Re-habilitating my 77XJ6-C. drained the tanks, pulled bothplugs, pulled the pumps, sticky varnishy, and found minor rust, no big flakes. Smelly old gas, a little off color, certainlyeasily cleaned up if the tanks were out. Local radiator shops clean em up. Tanks are sound.

There are only 4 bolts, do they drop right out. I didn't think so. Sohelp me make this call; to pull or not to pull.

thanks geneo

 

I have changed out six (6) tanks... the hardest part is getting the filler caps out of the top of the tanks.

Removing the (4) screws, soaking that area with rust remover and then turning the caps back and forth will eventually loosen them up. Trying to
pry them up will only ruin the tops of your fenders.

Once you can get them out of the way, there are fuel lines, vent hoses etc that will become visible after removing the curved valances that cover the
tanks on the sides. Some of the vent hose are inside the trunk area behind the side panels... lots of fun will be had doing this job.

Be sure to change all these vent hoses when the tanks are out! The one that goes to fuel filler cap has a small plastic restrictor in the line near the cap end.

You will need to have on hand new filler cap gaskets, O-rings for the filler cap to the tank top opening and fuel sender gaskets... failing to change all of these will allow you to become a "real expert" as you will be doing this again.

 

Yeah, getting those filler caps off is a real PITA as there is not room to play with and you risk damaging the paintwork or even denting the rear wing. Apart from this, and draining out the fuel, (which always makes me nervous), it is straightforward, but time-consuming. The rear 1/4 panels have to come off, and to do this the rear 1/4 bumpers have to come off as well, etc etc. Don't forget the 5"diameter plates at the back of each wheel arch that give access to something too, I think it is electrical.

 

Unfortunately, it looks like I will be in to the tank project as well! I dropped the IRS to do the brakes, which were in really bad shape. I then noticed a "weeping" of gas at the return line (I guess I must have disturbed it when taking out the IRS?). Anyway, on closer examination, the return lines and vapour lines appear to be in bad shape, so, I was trying to figure out how to safely drain the tanks, to change the lines, and discovered gas damp mouse material (nests?) adjacent to the one tank. I have not yet looked at the other tank as I got frustrated.....remember, I was doing brakes! I just keep getting deeper and deeper in this project! So, looks like one and maybe both tanks will have to come out. For me, step one is draining the tank! What is the best and safest way to do this? I tried to drop a suction line into the tank but it would not go! All responses welcome, and appreciated. Thanks.
Regards,
Wayne

 

@Wayne:
May I suggest doing the brakes and anything/everything else needed on the IRS first, because you already have it down, it's a discreet unit, a project of manageable size that was your first plan, and you can do it without having to even look at the gas tanks.

By the time you finish the IRS you may have got over the frustration and accepted the situation (having completed that job successfully), and gathered up whatever courage you need to tackle your tanks.

Just a thought from someone who will doubtless have to do the same thing one day soon and I'm Not looking forward to it because I JUST got my car back on the road.
(';')

 

Start spraying the nuts/ screws on the lower quarters and bumpers now! When I dismantled the parts car I had to resort to the angle grinder.
Yes, the fuel caps are fiddly!

 

Good advice LnrB, and encouragement. I guess what I will do is further examine the tanks to see extent of leaks.....maybe one of the two is sound? If so, I will try to jury rig to run off the good tank.However, I do need to replace the return line and vent lines which are exposed with the IRS removed. On my car, these are rotted quite badly and in fact, the weep/drip on the return line became visible when the IRS came down. So, for me, perhaps I replace these lines as part of my IRS project, and try to get by with the tanks for now, as you have suggested.

 

Thank you, Wayne,
What I actually meant, but didn't communicate very well, was not necessarily to get by with your tanks as they are, although you might be able to do that, but I meant to finish up your IRS first (because you've already dropped it), have it sitting all clean and pretty on the floor in success (it's always encouraging to look at a successfully completed job), and THEN tackle the tanks, whatever you have to do to them. Sort of One Thing At A Time on your mind.

I would Really be frustrated if I had gone to all the work you have just done, put it all back together only to have to do it all again to change the tanks after all. That would seriously torque me off.

Changing out all the hoses you can reach while your IRS is out only makes good sense especially if you can see that they're leaking.
(';')

 

Thanks, and good advice LnrB. I just finished dropping the valence panels and bumper sections on both sides, to complete a thorough inspection. The driver side tank has a small weep at the lower tank flange; just enough to be a pain, although this tank does look quite rusty and it may be getting ready for a major leak! The passenger side does not look too bad,, and there are no easily visible leak spots. So, my plan is to do what you have suggested.....I like the part about getting the IRS "........having it sitting all clean and pretty..." and feeling motivated by that success! That should give me the strength to do something with the driver side tank. Thanks again for your guidance!

