Sealing Fuel tank sender

[Jon]

My fuel tank sender is weeping around the flange, and I need to reseal it. It is the standard Mini van tank arrangement with six screws and a cork gasket.
I have read conflicting advice re assembling dry or with a 'petrol proof' sealant.
Can anyone recomend a petrol proof sealant because, despite extensive googling, I can't find anything that claims to be OK in constant contact with petrol? I can find petrol proof adhesives, but I want to be able to get it apart again if it ever needs a new sender.

[Alan D.]

Hi Jon,

Sorry but I'm a bit of an old f--t engineer. What's wrong with just a gasket, after all that's what gaskets were invented to do, to take up the uneven surfaces and seal whatever needed sealing. We didn't have all of theses sticky things, back in the day. It was just surfaces as clean as possible and a gasket. Made it easier to strip too. the only sticky thing we had was that red Stagg jointing compound for pipe threads. I've just rescued an Alfa engine in a Davrien, which was misfiring because somebody had added some blue stuff to the head gasket! Everybody had diagnosed an electrical fault, but it was some sort of glue on the head gasket, expanding and causing separation.

Just my two penney's worth, no offense meant.

Regards Alan

[Stuart]

how are the brakes?

[rocketron]

My two fave sealants are;
1. Loctite high modulus silicon sealant, the words have rubbed off the tube so can't be more specific. It has good adhesive and filling properties and is bombproof.
2. Mercury/Mercruiser "Perfect Seal", available from your local (?) Mecury outboard dealer. This is semi-hardening and I've used it to seal fuel tank senders on powerboats which are very similar to those used on minis. To be honest, I "lard" it onto everything, cylinder head bolts on V6/V8 blocks which break through into the waterjacket where, would you believe it, the cooling water is saline and HOT. Corrosive or what! I takes it no prob. Seriously, this stuff so good it's worth having a tin in your toolbox.

I'll admit, I used bathroom sealant in desperation once and was ok for about 5 years!

Regards, Ron

[Geoff Butcher]

Silicone is not resistant to hydrocarbons, as I once proved by using it on a carburettor gasket. Little lumps of it soon found their way into the jets...
If you must use a compound I don't think you can beat Hylomar.

[Stuart]

Mine was weeping too, just tightening the screws up solved mine, petrol seeps out under the screw heads.