wiper fluid leak update

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nrs - 06 Jun 2007 14:32 GMT

Just an update. I finally found the Permatex epoxy and it does stick
the the HDPE, thanks to merril for the tip. The problem is that the
leak is from a seam in a spot that is very hard to get to (bottom of
the molded mounting rail). It looks like it will have to be sealed
from the inside. Since the leaking spot is invisible to the eye, I am
considering sealing with roofing tar, silicone or maybe radiator stop
leak. Any preferences?

Thanks

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DougW - 06 Jun 2007 22:37 GMT

> Just an update. I finally found the Permatex epoxy and it does stick
> the the HDPE, thanks to merril for the tip. The problem is that the
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> considering sealing with roofing tar, silicone or maybe radiator stop
> leak. Any preferences?

I wouldn't use anything that could get back into the system. Especially
stop-leak. Who knows what the other stuff would do.

Just take the tank out, fill with water and some food coloring, find the
spot. If you have to drill it out a bit, do so, then fill the area with
epoxy.

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DougW

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Richard J Kinch - 07 Jun 2007 05:51 GMT

> I finally found the Permatex epoxy and it does stick
> the the HDPE, thanks to merril for the tip.

Epoxy does *not* bond to polyethylene. Permatex does not claim it does:

http://www.permatex.com/documents/tds/automotive/84115.pdf

Permatex is swindling you with the packaging suggesting that
it works on "plastics", which in fact it only works on a select few.

Look into 3M DP-8005:

http://multimedia.mmm.com/mws/mediawebserver.dyn?6666660Zjcf6lVs6EVs666M8oCOrrrrQ-

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nrs - 07 Jun 2007 14:28 GMT

> > I finally found the Permatex epoxy and it does stick
> > the the HDPE, thanks to merril for the tip.
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
>
> http://multimedia.mmm.com/mws/mediawebserver.dyn?6666660Zjcf6lVs6EVs6...

On the back of the package it says it may not bond to this plastic but
it seems that in practice it works well; I tried to scrape it off and
could not and it has stopped the leak (put it on the inside last
night). Another member of the group has also used it and it worked
for him too.

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Richard J Kinch - 08 Jun 2007 00:33 GMT

> On the back of the package it says it may not bond to this plastic but
> it seems that in practice it works well; I tried to scrape it off and
> could not and it has stopped the leak (put it on the inside last
> night).

"May not bond"? Puh-leeze. What crooks. Like that aisle of junk they
sell you to pour into your radiator/crankcase/transmission/fuel/etc to fix
whatever serious problem is wrong. For a few bucks there are enough
suckers who just wanna believe.

You might have a mechanical lock with the epoxy that might hold up for a
while instead of a glued bond. Kind of like locking in a dental filling,
even though amalgam doesn't stick to tooth. Or maybe you don't have
polyethylene after all.

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nrs - 07 Jun 2007 14:42 GMT

If the Permatex stuff ends up falling off, I'll buy the other stuff
although it costs nearly 4x as much. Also, wiper fluid is not a
critical application anyway. The 3M product is made specifically for
the job and I probably would have gone that way initially had I
known. Thanks.

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philthy - 10 Jun 2007 01:03 GMT

a new one???

> Just an update. I finally found the Permatex epoxy and it does stick
> the the HDPE, thanks to merril for the tip. The problem is that the
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
>
> Thanks

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