Hello everyone,

still working on getting the gas tank dropped. Now I am stuck on lowering the rear diff.

The silver bolt in the back that needs to be removed is stuck. I can turn it a few turns, but then it refuses to move. Anyone have any tips on this?

I am attaching a picture of the bolt I am referring to.

 

Manderson,

Place a jack under the diff to support the weight, (penetrating oil will be your best friend here).
have you removed the 2 bolts on either side of the diff that connect the diff to the frame if so put these back in (finger tight)?
remember once you lower the diff you will have to move it towards the back of the car 2-3 inches to gain clearance to lower the tank.
your next main headache will be the rubber pipe that attaches the tank to the filler pipe I ended up cutting mine off as the clamps were rusted. only place i found that had the correct diameter was Amazon.
here is the link.


just in case.

Good luck !!! and stay safe

 

Paul,


Thanks for the reply. I've actually been following your post. So I have not removed the front bolts yet.

Regarding this bolt, it is just "turn counter clockwise" to loosen bolt right? I just got worried that I could turn it a few turns before it stopped turning, and didn't want to break something worse trying to force it.


I thought i'd be able to get the tank out without lowering the diff, so I already found that I needed to cut that fuel filler hose also. Thank you for heading off a problem that was sure to come for me. I figure'd I would just be able to go to autozone and get a new hose.

 

Correct on the bolt, I don`t remember it giving me much Trouble if I remember correctly it just threads into the rear casting of the diff,

as for the hose I tried all the local parts stores with no joy.
possibly the most difficult part of the removal for me was cutting that hose ended up using 1/2 an old hacksaw blade with some electrical tape wrapped around one end as a handle.

 

That worries me on the bolt Hopefully I will have better luck tonight.

I started with the hacksaw blade, but ended up using a hand saw.

 

It's a pretty robust bolt, it would have to really be torqued to snap..If you had it soaking with penetrating oil it should come out now..
(Righty tighty---Lefty Loosey)

When you guys are talking about cutting the fill pipe hose with a hacksaw..I can't help but think of all the rubber crumbs that may be falling into the tank..Are you concerned? or are you going to flush the tank real good before reinstalling it?..Just wondering.

 

DPK,

I flushed the tank real good once I got it out,
also when I received the new pump it came with a replacement filter mesh so was not to worried.

Manderson,

How is it going? remember take your time and you will be ok.

 

DPK,

Thanks for the heads up. I have been so focused on the task "CHANGE THE PUMP!!" that it never occurred to me that those crumbs existed. I will make sure to clean the tank out before remounting it. (If I can ever real with the rear diff)

Paul,

No joy I sprayed some pen oil yesterday at lunch, and came home about 5 hours later. I used a jack to take the weight off the diff, and there was no change in the bolt.

I may as well have been trying to spin a boulder.

I found this picture on the internet that is a bit better than mine, and I had some questions.

The rounded bar that sits behind the diff. Does anyone know what it does, and how hard it is to remove? If I could get that out of the way, I could try a breaker bar, or even an impact wrench.

 

I think that is called an Anti-sway bar..not sure, but I think it is..

 

Correct :0) or the roll bar


Manderson,
Are you using a breaker bar and a socket?
I think there is a rubber bushing on the bolt perhaps its that thats holding the bolt does it feel springy may just need to break that seal.

Try supporting the diff remove the 2 shorter bolts either side of the diff that hold it to the frame now try removing the center bolt moving the diff up and down on the jack. the diff should also move forward and back slightly so you can get some oil in.
Just an FYI once you do lower the diff this is a perfect time to change out the gear oil in the diff as the drain/fill plug will be easily accessible.
have you sprayed penetrating oil between the diff and the frame where the bolt goes.
Just got home from France I shall take a look at mine once it gets light out.
Planning on doing a break service.

 

You mean BRAKE ?........

 

 

Tank out.

The diff bolt finally came out. I'd tried a breaker bar, but the roll bar was causing problems.

Finally got a 6 point socket, and a lead pipe, which let me get the torque in the right spot.

I think it was that rubber behind it causing the problem because it took 30 minutes to get it out, and it NEVER got easy to turn (until the very end).

So...

tanks out. All ready to replace the pump, until I look over and see I've torn out one of the hoses, and there is a bunch of garbage in the tank itself.

How do you all recommend I clean it out? I'm going to go searching part numbers now to see if I can find this hose

 

So I am not having much luck.

This is not my tank, I found it on ebay.

What is that grey round thing on the bottom left? This is the hose that tore.