mygmgeneral

i was wondering if someone could tell me how i can remove my fuel tank from my 87 camaro 2.8litre,any help is good thanks

Kurtis2244

I removed mine to replace the fuel pump and I'll tell ya.......If I had to do it over again I would have pulled the carpet back in the back hatch and cut a hole to gain access to it cuz removing the tank was a pretty big job. You have to unbolt the coil springs and drop the axle. If you're removing it to replace the fuel pump, you're much better off cutting a hole in the floor in the rear hatch. I have an 88 firebird but I'm sure the set-ups are the same on yours. A Haynes manual will explain in detail if you have one.

TreeFiddy

Search the forums, this has been covered a LOT of times. I have never dropped my tank, but already feel familiar with all the intimate details, just from reading incidental posts.

shortyskater

And then your car would turn into another hack job.

MyGmGeneral, do yourself a favor and do the job right. Sure it may take more time but in the end, you won't have a hack job of a car.

travis401

iTrader: (1)

you can do like i did, pull the tank the first time, and cut the filler neck, a little below the opening, than reaattach with fuel filler neck with fuel filler neck hose and clamps. i can now drop my tank in half an hour and my rear end stays in place.

jakemussman

iTrader: (3)

Shortyskater


Do it right the first time.

I just dropped mine about a week ago to change out the pump. I loosened the rear lug nuts, jacked up the car and removed the wheels. Then I jacked up the rear end a little bit by the pumpkin, unbolted the shocks from the towers, unbolted sway-bar end links from the body, unbolted the brake line "T" from the rear end, and then lowered the rear end. Next I unbolted the cat back, unbolted all hangers and dropped the exhaust. I then removed the fuel door along with the inner piece, Unbolted the two exhaust heat shields, unbolted the tank straps and worked out the tank. Turn the lock ring counter clockwise and the sending unit and pump will come out.

TreeFiddy

Just re-read my own post, and realised this could be taken as support for the floor-hacking option. NOT - drop the tank and do it properly!

The floor hackers always fail to mention that the 4 fuel lines need to be cut and re-attached, with no room to work. Sounds like a lot more time and hassle to me, plus u get a bunch of new potential fuel leaks right into your hatch rear.

travis401

iTrader: (1)

and the only way to properly splice fuel hard lines in a fuel injected application is with flared compression fitings, if not done youll develope fuel leaks, and have those fumes in the cabin since you have a gaping hole in the back.

Kurtis2244

Good point on having to cut the fuel lines.....I didn't know that. And in hind sight I am glad I pulled the tank the proper way without cutting into my floor and hacking my sweet 3rd gen. Just ANOTHER reason this is an awesome website. Alot of knowledgeable folks on here.

TreeFiddy

I don't find myself ideologically opposed to doing the hatch, if it's done properly. Ie, drop the tank, cut the hole in exactly the right spot, do the compression fittings right, and re-install a properly over-sized replacement door with a gasket. Though if there's even enough space available to squeeze the fittings in, I don't know.

The idea of hacking your car up as quickly as possible because you are lazy - just makes me cringe. I have seen some god-awful messes posted on these forums and others. Bet the hack job takes longer than dropping the tank anyway.

Travis: I'm curious - now you've got the filler neck attached with clamps, how on earth do you get up in there to undo the clamps when required? Installed, I can barely see where the tank meet the neck, let alone get my hand up in there.

travis401

iTrader: (1)

theres an access panel in the wheel well. take that out and i have direct access to the hose clamps.

travis401

iTrader: (1)

you cut the neck near the top btw, not down where it meats the tank. you just need a few inches of extra clearance to get the tank out without unbolting and dropping the rear. the rear does need to be at full droop though so you gotta use jack stands on the frame rails instead.

TreeFiddy

Can't picture the panel - is it factory or one you made yourself?

travis401

iTrader: (1)

it was there when i bought the car and looks factory to me....ill snap a pic of it when im in the garage later today

TreeFiddy

Cool, thanks. Its probably obvious, but I'm just not recalling it right now. 1:30am over here, too lazy to open up the garage and go look!

travis401

iTrader: (1)

kinda hard to see, but that whole plastic panel there comes off and gives you access to the back side of the fuel filler door, and filler neck.

