O/T How to heat pole barn to removev pickup fuel tank

wsmm · Dec 16, 2016

My 1990 Chevy 4x4 pickup with a 34 gallon fuel tank, which I use for plowing my longggg drive has decided to spring a minor leak. I have ordered a new tank and have all new straps, bolts on hand. My quandry is living in Mid-Michigan with its frigid temperatures. I have a wood stove, barell type volks model I believe. The legs of it are sitting on cinder blocks so it is a bit off of the floor. I also have a propane salamander, and a couple of small electric heaters. One of the electric heaters looks like and old fashioned type radaitor heater. What would you use to supply heat while you swapped out the fuel tank. I'm going to run the truck and or siphon out the fuel until the tank is almost empty or as empty I can get it. I just want to be safe and not have a fire or explosion. It currently is in my second pole barn and the leak is a realitvly slow drip from a couple of spots. I have a drip pan under it now and plan to put a couple or more pans to catch any of the gas that drips out and use it in my tractor, no sense in wasting it if at all possible.
Thank you advance for your advice,
Bill

JD Farmer · Dec 16, 2016

You got to be kidding me right??

Call the fire dept. before you open the door to the barn....
Vapors will explode soon as there is the right amount of oxygen and an ignition source.
There is no safe way to do this inside a barn with a wood fire near by.

JF in MI · Dec 16, 2016

I just replaced one in my 1990 Ford Club Wagon but it was warm weather. Depending on the leak; If it is at a seam I would only fill it half way until Spring (half of 34 is still a lot of gas). If it is a pin hole in the bottom I would put in a screw with a nitrile type O ring to stop it until Spring. Main problem in this weather is Murphy's Law will work against you even worse.

47fivewindow · Dec 16, 2016

years ago I had a leak and found a JB product that stuck to the wet tank and sealed the leak until I could get another tank. Worked well for several months .

farmerwithmutt · Dec 16, 2016

Heard this from an old timer simply rub a bar of soap over the hole in the gas tank. For some reason that will stop the leak.

MarkB_MI · Dec 16, 2016

Park the truck outside for a day, then heat up the barn. Leave it outside while you warm the barn. Then extinguish all sources of ignition and drive the truck inside to drop the tank.

That 34 gallon tank will have several gallons of fuel in it even after you syphon it "dry". (You should be able to syphon it outside and still have enough fuel to drive the truck inside.) The job will go MUCH faster if you have a helper, as the tank is long and awkward.

old-9 · Dec 16, 2016

Is the tank plastic or metal? If metal take a bar of soap, yes soap, and rub it over the leak. Will seal it up for a while, old car salesman's trick. I have done it untill I could remove tank and solder it. joe

Determined · Dec 16, 2016

If you are worried about igniting vapours which you should be then without the leaking truck in the shop, crank up your heaters.
Not the wood stove.
Until it is nice and toasty warm.
Shut off all sources of ignition.
Bring in truck and change tank.
It does not take long and you will be warm enough.

In the meantime go buy a tube of Seal all.
Put on a pair of disposable gloves and thoroughly saturate a piece of old blue jeans big enough to cover the hole.
As long as any heavy dirt is brushed off first it will stick and work amazingly well.

Mike M · Dec 16, 2016

Start spraying the strap bolts/nuts with pb blaster now well ahead of removal.
Good chance it rotted out under where a strap or shield is so good chance you cannot get a temporary patch on it. I like the idea of getting the garage hot then put out all fires and heaters then move it in and get to work.
Also don't use an old fashioned trouble light with a regular bulb as they get hot and if it breaks it can poof the gas fumes.

