Chewing gum petrol-proof?

[Richard_C]

Remember those movies where the hero heroically chewed gum, climbed out of the cockpit mid-air and plugged a hole in the petrol tank.....

This is on a 30+ year old petrol hover mower, one piece plastic tank, capacity next to nothing. Once there was a seal where a metal tube poked through to fit the gravity fed pipe onto, that seal is no more so the hole is marginally bigger than the metal tube and petrol leaks, or rather weeps, through. It doesn't need mechanical strength, the pipe is a casting with a bush on the inside, but I do need some kind of petrol proof gloop to seal up round the edges, only get-attable from the outside of the tank. A sort of petrol proof blu-tac would be ideal.

Back in the day (in my case the Hillman Hunter 70's) you would nod wisely and say "ah, you need the red hermetite or bobs patent blocking bodger for that job. It's on the same shelf as the exhaust bandage and the Barrs Leaks". Those memories have evaporated - so what to use? Chewing gum, ptfe tape, silicone bathroon sealant, epoxy glue, putty, plumbers mait ....? I don't want to put it all back together to find that my chosen sealant has dissolved.

[moizeau]

I've got a tube of Loctite 5940 that is petrol proof. I do leave it a while prior to exposing it.

[bobins]

One of the JB Weld products will probably do. They claim to be 'petroleum resistant'
https://www.jb-weld.co.uk/jb-weld-guides
https://www.jb-weld.co.uk/jb-weld-guide ... m-jrkqrsdk
https://www.jb-weld.co.uk/jb-weld-guide ... m-jrkr8r9z

[doctle]

any sump sealant is fuel and oil resistant according the the labels on the tubes

[mickthemaverick]

Hi Richard, Give this one a try: https://www.rust.co.uk/product/epoxy-re ... te-pc-7-18
My plant engineer mate swears by it for sealing different material joints. Not tried it my self tho!!

[myglaren]

I used something called Petro-Patch on my daughter's Fiesta. That was at least 20 years ago though.

[Gibbo2286]

I used something called Petro-Patch on my daughter's Fiesta. That was at least 20 years ago though.

Still available but I doubt if it would work on a plastic tank.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_nkw=petro+patch

[Richard_C]

Thanks for all the suggestions. Will go off to my not-very-local car parts shop and see what they have. Happy to 'bodge' on a tiny lawnmower tank, low risk. The various epoxy putty products look like useful things to have in your toolbox anyway.