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[Reference] Fuel tank lockring - repop comparison

I just ordered the Bill Rolik fuel sending unit retainer ring and rubber gasket. It was nice here yesterday so I took the Bee out for Christmas. Afterwards, parked it in the garage, and later last night I noticed the gas smell in the garage, and this morning it was very potent. Discovered some fuel spill on the garage floor and the tank was soaked with fuel seeping out. Looked to be coming from around the lock ring and gasket area, and maybe even the 3/8 out fuel line. For some reason I get these random fuel leaks; will mess with it, then the leak is gone. Then BAMM, months later its back for no reason.

What is everyone using for clamps on the fuel line that connects to the sending unit? I'm using the factory style clamps that you squeeze together to spread them open. I'm not keen on those clamps that are tightened with a screwdriver, seems like the hose could be punctured with those.

Are you sure the leak is not originating from one of the pressure relief vent tubes?

-Kurt
 
This is a great gas-oil resistant sealant to hold the seal into position when installing. This is the absolute best gasket sealant, as it stays tacky and is sensor-safe and resistant to gasoline, oil, antifreeze, axle lube, kerosene, propane and butane. The best!

7C2C72CA-0364-495F-B262-6513B0F83050.png
 
This is a great gas-oil resistant sealant to hold the seal into position when installing. This is the absolute best gasket sealant, as it stays tacky and is sensor-safe and resistant to gasoline, oil, antifreeze, axle lube, kerosene, propane and butane. The best!

View attachment 710540
Wonder how it is for removal of threaded parts, and how hard to clean off when parts are disassembled?............MO
 
Wonder how it is for removal of threaded parts, and how hard to clean off when parts are disassembled?............MO
I have used this stuff (Hi Tack) for years. It cleans up very easy with Lacquer Thinner. It never gets completely hard. Ref my post #29. It held up about a year and started leaking again.

Save yourself the grief and replace your lock ring with an OEM equivalent.
 
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I replaced my old gas tank with a new aftermarket, using the old ring and the high tack sealant to hold it in place while installing. I tried multiple times without the sealant, but couldn’t keep it into position. Agreed, the new retaining rings are junk.
 
I agree, When I changed my tank out the aftermarket ring was not tight, I used the original ring I think I bent up the tank side flanges to make it fit much tighter. I only used the gasket its been 5 years so far so good.
 
I just replaced my tank with one from YearOne
The locking ring was extremely tight
We even had to fight with it to get it to lock in where we wanted it
 
I noticed the difference between the original and the aftermarket but I just bent the tangs up on the aftermarket one and it made a noticeable difference in fitment and haven't had any issue with it leaking.
 
Seems as if the old TinyPic hosting strikes again. Since I can't edit the original post (bummer!), following is everything missing from the original post.

The scene you don't want to see twice:

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Based on some of the other posters above, Bill's lockring is probably available from other sources as well (eBay seller lorettafillmore above still has them listed 4 years after @Lelo 500 linked to them, for instance), and depending on who you buy from, you might even get a nice one thrown in with an el-cheapo sender repop.

Either way, all that matters is that you know what the correct one looks like before you waste time trying to install garbage.

The quality difference should be obvious. Crappy Spectra/Dorman lockring at left, Bill's repop at right.

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Crap on top, good one on the bottom. Note thickness.

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Incidentally, both probably come from another continent, so there's no point in arguing about offshore garbage - the companies that have them reproduced are the ones responsible for what we get. If you cut corners with budget, copies will be substandard. Spectra/Dorman obviously didn't do their due diligence.

One more photo. Note that those two vents on the gas tank should NEVER be looped in operation; these are your vapor vents. I did this only upon dropping and lifting the tank, to prevent getting a face full of fuel through these outlets.

001.JPG


Another thing that a few years of learning has taught me: Not all repop tanks have the vent tubes reversed either (one vents from the back of the tank, the other from the front), as has been reported in the past.

I was having some vapor issues (the fuel kept escaping out the short vent) at one point, and hooked it up reversed based on prior accounts here and on other forums. This was a mistake. It did not cure the problem and I finally made it a point to shine a light into the tank and verify the length of the vapor lines relative to their position. They were factory correct. No idea when the PO bought the replacement tank for the car.

Moral of this story? The internet was great to detect this problem on one batch. But that's no guarantee of anything other than the advisory that you should absolutely verify the vent positions on your tank.

Also, the vapor issue went away as soon as I modified the fuel system from the conventional, returnless deadhead system to having a complete vapor return line from the fuel filter under the hood back to the tank. Thread on this here. Who said it was only for fuel injection? :p This was accompanied with a Carter in-line electric fuel pump, but I dare say that had no real bearing on the vapor issue.

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-Kurt

P.S.: One last thought for those who keep bringing up sealant: Do you really want to commit the safety of the hole where your sender sits to a substandard lockring and a bunch of goop? Your sealant may say it's gas resistant, but is it gap resistant? And can it put up not only with gasoline but the blend of ethanol/gasahol in your state?

Perhaps most importantly: Are you really willing to recommend the wrong fix to everyone else out there? I'm not. Leave the half-arsed Roadkill "we'll deal with the huge leak of [choose your favorite automotive fluid] when it falls apart and we have no other choice" fixes to the TV shows that can afford to be stupid for entertainment's sake.

It's so easy to do this right that the bass-ackwards methods shouldn't even hear the light of day.
 
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