 

Straight forward stuff. But,.. resist the impulse (when trying to remove the filler caps ),..to grab the flip top and use it as a handle to wiggle the cap portion off of the top of the tank - you will break it! What makes it resist, is the O ring that lives between the filler cap and the tank neck,..its a tight fit, as it has to prevent gas fumes from the tank escaping into atmosphere.
Try not to pry - you will chip the paint around the opening or put dents in the body work.Try squirting some lubricant between the cap and the tank. If you have some sort of gadget you can insert into the opening and then spread apart thereby applying grip and then try to make the cap twist while maintaining upward pressure on the cap. I fashioned 2 pieces of wood together using a nut bolt and washer on the very ends of the pieces of wood - like a hinged V shape. Insert the attached ends into the top of the filler opening and pulled the 2 pieces away from each other to apply grip to the inside of the neck of the filler cap twisting all the time. If you can cause the filler cap to move, it will eventually come free.While the tanks are out take a look into the cavity and look upwards to the area directly under the rear windscreen corner and inside of the rear wing, check for rust,..especially if you have rust bubbles at the corners of the rear screen. Pay attention to the small shims that are used to position the tank within the body. Super clean all threads on the fuel lines where they are screwed into the tank,...you do not want to cross thread the fittings,..major work then. Its easy to make this mistake as the lines are pre bent and positioned relative to the tank. I always have the tank attached in position but loose when i initially attach the fuel lines then wiggle the tank and gradually tighten all the bolts/fuel lines a bit at a time until secure. Hope this helps. Paint the exterior of the tanks with POR 15 good to go...

 

Thanks to all of you for your good and helpful advice. I am now not afraid. The filler caps are removed and the bottomsection is soaking in PB Blaster. Good infoabout rotating and not prying to get them loose. I'll go spray the valance and bumper boltsnow.

My pumps are submersible, so make sure you have the tank fullydrained before trying to remove the pump; you know how I know! Also, when I unscrewed the little drain plug,nothing came out as the big drain plug had become full of crap and blocked thehole. That turned out to be goodfortune; saved a mess. I attached afunnel to a low profile 5 gal gas can and put the whole thing in a cat littertray. ( I use a lot of cat litter trays as they are cheap and big enough tohelp contain spills) I pushed an icepick up through the small drain hole until it started to drain, then slid thefunnel/gas can into place.

 

With the leak you see on the one tank now.. do not expect your tanks to pass a pressure testing.


I have never seen the value in the cleaning and coating/welding up old tanks that are now 30-40 years old versus buying new ones? You will 40% or more of the new cost to have them redone...


Just order new ones and the needed gaskets... that way you will not have to do the R&R again when the coating comes off the inside of the tanks down the road months or years from now.


The Spectra tanks are good replacements, just do not have that inside filter boot ... just use low pressure removable clear filters inside the trunk and a good hi pressure one after the pump - if fuel injected.


Then keep the tanks full if the car is not a daily driver.. that is what we do in airplanes to keep out the condensation...

 

got the filler caps off; yea. you are right, it is a PITA type of job, at least it's a standup job.


The key to removal is rotating while pulling up at the same time. and lots of PB blaster type lube. Rocking near the end is also helpful. I was amazed how deep the fillers go into the tanks!


I removed the flip tops. Made a tool, t type device out of aluminum with hooks on the bottom. rotate, pull a little rock and you see progress.


Bumper ends and valence panels next.

 

Resurrecting old thread.

I used a slide hammer (dent puller) aka BFH, with a DIY hook on the end. Patience is a virtue.

 

I agree. If the tanks are that bad then simply replacing with new seems sensible.

I'll just opine, tho, that decisions should be case-by-case. In my experience a leaking and or rusty tank can often be repaired if it isn't too far gone. Often the local radiator shop can repair small leaks and boil out minor rust. I've taken this route on a few cars and it worked well. My local shop charges about $75.

Absolutely.

This age-old advice has always held true.

If we could compile data of rusty/leaky tanks (on any type of car) a week's pay says we'd see a undeniable pattern of regular use cars having very few issues and seldom used cars having many problems.

Nowadays it's all the rage to place the blame solely on E10 gasoline when, actually, this has been a very common issue all along, and certainly long before E10 gasoline became so commonplace.

Another possible culprit, in the case of our old Jags, is that the valance panels can became very heavily packed with mud, leaves, etc. which rusts the bottom of the tanks from the outside

Cheers
DD

 

Was reading a blog the other day on Chevy Volts trying to educate myself a bit more on EVs. A number of owners were saying that they ran the fuel tank only a quarter full max to lessen the programmed fuel use enforced by the Volt to keep its engine alive and avoid stale fuel. I was thinking then that they were running counter to long standing practice keeping tanks full where possible.

I guess time will tell , although that community only seems to want to talk about the good stuff not the issues. Just like us its probably the later owners that will enjoy the fruits pf those choices :-)

 

Hello Roger, in your post #829, dated June 2012, on the subject of gas tank removal on Series 111 V12's, you noted "...... use low pressure removable clear filters inside the trunk ........". Well, I am now operating on one tank, which is feeding direct to the fuel pump. I would feel better if I had a filter before the pump. Can you suggest a filter for this application, as the line is 1/2 inch, and I was hesitant to reduce the line size to satisfy locally available in-line filter sizes i.e. the largest I can find are 3/8 inch. Downstream of the pump, I have the standard in-line Jag filter; I was going to use one of these filters but again, the size on the pressure side
of the pump is actually smaller. So, any suggestions on where to pick-up an appropriate filter (1/2 inch)? Thanks in advance.
Regards,
Wayne'sJaguar
1988 Jaguar V12 Vanden Blas (new to me Nov. 2015)
1954 Austin A-40 Somerset (Project car!)
2010 Ford Escape XLT
2008 Hyundai Sonata
1983 Yamaha X-400 Maxim
1986 Winnebago LeSharo (Renault 2.2 litre)
1962 Ferguson Tractor

 

I used WIX/NAPA 3299, they are not clear ones, but metal cans.. available everywhere. They were the largest size I could find at a reasonable price and with everyday availability. Many custom filters are out there for $$$.