Stripped screws in plastic

[NYSail]

So I have a fuel sender in my plastic fuel tank….. solid plastic. threads over the 19 years are a bit stripped. What would you do to tighten them up short of tapping new holes. Also don’t want to drill sender to use larger screws. Add a tooth pick to each screw hole then tighten down?

Greg

 

[kappykaplan]

Add a tooth pick to each screw hole then tighten down?

Not sure how the toothpicks will react to diesel, so probably not a good idea.

 

[NYSail]

Not sure how the toothpicks will react to diesel, so probably not a good idea.

The screws don’t go through to the inside of the tank….. where the sender is, the plastic is thick.

 

[kappykaplan]

The screws don’t go through to the inside of the tank…..

Ah, might work then, for the short term.

 

[thinwater]

Try closing the holes up with a plastic welder, or even the heated head of a large common nail. A few small bits of polyethylene as filler might help/be needed.

If the sender is round (most are) can't you just rotate it and drill new holes? Easy.

 

[NYSail]

Try closing the holes up with a plastic welder, or even the heated head of a large common nail. A few small bits of polyethylene as filler might help/be needed.

If the sender is round (most are) can't you just rotate it and drill new holes? Easy.

The sender is a hard brittle looking plastic. Dont want to risk breaking it if I drilled. Otherwise I would have just got screws 1 size larger…..
I like the idea of polyethylene bits or strips put into the holes…..

 

[NYSail]

What about wrapping screws in teflon tape?

 

[JamesG161]

Fill with epoxy and retap it.

Jim...

 

[NYSail]

If the sender is round (most are) can't you just rotate it and drill new holes? Easy.

That actually is a very simple solution....... Thanks

 

[Rick Webb]

zip ties instead of tooth pick

 

[thinwater]

The sender is a hard brittle looking plastic. Dont want to risk breaking it if I drilled. Otherwise I would have just got screws 1 size larger…..
I like the idea of polyethylene bits or strips put into the holes…..

If the polyethylene plastic is so hard and brittle looking you are afraid to drill ... you need a new tank before you have disaster. This is obvious. Either the plastic is not that brittle or the tank is cooked. Might as well decide now.

 

[NYSail]

If the polyethylene plastic is so hard and brittle looking you are afraid to drill ... you need a new tank before you have disaster. This is obvious. Either the plastic is not that brittle or the tank is cooked. Might as well decide now.

No... when I first read i thought I read "drill the holes" larger in the sender for a bigger screw (which I wanted to do)..... the sender is the brittle hard plastic, tank is fine. But when I actually read what you wrote I realized you meant rotate the sender and drill new holes into the tank..... perfect idea and wish I would have thought about it this past weekend when I had the this apart and cleaned.

Good news however, is that I got the sender to work (was only reading full) and now know where 10 gallons left in the tank is on the gauge!!.

 

[Terry Cox]

Hi Greg. Try this repair using super glue and baking soda to fix your plastic hole. Scroll through to 3:27 minutes.

 

[Rich Stidger]

Hi Greg. Try this repair using super glue and baking soda to fix your plastic hole. Scroll through to 3:27 minutes.

WOW!! I'm saving this video for sure.

 

[thinwater]

No... when I first read i thought I read "drill the holes" larger in the sender for a bigger screw (which I wanted to do)..... the sender is the brittle hard plastic, tank is fine. But when I actually read what you wrote I realized you meant rotate the sender and drill new holes into the tank..... perfect idea and wish I would have thought about it this past weekend when I had the this apart and cleaned.

Good news however, is that I got the sender to work (was only reading full) and now know where 10 gallons left in the tank is on the gauge!!.

That makes a lot more sense. Polyethylene doesn't get brittle like that unless it is in the sun.

 

[rgranger]

What about wrapping screws in teflon tape?

Or Saran wrap

 

[thinwater]

IME, once threads in plastic are stripped, they are stripped. Wrapping or filling with glue that won't bond well to polyethylene is not going to reinstate any reliable degree of hold. Obviously, this depends on the plastic and the situation.

What does help is not stripping them in the first place. This is done in several ways:

• Make sure the fastener is clean.
• Don't over tighten. The plastic is many times weaker than metal.
• Don't cut new threads when reinstalling a fastener. Very lightly turn the screw in the reverse direction until you can feel the existing threads, and then feel it into those threads. If you cut new threads each time, the hole will be ruined on the 2nd or 3rd cycle.

You've got to be gentle.