strange fuel outlet from tank

[wolferich]

I have a standard fuel supply to the engine from the fuel tank of my SO 439 and an extra connector which is not in use. In addition there is a third outlet from the tank through which the Webasto-heating system is supplied with fuel. This connection looks ugly and unprofessionally done. Generally I wonder why not the spare connection has been used and why such a bad looking construction had been chosen.

Last year I checked the situation with a Jeanneau dealer who said "Leave everything as it is", probably because he also didnt really know what to do best. Unfortunately, recently a very small volume of Diesel came out of the connection and I noticed it by chance. Now I wonder what to do. A first proposal of a wharftsman in my harbor (Toscany) was to take out the tank, change the hose to the spare connector and seal the tank. I would like to avoid such a big action and wonder if or how this could be repaired with smaller effort. Unfortunately I dont know yet what kind of material (the yelloish stuff) had been used to glue and seal the connection. This stuff is not hard but very flexible.

Any good idea or help would be more than welcome.


www.23hq.com/wolferich/photo/52018344/original


www.23hq.com/wolferich/photo/52018319/original

[John]

That looks like a plastic tank , wurth make a product to seal the plastic tank which dries in a few minutes , I Can get the name if needed . Not sure what the yellow fluid is . The tank should have a fuel pipe , a return fuel pipe and a fuel line for the heater . We reglued a connection when the tank was at half full level and worked fine since . If you ask a wurth dealer they should have a product to seal any fitting as well . Hope this helps

[wolferich]

That sounds promising. The name of the specific product would be very helpful. Thanks so far.

[Trevor]

Hi wolferich,

I sympathise with your problem. I have had similar and outlined my repair in this thread..... jeanneau.proboards.com/thread/6559/fuel-pickups-weeping-attempt-repair

It may help with some tips on the way forward. My diesel heater pickup can be seen in the photos.

Oh, and the reason that fuel pickup may have been used is that it is included in the Webasto heater kit as outlined in this Hints and Tips submission....... www.jeanneau-owners.com/hintsandtips/heatinginstall.html

Regards,

Trevor

[ianqv]

Hi Wolferich,

I have had EXACTLY the same thing on my boat.
It took me a couple of seasons (and numerous) attempts to actually get it to seal.
I tried various fuel tight sealants. But due to the oversize hole for this tank fitting none of them worked!

I eventually used Sikaflex 219i – I was initially concerned that it may not be totally fuel proof.
But on recommendation from someone else with a very similar concern I took the plunge! This sealed the joint and it has never leaked since.
I have also had a test piece of sealer in a jar of Diesel for over 1 year now!! It has not degraded or started to break down at all.

Hope this helps

Regards

Ian

[wolferich]

Thank you all for your very helpful comments. I start to better understand the situation and what I will have to do. 

ianqv did you first remove all old sealer or did you just put the sikaflex on top?

Thanks

wolf

[John]

The name of the Wurth product is replast easy plastic, product code 08935004 , you will need to clean all previous sealant off , sand lightly , clean any dust and the apply wurth it drys in a few minutes . Maybe discuss with your wurth supplier what your sealing they have plenty of other products as well .