Case Nutty 1660 · Dec 16, 2016

I have fixed Big holes with Seal All,,, Great Stuff
cnt

caterpillar guy · Dec 16, 2016

for the worry warts if it is only dripping so a pan will do the job I wouldn't worry about the heat just pull it off and put the new one in. If you don't have open cans or pans in there there is nothing to worry about . I would even leave the heat on. I have welded diesel fuel tanks with the fuel in them several times also. Just don't stop and go in to eat dinner at noon finish it up then eat.

wsmm · Dec 16, 2016

Can't just plug the metal tank as is. The leak is under the stupid plastic shield they set the tank in. Looks like it has to be removed as a unit.

jimg.allentown · Dec 16, 2016

Suggestions go from common sense to ridiculous. So, here is mine...
First, I would drain the tank as much as is practical outside. Makes sense to me.
Second, I would bring it inside. Whether you are going to run the heat or not is a matter of using common sense. If there are a lot of vapors from the leaking tank, I would not use anything with a flame. That includes the propane salamander and the wood stove. Electric heater would be much safer since it uses no flame.
Third, while it is nice and comfortable to do your work in a nice warm shop, it is safer to turn off the heat and just get the job done.

I notice that there are a number of suggestions on how to deal with the leak. I suggest ha those folks have not read your complete post. I clearly read that you are REPLACING the tank, not REPAIRING it. That would seem to me to eliminate the need for repairing it.

So, good luck with your tank replacement and hopefully there will not be a lot of issues with stubborn fasteners or other difficulties.

the tractor vet · Dec 16, 2016

Ok heres my take on this , You have open flame heat , so pull the truck inside and first remove the bed ya got six or eight bed bolts to remove , unplug your taillights and unbolt the filler neck and put the cap back on . Drive the truck outside and lift the bed off . NOW you have easy access to the fuel tank and you can suck out the gas inside the tank with a small electric fuel pump while you stay in the shop and stay warm. You will not get all the gas out but you will get out enough to back the truck back in and then unhook all lines and wires from the tank . Then with a floor jack you now can lower the tank down out from under the truck more safely and then carry the old tank outside and remove the sending unit and filler neck and install them on the new tank inside and pplace the new tank back in the truck . You can even put a couple gallons of gas in the new tank OUTSIDE and put the gauge unti back in the new tank OUTSIDE along with the filer neck and CAP then bring it in and put it in the truck and all the while you are working from the top with the floor jack holding the tank up. only thing better would be a transmission jack as it would be more stable . sometimes one must remove stuff that may seam like more work but makes the job go somuch easier.

Super-H-Mike · Dec 16, 2016

You are putting in a new tank, so I would just pop a hole in the old one and let the gas run into a pan / pail , outside. Then push the truck inside. I think your lines are gonna need to be replaced or repaired too, they get so rusty. The fuel pump hanger , or sometimes called the sending unit or pump module will likely be rotten too. I undercoat the heck out of new tanks and straps, and let it dry a day or so before installing. Good luck, nasty job to do.

JDEM · Dec 16, 2016

I have a 1994 Chevy K2500 plow truck with the same problem. I am in northern Michigan and the pole barn is almost like a screen porch. No insulation and lots of fresh air. I have been running a diesel-fired salmander heater I got at Tractor Supply. Note they sell it as being able to run on kerosene or diesel. I've been working on the truck, off and on for a few days and it works fine. I get kind of sick of the noise since it has to run constantly. 17 degrees F here right now and it gets the shop to around 50 F. It is working for me no issues. I do have a CO detector in there. Job got more involved then I planned originally. I got a new fuel tank assembly with new sender and pump for already installed for $168. After pulling the old tank out, I found out the main cradle/mount in front was completely rusted out. Took some searching to find a new one. Got it on Ebay for $65. That part is all done and now I have a spark-plug issue. The spark plug got so rusty, the ceramic part in the middle blew out. No hex anymore to get a wrench on. I might try to drill it out and retap.

41106 · Dec 16, 2016

I second the advice of removing truck box. It is easily done and makes changing the tank much easier.

flying belgian · Dec 16, 2016

Lots of good advice here. I would add to put your hand tools in the house over night on top the register. Since you will be working with out gloves for the most part, if your tools are warm your hands stay warm and if hands are warm seems your whole body is warm.

Ray · Dec 16, 2016

I'd find a farmer with a nice shop or a local mechanic who works at home and let them do it.

