hendrixswhitestrat Posted August 5, 2012 Share Posted August 5, 2012 Evening folks Must be something in the air as a few posts about fuel leaks about. Went to take the old girl for a drive and noticed very strong whiff of fuel...tank was leaking ( drip drip drip) from fuel tank... It's had one of those grey putty repair jobs at some point (before I owned it) which is now leaking...middle of the tank, visible from behind the car. Drained the fuel and rather than patch again intend to take tank out and have it welded or fit new if it'd u/s....couple of questions for wise heads if I may. ! - am assuming boot floor out/ release clips jack up and take tank out from underneath after disconnecting pipework and relay etc? - have a very healthy respect for fuel vapour so planning to take tank out with car outside in fresh air rather than in garage but any other safety tips when removing the tank ? Risk of ignition from tool scrapes etc ?? Advice welcome. ! Cheers HWS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James_Russell Posted August 5, 2012 Share Posted August 5, 2012 Pretty sure the tank wants to be withdrawn in an upwardly direction, which may or may not necessitate roll bar / cage removal. If I remember correctly, you have an x-flow/live axle car? Not a great deal of fire risk but it would be prudent to disconnect the battery or kill the electrics before you start. EDIT: this is obvious, and I'm sorry- but remember that water won't kill a flammable liquid fire. If you're really worried about fire, have a Foam extinguisher to hand. Edited by - James_Russell on 6 Aug 2012 00:22:52 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hendrixswhitestrat Posted August 6, 2012 Author Share Posted August 6, 2012 Cheers James....yes that's correct mine's Xflow/de dion No probs re: fire ..I have a foam extinguisher to hand, was more worried about explosion risk than fire tbh but sounds like it should be fine... Thanks for posting HWS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard K Posted August 6, 2012 Share Posted August 6, 2012 HWS, There are 2 wires from the fuel guage sender. You will see a disc with 8 screws The wire in the centre is connected to the sender. If your car is as old as mine be careful when you come to undo the nut as the sender shaft may rotate in the housing causing the wire connection inside to come adrift. I find it easier to undo all 8 screws and remove the sender unit before lifting the tank out. I have removed the tank about 4 times in he last year due to leaks and it takes about 30 min. It will need the roll bar removed. Richard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul McKenzie Posted August 6, 2012 Share Posted August 6, 2012 You can drop it out underneath, no problem Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drumster Posted August 6, 2012 Share Posted August 6, 2012 93 De Dion with FIA bar. Tank comes out through the top as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stationary M25 Traveller Posted August 6, 2012 Share Posted August 6, 2012 Must be something in the air as a few posts about fuel leaks about.More like added Ethanol in the fuel supply Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Whitley Posted August 6, 2012 Share Posted August 6, 2012 I can weld it for you squire Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anthonym Posted August 6, 2012 Share Posted August 6, 2012 I found it very difficult the first time. Removing the fuel filler helped. Mine is a larger "touring" tank. Also how does everyone drain the fuel? I used a spare fuel pump. edit: downwards would be blocked by tank supports (replace rubbers).. and arb in my case. call me if you like happy to chat. Edited by - anthonym on 6 Aug 2012 10:38:34 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garibaldi Posted August 6, 2012 Share Posted August 6, 2012 I have a 94 De-dion and the tank will come out the bottom.... Its a bit of a juggle but with the rear on stands and the De-dion tube at its lowest the tank may be tipped up on its left side, dropped and turned to clear return pipe.... Very difficult to describe but I have done this many times. It does negate the need to drop the shocks and take the roll bar or cage off which is just extra work!!!! A good welder will either wash your tank out with water or purge it with argon (or both).... Seems splits in the original tanks on internal weld lines are quite common. Cheers Gary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anthonym Posted August 6, 2012 Share Posted August 6, 2012 my arb gets in the way of that, but I dont have to remove the shocks...although the tops come off to remove the fia roll bar.. wonder what year is the ops car Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hendrixswhitestrat Posted August 6, 2012 Author Share Posted August 6, 2012 Cheers all ..very helpful !! Thanks for the offer of welding too...will have a look at overall condition when I've got the bugger out and go from there... Cheers all :-)) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard K Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 HWS, Have you seen the tank for sale comming from Finland? Richard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Area Representative z7 Posted August 25, 2012 Area Representative Share Posted August 25, 2012 I thought I'd post here to aid future searchers. I have a replacement fuel tank. It seems a fairly staightforward job (don't they all) but are there any gotchas I should be aware of? Any tips or advice welcome. Don't hesitate to state the obvious. It's a S3 carb tank, Ford live axle. Once I've emptied the current tank, would it be wise to leave "a period" to allow the fumes to disperse before I remove it? When fitting the sender, do I need to use some sealant, or replace a gasket etc.? Or does it simply bolt in? Many thanks z7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Area Representative z7 Posted August 28, 2012 Area Representative Share Posted August 28, 2012 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonboylaw Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 When I took my tank out I left about a quarter tank in, just disconnected the fuel out line, the sender connectors (battery disconnected 1st) and the fuel neck, covered the open pipes with tank tape and undid the retaining straps and off with the roll bar. Came out the top with out having to drain it. Tank was then emptied into a couple of Jerry Cans and left to breath. I did blast some dry compressed air though it a little later to clear out the remaining fumes. I can't advise this method, just that I have a low appreciation for risk. When replacing, make sure the foam insulating strips are in decent condition and you might as well replace the fuel lines if they are more than a couple of years old. J Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Area Representative z7 Posted August 28, 2012 Area Representative Share Posted August 28, 2012 Thanks Jonathan. Just had a chat with Chris, too, and he cleared up some other queries. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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