Building a vehicle thats gonna have power steering and hydroboost brakes. I'm not using the old Saginaw Power Steering with a ham shaped tank attached. I'm using a separate reservoir for the PS pump. I'm doing that so that I can have 2 return lines and add a little more volume in the tank since it will be supplying both steering and brakes. I fashioned a tank from aluminum and welded it together. For some reason (my welding skills ?) I seem to be plagued with pinhole leaks when I pressure test it. Weld up the pinholes and new ones appear where none existed . My son is going to powder coat it for me, and I was thinking about sloshing some of the Por 15 "Fuel" tank sealer inside the tank to insure no more pin holes show up. The tank will not have any pressure in it. Just wondering if the sealer is OK for use with power steering fluid.
Your idea might be worth a try. However, here's a thread about the same problem. Can you seal a leaky power steering reservoir? | IH8MUD Forum Also, read all of the posts here: what are your experiences with POR 15; good or bad? | The H.A.M.B. (jalopyjournal.com) It might just be better to have your alum. tank professionally welded or take it to a local vocational training school and ask them to have a student reweld it (for a donation) to the welding cl*** supplies. Also, do some research about why your welding seems to produce pin holes. Are you using the correct rod for your alum alloy? Correct gas and flow? Are you using 6061 alloy alum? Are you TIG welding?
No , petroleum products will break it down. Use tank sealer from a motorcycle shop, or buy a oil tank from Summit or any circle track parts supplier. With tank sealer, make sure you clean inside with acetone, period.
Are you certain the tank will see no pressure? Most hydraulic reservoirs do see at least some pressure, even if they are vented, as the oil is returned to the tank, until the pressure can be vented to atmosphere. Many systems maintain some positive pressure in the reservoir to maintain proper flow to the pump.
Much as I like POR for some things, this would not be one I'd use it for. IF it started to break down, it could ruin too much.
We built two aluminum tanks. My friend is a professional welder with TIG decided to fusion weld the first tank and some use of filler metal. A balloon was put over the fuel inlet and inflated through a second port fitted with a ball valve. The balloon holds adequate air pressure to test for leaks and if no leaks are present will remain inflated for a long time to verify that there are no leaks. The tank welds were tested with using kid's bubble soap where about 6 leaks were detected. He went over all the fusion welds with filler rod and no leaks. The second tank was welded up with all filler rod and no leaks. The two tanks hold 26 gallons and have been in service for 5 years with no leaks.
"Weld up the pinholes and new ones appear where none existed." I've welded lots of aluminum, and yeah sometimes pinholes can aggravate the livin **** outta ya. Keep fixing them. Are we talking 3 new? 6? a dozen plus? Clean all the repair areas with a stainless brush, that's fix #1. My concern would be adequate etching inside (a bead or soda blast is best and probably not realistic now to get a 100% prep). If whatever goes in flakes off later you can expect mullered up check valve and pressure control parts, maybe vanes too. Screw that. I'd rather spot in and fix 10 holes before a coating risk that might exist. When doing aluminum sometimes you're the windshield, others you're the fbug. Seriously bud, fix em. It's not like you're without ability. Sometimes it just takes a direct heating, no fill, flow that weld area just a bit. So often, ESPECIALLY on aluminum, we try for the "roll of dimes" look. Yeah that's fun and satisfying but one dime over the other sometimes leaves an opening. Sometimes. Stainless too. You see what looks like a flawless weld, presure test, little pinholes come up. Melt em in and forget it. Used to weld fittings in new stainless exhaust for OEM testing some years back, always had to leak test. I did 286 leak free fittings in a row. HEGO sensor fittings were the worst and I was advised to MIG those in by a co-worker, that was the one that broke my streak. I was the bug, never MIG welded another, back to leak free. Yeah bro, fix em. I'd bet an ISKY cam it'll be faster than fixing a contaminated system if the sealer flakes off.
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