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The windshield washer fluid tank on my Toyota Corolla has a C-shaped crack in the bottom. I removed the tank and drained it. Is there a reliable way to patch/fix this without having to buy a new tank? (I'm thinking of trying to patch the crack with silicone caulk.)

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I fixed a leak in my coolant tank (which is the exact same plastic) using a few strips of plastic* cut from a spray bottle I bought at a hardware store. You can either use a heat gun or a soldering iron to melt the plastic into place. Just be careful of burning the plastic.

This video is a good guide. Even though it's a much larger tank, the technique is exactly the same.

*polyethylene.

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    I fixed it! Thanks. I used strips of milk carton because it's the only polyethylene I have. Mine didn't turn out near as pretty as the one in the video. In fact, it looks more like a spot of leprosy. But no one is going to see it anyway!
    – Stainsor
    Jan 25, 2014 at 4:47
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    Mine didn't exactly look very good either ;) I'm glad it worked out for you.
    – Captain Kenpachi
    Jan 25, 2014 at 10:02
  • en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyethylene is a plastic. The most common one, even. PP is one of the trickier plastics while PE is one of the easiest (beside ABS).
    – XTL
    Mar 26, 2018 at 14:39
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It's definitely possible. My choice for a repair like this would be JB Weld, but I would think lots of products would do fine, though I'd be skeptical of any kind of caulk that's not going to bond tightly to the plastic.

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    I would probably not use JB Weld, only because it becomes hard while the tank is still slightly flexible. There are plenty of flexible plastic sealants out there for use. Your general theory of repair is sound, though.
    – Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 ♦
    Jan 13, 2014 at 11:32
  • I tried using JB Weld to repair some other plastic item on this car and the JB Weld didn't hold. Apparently it doesn't bond to plastic very well.
    – Stainsor
    Jul 26, 2016 at 22:33

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