Gas tank leak-truck-Wipers not working

Tree-Farmer · May 11, 2016

I bought a 73 F600 grain truck last year. It’s in good condition, with a few minor problems I would like to ask about.

1. The gas tank has a slow leak. It has some kind of drain at the bottom.
I think it’s leaking around this drain plug. I thought about trying to remove the plug, of course, but a mechanic suggested that it could be rusted at the bottom, around this plug and I could damage the tank, by trying to remove it.
Any thoughts about removing this plug or
How to keep a gas tank from leaking?

I wonder why the drain is there? What was it used for?
I’m guessing that since it might only be used during harvest, that it could be used to drain the gas, since it might be sitting around a lot.

2. The windshield wipers don’t work. Do you have any troubleshooting tips?
I think it would be:
a. Check the fuses. Does anyone have the diagram for the fuse locations?
b. Connect 12 volts to the wiper motor to see if it turns.
Where exactly is the wiper motor?

I'm thinking the most likely possibilities are: It could be the switch, the wiring or the motor itself.

Thank you!

jon f mn · May 11, 2016

This works exceptionally well to seal gas tanks.
Gas tank putty

showcrop · May 11, 2016

Every wiper motor that I have seen is under the dash. applying 12V to the motor is a a good way to test it and isolate it from the wiring. Wiper delay can make it hard to find the right wires, but a '73 probably does not have delay.

Paul from MI · May 11, 2016

Have the tank cleaned and sealed with a plastic liner like RedKote. it seals minor leaks, and you won't have a rust issue.

notjustair · May 11, 2016

That tank is the same one they used on school
buses. The big Allen plug in the bottom is a drain.
I've never seen one rust through, but my experience
is school buses where you run them daily and
condensation doesn't stay in the tank long. If it were
me I would just look for a used tank. Any F or B
(and maybe C series but I am not sure) 600 or 700
will have that tank right up to the early 90's (at least
in buses this is the case). The other option is to get
the tank my 74 Ford grain truck has - the behind the
seat one. You would need to fab a fill for it.

Those wiper motors didn't get used much so them
dying is rare. I would suspect power to the switch.

teddy52food · May 11, 2016

Rub a bar of hard soap & seal the leak. Then use the sealer Jon advised.

Steve@Advance · May 11, 2016

The mechanic who told you not to try to tighten or remove the tank drain was correct. Chances are if you
try to turn it, it will tear the whole fitting out of the bottom of the tank! Like JonF said, try to clean
t up and putty it. May not be a permanent repair, but it might buy you several years.

I think there is a fuse for the wiper motor. Don't know which fuse, it might be labeled, or easy enough to
check them all. It will be fed from the ignition on circuit.

On the wiper motor, test for voltage with a test light or volt meter. With the ignition switch on, and the
wiper switch off, there should be one wire hot, that is the park circuit. With the switch on low, there
should be one wire hot, on high a another wire hot. Also be sure the motor is grounded.

This should get you in the ballpark:
http://www.fordification.com/tech/wiring/wiring-1967wipers.jpg

DoubleR · May 11, 2016

Seal-All for the gas tank. Most Hardware's auto suppliers and Wall-Mart's carry it. I repaired a old rusty tank on old pickup. Sealed allot of things with it since. Its about 3 bucks a tube.

01gentdc · May 11, 2016

tree farmer, I know where serveral tanks are in southern ind,. I bet you can get them for 50 bux,at any salvage yard , I have a f -600 truck like yours with a pikup style tank behind the seat . I can go 125 loaded miles on a tank ...just a thought , imho I don't like running a heavy truck with a fumie or leaky gas tank ,,. too many peculiar bad things can happen just like that on a hot dry day ,..! . as far as wiper motor ,. of all fords that era we had in our family , the only trouble we ever had was the switch on dads new 75 f -250 , but nuthin was good on that truck ,,. musta been built rite before a strike ,,the steering sector even come loose and flopt a dangerous death wobble,,.never realized where the wiper motor is ,after hot wiring the switch and determining motor bad,,.i would bet the motor is under the dash inside ,,. but it mite allow entry by removing the outside cowl screen ,..

Stephen Newell · May 12, 2016

I think I would attempt to remove the plug. I just wouldn't put a lot of pressure on the wrench though. If the fitting completely tears out of the tank easily you need a new gas tank anyway. I think the drain is there so if the truck gets a lot of condensation in it you can drain the water out of it kind of like a sediment bowl on a carb. It would also be handy to drain the tank storing the truck for a long time.

The wipers, you will have to start at the wiper with a multimeter and find out if power there. If not then check to see if power is going to the switch. If there is power going to the switch but not out, hotwire the wiper and see if it runs. The switch would be the problem. If the wiper doesn't work hotwired then the wiper motor is bad.

Gas tank leak-truck-Wipers not working

Tree-Farmer

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jon f mn

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showcrop

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Paul from MI

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notjustair

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teddy52food

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Steve@Advance

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DoubleR

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01gentdc

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Stephen Newell

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