Jeff NWOH · Dec 16, 2016

I've gotten those out with a big ez out. Heat whats left of the plug red hot and let it cool enough that you don't take the temper out of your ez out. May take a couple tries, but should work.

gab · Dec 16, 2016

You might want to lift the bed up on that, on a 90 truck like that I don't think your going to be able to get the hoses off the sending unit laying on your back. Pretty good chance the hoses and lines are going to be junk any way. I've been through this on a 90 GMC I used to have except during warm weather. Might as well figure a new sending unit too.

Super-H-Mike · Dec 16, 2016

I don't think his bed bolts are gonna come loose on a 1990 from Michigan, just saying.

BarnyardEngineering · Dec 16, 2016

It really depends on your circumstances. Can vapors build up to ignition levels? Sure, if you've got a well sealed, small space, and you let it leak long enough...

Your average pole barn has enough volume and airflow that it would be virtually impossible for the vapors to build up enough to ignite or explode changing the average leaky fuel tank.

You'd really have to be trying hard to get any sort of fire, such as having the heater mere inches away from the leaky gas tank showering hot sparks.

The main risk is with the tank itself. Drained of liquid fuel it could feasibly contain an explosive air/fuel mixture, and a wayward spark falling in just the right place could ignite it. If you use the torpedo heater I would recommend shutting it off before you pull the sending unit out, and not turning it back on until after the tank has been tossed out on the scrap pile.

Geo-TH,In · Dec 16, 2016

I needed to replace from brake pads today. Pole barn was about 30. So I loaded up all the tools I needed and used my heated 2 car attached garage. I will never plan to insulate or attempt to heat and uninstalled pole barn.

showcrop · Dec 16, 2016

(quoted from post at 10:17:06 12/16/16) Suggestions go from common sense to ridiculous. So, here is mine...
First, I would drain the tank as much as is practical outside. Makes sense to me.
Second, I would bring it inside. Whether you are going to run the heat or not is a matter of using common sense. If there are a lot of vapors from the leaking tank, I would not use anything with a flame. That includes the propane salamander and the wood stove. Electric heater would be much safer since it uses no flame.
Third, while it is nice and comfortable to do your work in a nice warm shop, it is safer to turn off the heat and just get the job done.

I notice that there are a number of suggestions on how to deal with the leak. I suggest ha those folks have not read your complete post. I clearly read that you are REPLACING the tank, not REPAIRING it. That would seem to me to eliminate the need for repairing it.

So, good luck with your tank replacement and hopefully there will not be a lot of issues with stubborn fasteners or other difficulties.

JMG I took those suggestions on plugging the tank to be from COMMON SENSE guys who know of instances of plugging gas tank leaks, and offering a temporary plug as a common sense ALTERNATIVE to the potentially dangerous job of opening up lines and pulling a leaking tank in an area with possible ignition sources where the work conditions are poor. Perhaps you did not read those posts completely.

davpal · Dec 16, 2016

I just got done with almost the exact same scenerio here in mid michigan with an unheated pole barn. Have a Navigator that needed a new fuel pump so I ran it as low as I could on fuel and pulled it in the garage. I have a 100,000 btu salamander in there. Got it up on car ramps in the back and crawled under it and got the bolts out of the skid plate cradle. It's a plastic tank with a cradle under it. The vehicle is a 99 and has rust but all five bolts came out and I supported the tank with a floor jack all with the heater running. Now I turned off the heater and unhooked the hoses and fittings using a flashlight not a trouble light. Got it dropped down and on saw horses to siphon the remaining three gallons of gas. I was doing this with the heat off. Now I got it all contained and wiped out and old pump removed. I also cleaned and painted the steel cradle that holds it up and greased the bolts that hold it on. Now I changed the pump and got it all back under the truck hooking everything back up with the heat going again. It wasn't fun but if you have some common sense it will be fine. I also unhooked the battey cables before I started. Truck starts right up and runs good now.

O/T How to heat pole barn to removev pickup fuel tank

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