Removing The Fuel Tank

[Guest RichF]

Hi All,

 

My brake pipe saga continues, today I thought I'd remove the fuel tank, it sounded easy in the

Haynes

 

I've done the following:

 

1. Disconnected fuel pump /and sender unit wires

2. Lowered the exhaust

3 Removed the heat shield

4. Removed the strap

5. Undone 2 nuts at the rear of the tank (near the beam)

 

and it still seems tight up against the floor of the car - it just won't drop !

 

I don't think it's the filler pipe holding it up.

 

Have I got another bolt to find ? (I would have though there'd be one towards the front of the tank ?)

 

Cheers,

 

Rich

 

P.S. I've also replace the fuel filter today - does it matter if the holes in the pipes don't line up exactly with the bolts ?

[Guest RichF]

Well, I can wiggle the back of it a little bit now but it still seems to be held somewhere. It's too dark to carry on, have to wait until tomorrow, please, if anyones taken the tank off before let me know any tips

 

(Otherwise it's going to be 3 weeks until I get the time to have another crack at it !)

[AndyR 0]

Im doing this same job tonight. The haynes book of s*ite says "undo the retaining nuts"

f***ING USEFUL!

 

Ive only found the 2 13mm nuts near the rear beam (rusted as hell I might add)

 

You have disconnected the fuel pump and fuel level sender wires havent you???

Are the handbrake cables holding it up?

You have disconnected the 2 or 3 filler pipes at the side of the tank.

 

If all else get a big bar in there and give it some welly. I cant see anything inside holding it down I had the carpet out and everything.

[Guest RichF]

Yeah, those nuts were bloody rusty on mine, - the thread was also all fooked which didn't help !

 

I hate Haynes, we were saying the same thing earlier, if only it said HOW MANY retaining nuts at least we'd know if we'd missed any !

 

The only thing I haven't done is disconnect the pipes but I can't see that on their own they'd be holding the tank that tightly ?

 

I've got the French Haynes manual (it's far more comprehensive) and it's got an exploded diagram of the whole assembly, I still can't work out what's holding it though, in the end I'll probably lose my rag go for brute force and bust something !

 

What really baffles me is that the front of the tank seems to be the most solidly held, but there's no bolts or anything that I can see at that end !? (Yes, I removed the safety strap!)

 

Good luck, hope you do better than me

 

Please let me know if you figure it out !

[Guest John Tanner]

Here's a picture from the old haynes manual of the petrol tank assembly, it may help. I hate the way the new haynes manual removed all the pictures.

 

Click here for the pic.

 

John.

[Guest RichF]

Cheers John, yep, that's the picture I've got in the French version.

 

In the first zoomed-in section (not the safety strap assembly) it looks like the bolt goes through a clip and the clip fits over a lip on the tank - I wonder if it's those clips that are supporting it? If it is I don't know how to remove them as the bolts cannot be withdrawn from their holes !?

[Miles 331 1 Cars]

Just give it a good hard pull down at the back and pull to get it out of the clips at the front, The sides of the tank are quite tight on the inners sills as well, Which might reval some hidden rust with it

[Guest RichF]

Thanks for the replies

 

It was the filler hose holding it up, it's now dropped....

 

... 2 inches ! Now it 's stuck on the loop that the safety strap was attached to! ARGH !

 

To release the loop I thought all I would have to do was to release the clamp that goes round the rear beam, but it's got the most rusted nuts and bolts I've ever seen - they're not budging even with a 2 foot bar on them !

 

I could hacksaw the clamp off but I'm not sure that I could get a replacement - does anyone know if you can buy them ? (or can anyone suggest a way round all this ?!)

 

Thanks,

 

Rich

 

P.S. Today I noticed that I can wobble one of my rear wheels by pushing the disc so probably going to have to spend out for a bearing - I love this car

Edited May 11, 2003 by RichF

[AndyR 0]

Got my tank off, had to angle grind through that clamp around the beam as it was too rusty... so was the car where the petrol tank met the sides, bugger! Have to get some waxoil.

[Guest RichF]

well you won the race to remove it Andy !

Unlucky with the rust - I should find out whether mine's the same in the next 10 minutes, 'cos I've (finally !) done it !

 

Managed to loosen the clamp enough to knock it round the beam the tank's finally free - yipee

 

Thanks to everyone for the tips, - another triumph for the forum

Edited May 11, 2003 by RichF

[Guest Rik]

i did this exact job last friday. it took me an hour. first i syphoned all the fuel out. took off the whole exhaust, as i thought it would be easier!!!

 

took off heatshield

took off strap, had to grind a bolt and the clamp off.

the 2 bolts holding the tank on would not budge, so i had to grind them from the inside of the car and hit them with a punch, they just dropped out.

The tank then dropped down, i then took all hoses off etc, and pulled it out from the right hand side of the car.