm you with that info later tonight, there are a lot of different numbers and cure times to deal with. you will also want to use a low adhesion version for the lids making access easier.

 

Brian

carusoam Grand Master

carusoam

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MW,

Is your search button still missing?

While searching for a good source of information I found Yetti's response in this same thread!:)

On MS, You are always going to get words of encouragement, how-to, and ideas that people have used.  Part of the challenge is to find what works for you.

there are a couple of manufacturers of sealant, there are a couple of different sealants depending on the parts of the tank being sealed.  Flame Master is one...

Don, is the master of simple patches.  There are at least three suppliers around the US for full service.  There is at least one MSer that built his own system for removing old sealant.  

Stay motivated, share some details of your project. Get creative when somebody says you can't do it, it's too hard.  It is hard messy work. But It is legal for you to do the bulk of the labor. Check with your mechanic to determine what part of the work may require a signature in the log books.

Trying to be helpful,

-a-

ed Rookie

ed

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You should be using the mooney manual and follow the directions there on how to reseal. All the sealants can be obtained from SealPak directly in Wichita KS

See name/number below.  There are multiple products needed, two types of sealant, separate sealant (removable) for the access doors, and the top coat of latex.

Get the stripper from RPM Technologies in NJ.  Its great stuff, called polygone if I recall,  does not burn and is designed to strip the polysuffide.

The right tank is the hardest due to more doublers for the wing walk inside the tank.  I have all the notes at the airport, but that's what I recall.

SEALPAK CO INC

(316) 942-6211

2614 S Hoover Rd Wichita, Kansas   672151299 , USA

  • Like 1
N601RX Grand Master

N601RX

Posted
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8 hours ago, N201MKTurbo said:

Sealpak is the best! Best prices, best service, best sealant! 

Please support this business.

Are they still in business?  I purchased several tubes from them a few years ago, but could not find their website last summer when I needed some more.

jrwilson Mentor

jrwilson

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I called a MSC yesterday for some tank patching.  I mentioned some leaks around rivets.  According to the parts guy, there is one type for rivet areas and another type for access panels.  So they ended up sending me two different tubes.  Or I got scammed...

orionflt Veteran

orionflt

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10 hours ago, carusoam said:

So you say, NJ..?

http://www.rpm-technology.com/product-lines/polygone/

They give an address in Reno, NV.

They have posted a video and discussed their paint stripper here a while ago. Really creepy to watch, several times...:)

Best regards,

-a-

they started in NJ, now they are in NV. I tested some of their products when they first came out while i was in the Navy, 

 

Brian

  • Like 1
orionflt Veteran

orionflt

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5 minutes ago, jrwilson said:

I called a MSC yesterday for some tank patching.  I mentioned some leaks around rivets.  According to the parts guy, there is one type for rivet areas and another type for access panels.  So they ended up sending me two different tubes.  Or I got scammed...

they are both tank sealant, one is high adhesion for inside the tank, the other is a lower adhesion (some times pink) for the tank lids. When I work on my tanks I close up the lower lids with the lid sealant (sparingly), but put a light bead of 8802 on the inside after the lid is installed. after that i topcoat the sealant then install the upper lids.

Brian  

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