Leaking Fuel Tank

[mikeyd]

I noticed a strong smell of gasoline from the driver's side of my 100 when I got home from a drive today. A quick look under the 100 and I have a fuel leak as the frame rail side of the tank is wet with gas. While this is not what I planned on spending money on, it needs to get fixed. I need to pull the fuel pump access cover off to see if the tank has rusted or if I have a gasket leak.

Assuming the worst, what parts should I replace while I have the tank out? My LC has 260k on it and lived (rust zone) in NJ before it became mine.

 

[bpalmer7440]

I recently replaced a leaking rusted tank on our 2006 LC. It was leaking along a seam and would not have a problem of we didn’t fill the tank over half full. We ended up getting a used tank from a non rusty donor and this fixed the problems we were seeing including the evaporation leak code, and the gas smell. We ended replacing the tank, the tank protector/cover, and the straps that hold the tank in place. An induction heater made this job tolerable. As far as anything else to replace, we just did some rust abatement while we had the tank and driveshaft out.

 

[pglc]

Here's a great thread on the Fuel Tank replacement: 2002 LC Fuel Tank Replacement - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/2002-lc-fuel-tank-replacement.1224913/ The only question I have regarding it, hoping someone can answer, is what brands do people have experience with buying when replacing their tank?

 

[mikeyd]

I got the tank swap done by myself. It wasn't too bad of a job.

I changed all the gaskets, but did not change the pump. It was working and swapping it out later is not hard with the topside access panel.

The one issue I ran into was after getting the tank back in place up against the body (verified with a mirror and bore scope-like camera) the OEm bolts wouldn't reach the body no matter what I tried. A quick trip to the hardware store for longer bolts and a metal spacer solved it. Once the weather warms up and I have less projects to do, I am going to order new straps and replace them one at a time.

I suspect the new tank is slightly taller than the OEM tank. It's sitting as low as it can get in the skid plate and pressed up against the body, so that's the only other variable I can see would cause the straps to be a little short.

 

[pglc]

I got the tank swap done by myself. It wasn't too bad of a job.

I changed all the gaskets, but did not change the pump. It was working and swapping it out later is not hard with the topside access panel.

The one issue I ran into was after getting the tank back in place up against the body (verified with a mirror and bore scope-like camera) the OEm bolts wouldn't reach the body no matter what I tried. A quick trip to the hardware store for longer bolts and a metal spacer solved it. Once the weather warms up and I have less projects to do, I am going to order new straps and replace them one at a time.

I suspect the new tank is slightly taller than the OEM tank. It's sitting as low as it can get in the skid plate and pressed up against the body, so that's the only other variable I can see would cause the straps to be a little short.

What brand tank did you purchase?

 

[bojangheels]

What brand tank did you purchase?

Same issue. Can you share where you purchased tank? Thanks.

 

[mikeyd]

Same issue. Can you share where you purchased tank? Thanks.

I bought the tank off eBay. It appears to be well-built and cost me @ $350.

 

[bojangheels]

Much appreciated.