Fuel tank removal

2093 Views 19 Replies 6 Participants Last post by jot017, Dec 21, 2003

jot017

Discussion Starter · Dec 17, 2003

Hey guys, i tried to do a search for this cause i'm sure it's been discussed a million times, but i couldn't find the search feature??

Anyways, i'm working on an 88 model for someone and i'm replacing the sending unit/fuel pump assembley and now the fuel tank caused it's rusted more then an old chevy! I've got the skid plate off, but i can't see how to lower the tank. Anyone point me in the right direction? Thanks!

1 - 20 of 20 Posts

gearrat

· #2 · Dec 17, 2003

ok stupid question did ya remove the filler neck hose if ya did that tank should have came down with the skid plate

jot017

Discussion Starter · #3 · Dec 17, 2003

No i haven't removed the filler hose yet. So the tank is held into place by the skid plate?? Huh, probably rusted into place, lol!

gearrat

· #4 · Dec 17, 2003

remove the filler hose and the tank should come out. i know that there are straps on the top of the tank. but i dont think they will hold it in.

jot017

Discussion Starter · #5 · Dec 17, 2003

Thanks for your help. I'll give that a shot. It's no wonder they rust like they do just sitting on the skid plate. So what are the straps holding on top?

Miketnf150

· #6 · Dec 17, 2003

A safety note........MAKE SURE THAT THING IS EMPTY. Would hate to try and hold up 33 gallons of gas!!

jot017

Discussion Starter · #7 · Dec 17, 2003

LOL, it's draining as we speak. It's kind of a funny story. I'm doing this for a neighbor of mine. This was her husbands truck and he died 13 years ago and she's been hanging on to it ever since. Well she decided to give it to her daughter and her husband. So she wanted to get it fixed up. She had all the body rust fixed, new tail gate and a new paint job this summer. I put a battery in it 2 weeks ago and then she wanted me to drive it for a day to see what else was wrong. So i went down to her house and fired it up and told her that i was on E. She said someone must have robbed her cause it had some gas in it. So she give me her Exxon card and i started to fill it up. Only got 15 gallons in it. At the time i wasn't sure how big the tank was. So i got back in and noticed that the gauge still didn't move. I got home and told her what was going on and what needed to be done, but that i didn't have any where to put 33 gallons of gas. So she said to just drive it till it's empty! I've been wearin the roads out! LOL. But it's about empty. The guage came on twice sunday and it had less then half a tank and i put about 120 miles on it since then.

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Miketnf150

· #8 · Dec 17, 2003

That's awful nice of her.

I had to do some work on my 79's tank and had 3 or 4 5 gallon buckets of gas sitting around. Glad I wasn't doing any hot work or smoking!! :shocked

jot017

Discussion Starter · #9 · Dec 17, 2003

Yeah, that could be bad.

But i should be able to just take the filler hose off and the tank should just pull strait down? Are the fuel lines and wires long enought to make it to the ground?

TTBlows

· #10 · Dec 17, 2003

The tank is held up by the skidplate. When you dropped the skid the tank should have dropped away. Put a floor jack under it and bring (pry) it down slowly, most of the wires and lines are long enough to get halfway down, then you can acess them more easily. The straps up top just locate the tank.

And ya know next time you can remove the fp relay behind the air box, jumper the right connections and pump the fuel out of the fuel rail by removing the schraeder valve, just clamp a hose over it :thumbup

You may find that the pump and sender are one unit on an '88 and cannot be replaced separately.

jot017

Discussion Starter · #11 · Dec 17, 2003

I had acutally thought about that Ian, but since the tank is bad, no use in that now.

I've already bought the pump/sender, not a bad part, just 89 bucks.

Is there going to be a bunch of pressure on the lines? If so, then i need to pump the fuel out.

TTBlows

· #12 · Dec 17, 2003

jot017 said:
Is there going to be a bunch of pressure on the lines? If so, then i need to pump the fuel out.

Not if it's been sitting overnight. Otherwise just go push the schraeder valve on the fuel rail. No more pressure

TTBlows

· #13 · Dec 17, 2003

stangmata50l said:
My buddy has a '95 EB and the sending unit failed. He rolled up the carpet and cut a hole in the floorboard to replace and welded it back up.

We just had a big thread on that a week ago..........somewhere on this forum. Fireguy has my pics on his reg page

jot017

Discussion Starter · #14 · Dec 18, 2003

2

Alright guys need a little help. I got the tank out, thanks for the help by the way. But it seems to be a little different then the one i got.

Here is what took out.

Here is what i've bought.

You can see that the opening on the new tank is 3.5". The old one is 3". What do i do now?

And what is it that goes in that top hole, little thing with the hose coming off?? What ever it is i broke it so i have to get a new one.

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Swamp Donkey

· #15 · Dec 18, 2003

I was about to ask the same question. I had to drop the tank down to do a shackle flip, and the tank came down with the skid and I had no idea what the straps up top were doing. Fords

Anyone built a beefier gas skid? I was thinking about it but since I found it actually holds the tank up, I realize that it would have to be built to pretty much the same dimensions as the stock one.

edit, i checked the "bronco tech links" page and it had a few pics of fuel tank skids.

jot017

Discussion Starter · #16 · Dec 18, 2003

BUMP, anyone help me out with these pictures?

Foghorn

· #17 · Dec 18, 2003

Either exchange the tank for one with the 3in hole or when you get the replacement pump get the larger one...As far as I know, Ford just used different ones for no apparant reason. When I swapped my tank it had the 3in but the new tank had a 3.5, I just swapped in the 3.5 and had no probs at all.....take care---Fog

jot017

Discussion Starter · #18 · Dec 20, 2003

I was beginning to think no one replied because i never got an email. But thanks for replying! I ended up ordering a new tank (again!). But it's all in and running good. As good as the 302 can i guess.

One thing i did that the next person that has this truck might appriciate is that i tack welded the 8 bolts to the frame. The 8 the hold up the skid plate. Sure did make life a little eaiser when i put them back on.

TTBlows

· #19 · Dec 21, 2003

jot017 said:
I was beginning to think no one replied because i never got an email. But thanks for replying! I ended up ordering a new tank (again!). But it's all in and running good. As good as the 302 can i guess.

Your original post said you were working on an '88.

'88 had two pumps (one framerail mounted).........two physically smaller pumps, thus a smaller hole in the tank.

'90 was the first year of the single in-tank pump (praise the lord, Ford did something right), which used a larger single pump, thus a larger hole.

jot017

Discussion Starter · #20 · Dec 21, 2003

I knew it had 2 pumps, but wasn't sure the size of either of them, but now i know! I didn't know about the 90s, but thanks for that info!

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