Ok so removing the fuel tanks isn't THAT hard like a lot of guys think...however, I can only imagine the fun I'm going to have putting one back in lol

I got the prep work done last night on the passenger side; removing the bumper trip, getting all the bolts out, and removing the lower rear quarter panel. Today, I tackled the rest. I undid the couple easy to find bolts on the gas tank, removed the filler lid, unhooked the wiring and unclipped it from the tank. Then I had to remove the muffler...which wasn't too bad except it kept wanting to get stuck against the bottom of the suspension pieces until I was able to creatively roll and tug on it and remove it from the car.

After I got all the ratty old fuel hoses cut (the main feed line was the hardest), I started wiggling it down and out and it got stuck at the bottom. Cussed it for a while and wiggled more to no avail until I figured maybe the car was too low, so I sat a 4x4 piece of wood on my jack and put it under the part of the bumper the shock absorber goes through and voila...it was high enough to slide the tank out fairly easily after that.

The outside of the tank looks absolutely perfect, no rust at all. I checked out the inside of it and through the filler hole, I could see a creamish, whitish yellow rubber like material so I figure it had been "restored" before unless they come that way from Jaguar. Then I popped the level sender out and the entire sending unit was coated in rust...not surface rust, but thick rust. Peeking inside, the tank from there I could see more of that rubbery like coating, but poking it with a screwdriver, I could tell it wasn't really adhered to the tank surface, it was easily pulling away when I lifted on it.










Honestly, the insides don't look TOO bad in my opinion (though I could be wrong), assuming a shop could clean that whitish gunk out, along with the rust and resurface the inside, I think it'd be usable again. Though, I'm not tossing out the idea of purchasing an aftermarket one, buttoning the passenger side up with new hoses, and moving on to the driver side.

 

That white stuff will be an aftermarket fuel tank sealant, so if its coming away, you probably need to get most of it out. Does the tank leak at all ?

You don't say which Series you have, but the Series 3 tanks are still available new, a dealer here in the UK has them but not cheap, I'm afraid. There is probably a US dealer with them too. They can be modified to suit a Series 1 and 2, I think you have to make up a blanking plate for one of the round holes, and blank off the fuel return line, as only Series 3s returned surplus fuel to the tank

 

That one didn't have any rust holes in it, or any evidence of it leaking at any seams, but with an aftermarket sealer, that'd probably why.

It's a Series 3. I figured it was a tank sealant, wouldn't imagine a factory maker would use that goop in there. I'm looking at the Spectra Premium tanks, found the passenger side one for $315 shipped I think it was. May take it by a gas tank shop and let them check it out and see if they think its easily salvageable of it it's toast.

 

Good post. So that side was not the leaking side, correct?

 

I wouldn't think that was the one leaking...I don't know how it would be as clean as it looked. Whether it was or not, I still wanted to take it apart to clean up all the old lines with fresh new ones so I'd have a fully restored fuel system.

 

Well, I decided to drop some acid today......into the gas tank I have already removed I let it soak, and swished it around and let it set more, all for about 20 minutes. Poured it into a bucket of water that was heavily doused with baking soda and rinsed the tank out. It did a great job of stripping away surface rust, looks brand spanking new, so no evidence of pinhole leaks or anything. However, it didn't melt the old liner, but it did break it nearly completely loose from the inner surface. Too bad I can't get anything in there to pull the old liner out, so I guess I'm just going to have to take the tanks to a shop and let them do their thing and get the old out and re-line it.

As a side note, I did some work prepping to remove the driver side tank. The bottom of it, looks just as clean on the outside as the other one. Probably gross and dirty inside but the outer part looks great. I don't know how these tanks leaked when more than a few gallons were poured in like the guy said, but whatever.

 

alternative idea!

single tank fuel cell, 22gallons, simple hook up, and never rust again.

stainless steel pump, aluminum lines, aeroquip hoses.

 

I thought about that but couldn't find too many people who had done it to give me ideas, or setups, what cells they used, etc.

 

get a new tank, not worth spending more money restoring that one when you can get a new one for less.

 

$80 or so to have a shop dip/reline it vs $300 for a new one? My math says restoring an original is cheaper

 

you sure $80. for all that? the last time I checked with Gas Tank Renew was $300.00+

 

David Boger @ everydayxj can probsbly provide a paior of good used tanks for a reasonable price.

 

I was able to purchase a 30 gal aluminum cell and for under $400.00 I had it cut baffled and shaped to fit the space where my spare tire used to be. It now holds 25 gallons. I was not concerned about losing some luggage space, since this car ain't for carrying a lot of stuff in the trunk.(Spare, jack,jack handle,lug wrench and a small tool kit). It's damn big anyway. Will post some pics if anyone is interested. That was a lot less than $700+ dollars for a pair of saddlebag tanks ,and i have more fuel. The light weight of the tank makes up for the weight of the additional fuel.

 

Looks like the tank probably wasn't etched correctly before the sealant was put in... You can get a kit from Eastwoods or POR15 that has the proper cleaning, etching, and sealing products. They aren't terribly expensive, I think less than $100 per tank....

Cleaning with acid will get them clean... for a day or so... Then they tend to flash rust... Generally that is what the etching solution is for, it neutralizes the cleaning solution, and gets the sides of the tank ready to accept the sealant....

Cheers!
David Boger
Everyday XJ

 

to each his own!

any old car i get in the future that has iron or steel, tanks or lines ,will get a Plastic tank(Polyethyline), i have seen some of the coatings deteriorate over time(like soaking for 5-10yrs).
now we have Ethenol that can soften the linings and perforate the coating allowing water to collect between the layers,and rust thru! and additives could loosen the coating faster!

to each his own!

 

denraden1
I would love to see photos of your tank, I have an XJ6 and is having gas smell issue into the cabin. I suspect its the tank but haven't had time to fully check it. Thanks

 

When I first bought my Jag a couple years ago, I had the same issues with corrosion in my tanks. Toasted my injectors and fuel filter. So I happen to luck out when I bought a parts Jag for $400 and wouldnt you know it, the fuel tanks were like brand new because the PO spent $800 and sent them to Renu. Here are some pics of what they look like. (Of course they are in my Jag now).

The initial removal was tough only because the nuts and bolts were so rusted on the car. I replaced everything with stainless steel which should make removal in the future much easier.