TreeFiddy

Thanks for the pic! However, it must be a Camaro thing, my 86 TA doesn't have it. I pulled the interior plastic back, and the filler door off, and it's solid sheet metal everywhere.

Interested in this, because I've always had a slight leak at the filler neck when the tank is full. Am half-heartedly trying to track it down... I'll probably pull the tank over the Christmas holidays and see.

travis401

iTrader: (1)

i had a leak i couldnt find for the life of me for a while. fuel would always spil out of the filler neck and sometimes out of the fuel door. turns out my cap wasnt sealing.....new cap and no more leak.

TreeFiddy

Heh not so simple in my case. I can just get an eyeball on where the filler enters the tank, it's wet with fuel at the join - but only with a full tank on an incline. After driving about 20 miles, no more leak.

travis401

iTrader: (1)

the filler neck is just soldered on, and they do have a habit of leaking at the solder joint.

TreeFiddy

Never worked on a tank before. Do you think the join can be re-soldered safely, given a big enough soldering iron? No torches or naked flames obviously. It's likely just a pinhole. Or is this a specialist job?

travis401

iTrader: (1)

defiantly not a job to do in your garage. the tank needs to be emptied and purged with an inert gas to ensure it doesnt go boom. and not something you're gonna accomplish with a soldering iron, its gonna take a torch.

89RS_82Z

iTrader: (2)

i cracked my sodder joint taking out my tank, i used quick steel to cover the crack and i have no leak, i MAY do the fuel neck cut next time around

there is also a acess pannel behind the plastic in the wheel well to get to the fuel neck

TreeFiddy

Yeah, I reckon that's what happened to mine. The PO swapped from TPI to carb, and dropped the tank to remove the pump. Guess he cracked it on the way back in.

I gotta search harder for that damn access panel...

Travis: Don't worry, I'll do it properly - don't want to go boom .

89RS: Something like JB weld actually worked for any length of time??

travis401

iTrader: (1)

jb weld is nothing but a bandaid. good for a temp fix, but not ment to be permanent.

pull the tank had take it somewhere that KNOWS how to work on a gas tank and have it soldered.

TreeFiddy

Yeah figured as much; will see what's what when I get it out. I noticed the filler neck has to put up with quite a bit of bending from the nozzle, when you fill it. Needs to be strong!

BTW sorry to the OP, I seem to have pinched your thread! Don't think he's been back yet tho.

TreeFiddy

Oh THAT access panel

I was looking for it from inside that hatch area before. Had my rear wheel off the other day looking at the brakes, and bam there was the panel right over my head!

Spooged some JB up there round the leak just for giggles and whaddaya know - leak fixed. Lets see how many days it lasts!

travis401

iTrader: (1)

o yea, that access panel is inside the rear well, not inside the hatch

Pocket

iTrader: (24)

JBweld is fuel/oil resistant and should last the life of the tank. Only way to break it is to bend the neck cracking it again like the original solder

TreeFiddy

You reckon? I'm just using 'JB weld' as a generic term, have never seen it for sale over here. What I actually used was Permatex Liquid Metal, that I had lying around. Also fuel resistant apparently.

I think cracking again is highly likely, given the length of the tube and the cantilever force on the join when you fill. No harm in giving it a go though.

gta_knight

Im sizing up removing my fuel tank now too, im pretty sure my filler neck is leaking, ive been noticing the smell of fuel around the cap area for quite a while, so after investigating i saw this



looks pretty dark and wet right where the solder ends. I also want to fit a new fuel pump anyway for when i drop my 5.7 in so i might aswell do both jobs at the same time.

scarello

Any special trick to removing the fuel door?

-sc-

ASE doc

I welded a sump into my fuel tank for an external pump and high G cornering. Preventing fuel vapors from exploding can be done two ways. Either by filling the tank with nitrogen or other inert gas, or by simply emptying the fuel and thoroughly flushing the tank with hot water and soap. The best soap for this is Dawn dish soap as it cuts petroleum very well. Repeat flushing two or three times until it is clear of fuel vapors.

Maze

Wonder if it would be better to replace the fuel tank? The fuel has been in the auto 23 years. Then change the fuel lines to the carb.