Wrangler JK cracked gas tank

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  • November 12, 2017 at 7:15 pm #2921

    Dear DO members,

    Some time ago I started to face problems with petrol smell noticeable during my off-road drives. Recently it was even so strong that I suspended my off-roading until issue is safely resolved. No trace of gas smell during regular drives on tarmac, even on gravel – smell appears only after proper shaking on dunes. After preliminary check in garage some crack on top part of tank was discovered. And now question to all drivers with similar experience: Is it better to fix it by some epoxy patch, replace entire tank for new one or maybe go for used one? Of course new one is fully safe option but the most expensive. Epoxy repair was offered only by one workshop with remark that with regular off-roading failure of repair should be expected quite soon – but price is like for tank replacement labour only. And used tank cost is around 30% of new one but it can be always old frequent dune bashing survivor and might suffer the same issue any time. Hence I have some dilemma here. Any shared experience and good advice would be highly appreciated. Thanks.

    Tom

    November 12, 2017 at 8:00 pm #40437

    Never faced that issue, but maybe a used fuel tank along with a fabricated skid/armour for it, would better protect it..

    November 13, 2017 at 1:55 am #40438

    Thats something I haven’t heard of before. How old is your jeep? I assume its no longer under warranty if you’re looking a quotes.
    Depending on your intentions for the jeep would depend on your answer. If you intend to keep the jeep long term and frequent the desert sands, invest in a new fuel tank and have that worry out of your mind. If you’re more of a casual off roader, then look like Sahil said get a used one and perhaps look at some sort of fabrication to help protect the fuel tank.

    November 13, 2017 at 6:09 am #40439
    quote Sahil Trehan” post_id=45908 time=1510516805 user_id=24740:

    Never faced that issue, but maybe a used fuel tank along with a fabricated skid/armour for it, would better protect it..

    The Wranglers have a Poly carbonate/ Plastic fuel Tank and a fabricated skid plate is the best option, please check the fuel lines too as they too have been known to leak or break.

    November 13, 2017 at 7:44 pm #40445

    Thanks a lot for all replies.
    Skid plate for sure would be additional protection. But problem is not related to any mechanical puncture from the bottom of the tank. Crack was observed at the top part. Most probably due to age and fatigue of material after years of off-road drives. Car is old, from 2007 so such things could happen, especially in UAE climate. But what is interesting, after checking with a couple of Dubai leading 4×4 garages and reading some info from American Wrangler forums, this is not a rare issue. So in the end it is good that other drivers here didn’t have to face this problem so far. Of course any other potential source like mentioned fuel lines or evaporator system will be checked anyhow.
    Any additional thoughts on discussed issue are most welcome. I will proceed with workshop then and come back here to share some more info once repair/replacement work is done.

    November 14, 2017 at 1:28 am #40448

    Aaaaa well then, in that case, just replace it with new one or do a trip to sharjah scrap yards and look for a newish jeep and pillage that one to replace it. Which garages are you looking at? For my jeep I use Ramy and I can’t recommend them enough for the work they’ve done.

    quote TomTom post_id=45918 time=1510602269 user_id=25533:

    Thanks a lot for all replies.
    Skid plate for sure would be additional protection. But problem is not related to any mechanical puncture from the bottom of the tank. Crack was observed at the top part. Most probably due to age and fatigue of material after years of off-road drives. Car is old, from 2007 so such things could happen, especially in UAE climate. But what is interesting, after checking with a couple of Dubai leading 4×4 garages and reading some info from American Wrangler forums, this is not a rare issue. So in the end it is good that other drivers here didn’t have to face this problem so far. Of course any other potential source like mentioned fuel lines or evaporator system will be checked anyhow.
    Any additional thoughts on discussed issue are most welcome. I will proceed with workshop then and come back here to share some more info once repair/replacement work is done.
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