HELP!How do I remove the main tank in my BC12

[pat williams]

I need to do the vent mod. How does the main tank come out? Thanks Pat

[fearofpavement]

Re: HELP!How do I remove the main tank in my BC12

http://vb.taylorcraft.org/showthread.php?t=1369&highlight=tank+removal

Try that thread, it explains the procedure. If that isn't what you want, search the site for "tank"

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: HELP!How do I remove the main tank in my BC12

All this talk about tank repairs and a very interesting read of the thread from back in 95 got me thinking about something I didn't see anywhere. DON'T FORGET TO PURGE ALL THE FUEL FUMES FROM THE TANK BEFORE PUTTING A FLAME TO THE TANK!!! Just leaving it drained and open will NOT prevent it from blowing up, even for weeks or months. The local radiator and fuel tank shops here fill the tank with CO2 to get all the oxygen out. I was told they used to fill them with a non flammable fluid (probably water) then drain them for welding, but they had an explosion and fire. Now hey weld them filled with CO2.

I don't think I would EVER weld under the panel after talking to an A&P friend who did it (on a Champ or Chief) and got frost bite. His torch caught the fabric near the rudder peddle on fire and his brother with the fire extinguisher immediately emptied the extinguisher with him under the panel. The plane just had a small hole in the fabric, the A&P ended up being the IA I am always talking about here that I like so much. You learn the most from dumb mistakes.

Hank

[Bird]

Re: HELP!How do I remove the main tank in my BC12

All I am gonna say on this is that I had to do some welding on a harley gas tank and the locals said to take the hose off the vaccum cleaner stuff it up the exaust pipe of your cars exaust into the tank run for 1 hour then weld.
WELL it worked but I am not gonna say what my dad had to say about the melted vaccum hose and why I had to buy another vaccume cleaner

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: HELP!How do I remove the main tank in my BC12

Not sure how long ago you did it or how old the car was, but you might want to be careful with the newer cars. Modern car exhaust has a LOT less CO in it than years ago. The CO would have prevented the fuel fumes from igniting. With a modern, clean running car there might be enough O2 left in the tank for ignition. You will also have a lot of water vapor in the exhaust.
By the way, why the vacuum hose? I would have thought a dryer hose would take the exhaust heat better.
Hank

[Larry Lyons]

Re: HELP!How do I remove the main tank in my BC12

I would not consider using anything other then CO2, back when dirt was young we did a lot of welding of old gas tanks, the exhaust from another running engine was used, as was water fill and rotate the weld point to the high side so a little air space was confined to the weld location. I have had both ways fail; rather spectacularly, I might add. I am still here but I stopped fixing gas tanks! Larry

[Marv]

Re: HELP!How do I remove the main tank in my BC12

I have welded a lot of car gas tanks in my life. I only had one to blow up. I was using a pickup for the exhaust with a peice of flex pipe in the tank. I was not thinking and just started the old truck up and let it run with the pipe in the tank for about 20 minutes and started to weld. She blew up and luckily i wasn't hurt. Upon farther investigation i discovered the automatic choke had stuck and the exhaust was actualy putting gas fumes in the tank. I went back to filling the tanks with wateer after that. Today if i were doing one i would probaly fill it with argon & CO2 mixed to save the water in the fuel possobility. Marv