Mysterious leak from plastic fuel tank.

[Avocet]

Had to rescue youngest sprog yesterday! Ran out of fuel. I was going to give him a thick ear for boing daft, but on arriving (in my EV with the can of petrol for the lawnmower) and tipping the fuel in, imagine my surprise when it started dripping out of the bottom of the car!

Turns out, there was a hole in his (plastic!) fuel tank! The most bizarre thing ever. The location was immediately behind the rear anti-roll bar. Definitely not the lowest point on the car, and impossible to hit anything there.

I'm baffled! They look like teeth marks? Anyone ever come across a case of a rodent gnawing a plastic petrol tank?

 

[robinbanks]

I had a Shogun that had many places under the bonnet that had been given a good chewing by some resident creature, but I don't recall any damage to the fuel system. In a separate incident my dad had an old Citroen BX and he ran on vegetable oil, until some part of that car's fuel system became obviously more tasty..

 

[Burnerman]

I've had rodent incidents chewing through plastic water pipe, my ride on mower seat (parked outside for one night), primer bulbs (Citroen diesel) , bonnet sound proofing mats and a deck chair - so I guess anything is possible!
John

 

[Avocet]

Thanks both. I can't think of anything else it might be. The car has been sat on the drive for a week. I think I was the last one to drive it, and that was only for about 5 miles. Lad said there was just under half a tank in it when e last used it.

Funny enough, we did see a grey squirrel in the garden for a few days last week. They're rare in West Cumbria, we still mostly have red ones. We reported it, as they're supposed to be destroyed. I think I'm going to blame that...

Oh well... now to try and find another fuel tank for a 35 year old Italian car that they never made many of in the first place. That's gonna be fun...

 

[Scally-Ho]

Try the area breakers as most Italian jobs end up there due to rust. What make/model/year is it?

 

[Deluks]

You might be able to repair the tank with a bit of careful plastic welding. But best to get the tank off and flushed out first!

I've had a few green plastic jerry cans chewed through. I assume squirrels, I think they get high on the petrol fumes and just keep going like addicts.

 

[Avocet]

Try the area breakers as most Italian jobs end up there due to rust. What make/model/year is it?

Sadly not. This is one of only a few (like half a dozen!) of these left in the country now. It's a 1990 Alfa 164 Twinspark. That said, it's the same fuel tank for all 164s, of which there are a few hundred still kicking around in the UK.

 

[Scally-Ho]

@Avocet I tried our usual rare parts supplier and unfortunately not a fuel tank to fit that model is listed. All I can suggest is for the tank to be removed and taken to a polyweld specialist. They will fill and cover over via a hot air nozzle and filler rod. + patches. It's the same method as used for sheet welding/joining and specialist tank making.

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[Avocet]

@Avocet I tried our usual rare parts supplier and unfortunately not a fuel tank to fit that model is listed. All I can suggest is for the tank to be removed and taken to a polyweld specialist. They will fill and cover over via a hot air nozzle and filler rod. + patches. It's the same method as used for sheet welding/joining and specialist tank making.

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Thanks ever so much for that! So far, I've only found one for sale in the UK. Bloke wants £300 for it though, and he's down near London, whereas I'm up in the North West corner of Cumbria!

I've taken your and Deluks' advice and e-mailed a few companies in the North East and Leeds area, who advertise that service. We got it up in the air yesterday evening and I took a few more photos. I'm 99% certain it's rodent damage now. I can see a few other places where something has had a nibble, but hasn't gone through.

(This is the one that's gone through, after we'd wiped the fuel off it).

 

[Scally-Ho]

If the car is to be kept in a rodent prone area, then may I suggest a one-off steel tank from a reputable fabricator. It would be an expensive pity to repair the plastic tank and then more of the rodent b'stards wrecking it again.

 

[Belle427]

I think I would have a go at sealing that myself with something like JB weld but make sure its fuel resistant.
Obviously empty tank and cleaned up as best as possible first.

 

[Murdochcat]

Bet the rodent didn’t like the taste of petrol

 

[Avocet]

If the car is to be kept in a rodent prone area, then may I suggest a one-off steel tank from a reputable fabricator. It would be an expensive pity to repair the plastic tank and then more of the rodent b'stards wrecking it again.

Gosh, that would be a fabrication and a half! The bottom is quite a messy shape to fabricate - you can see there's a step in it and it carries on over the rear crossmember, and the top is even more complicated, and moulded to accept the sender and pump assemblies. If I can get it fixed, or find another one, I think I'll wrap the bloody thing in chicken wire though!

Strange. We've lived here 25 years now, and yes, it's a rural area near a farm, so we have any number of rodents all around us, but this is the first time this has happened. Funny enough, I've got an EV parked 20 feet away from it, so if the same rodent, now completely off its face on petrol, decides to have a go at those juicy-looking bright orange cables under there, it's in for a surprise...!

 

[Avocet]

Bet the rodent didn’t like the taste of petrol

If it was this grey squirrel, we haven't seen the bugger since this happened, so I fear it might have been its last binge. If it was one of the rabbits, however, I've no idea why they haven't done it before!

 

[robinbanks]

If I can get it fixed, or find another one, I think I'll wrap the bloody thing in chicken wire though!

That was my first thought too, that a fine mesh could be moulded around the repaired tank..