WICruiser

I have a slight fuel leak in the fuel tank area. The filter, pump, and related lines appear dry so I suspect the line from the tank to the pump may be the problem.

It appears that to remove the line that I need to drop the tank retaining bracket but I am wondering if I can support the tank outboard of the bracket and replace the line without disconnecting everything required to drop the tank.

Any insight from others would be appreciated.

bwarren97

I was able to replace my fuel tank line without removing the bracket. I think I had to clip off the old hose clamp at the tank and sneak a screwdriver in to install the new one.

Bertrand Daoust

First, empty the tank as much as you can. At least to 1/4 of the tank if you don't want to drive the car to lower than that.

Then, remove only the two bolts at the back of the bracket.

Then drop the back of the bracket slightly.

Remove the hose at the pump and catch what's left of fuel in the tank.

You'll be able to have access to the line between the in-tank pump (or strainer depending on MY) and the outside pump to change it.

hacker-pschorr

If the tank is empty you can completely remove the cradle and the tank will not move. There is a strap of sorts around the "neck" of the tank which will keep it from dropping. At least that is how my 79 is setup, not sure if every year is supported the same.

If your cradle is as rusty as mine was, you might want to remove it for a full cleaning anyway.

Before / After using Por-15 three step process and a lot of time with the wire wheel / brushes:

WICruiser

Thanks for the quick responses.

I have approx. a 1/2 tank of fuel so I will drain as much as I can before proceeding.

This is an '85 so I anticipate it has the in-tank pump which apparently uses a different line than cars without the in-tank pump. From the pictures provided by Bertrand a tell tale indicator of the in-tank pump is the electrical terminal next to the line connection so I need to check for that (I don't recall seeing any wires going there).

Bertrand Daoust

If I remember well, only early cars ('78-'79 maybe) and later cars (from '89 and on) have in-tank fuel pump.
You should have a strainer in your car.
Easy to see once there.

WICruiser

Fuel drained and hose removed. The screw in the clamp at the tank end would not move and the use of a vice grips ended up breaking the clamp making removal easy, just need to replace it when I replace the hose. The hose has a crack in the outside material that is more visible when flexing the hose. A low pressure air test confirmed that the hose is leaking at that location.

The hose has the "05" part number appropriate for cars without the in tank pump and there is no indication of an in tank pump.

Thanks everyone for your input.

Bertrand Daoust

Jason89s4

Your '85 should not have an in-tank pump. If it did you would see the two wires going to it in the same area you were fiddling with the clamp.
(In Betrand's second pic, you can see the spade for wiring connection to his in-tank pump, right next to the clamp.)
Be glad, the hose on the intake pump (inside the tank) is a problem area. Disintegrates over time.
-Jason

WICruiser

After the hose replacement all seemed well for a week or so, but now my leak is back. Upon further inspection is appears to be leaking from the fuel strainer and I suspect that means the seal between the strainer and the tank. 928 International has both the new strainer and the new seal but I am wondering if I should just replace the seal, or worse, that the problem is actually the tank (I can't get a good look at it without completely removing the tank).

Anyone else have experience with leaks in the fuel strainer area that could provide some insight?

dr bob

In my limited experience looking at such things, folks should be looking hard at the seal for the tank fitting as a PM replacement at this point in the cars' lives. As potentially daunting as removal of that fitting might be, failure of the seal is inevitable. It's a rubber-like seal that dries out over time. Similar to the way we recommend "global" fuel line replacement, the tank seal differs only in where and how the fuel will leak out. No, it doesn't spray on a hot engine and exhaust as an injector line might. yes, it will dribble on the garage floor, or evaporate to make a nice explosive then flammable mixture for your water heater to ignite.

As far as the decision to replace the strainer or just the seal, you won't really know until you disassemble. The strainer needs to come out to replace the seal anyway, if that helps. If there is or has ever been water in the bottom of the tank, the aluminum strainer fitting and the steel sleeve molded into the tank nozzle will have a bit of a corrosion bond trying to hold them together as one. Cars "stored" without fuel stabilizer are particularly susceptible. Drive your car just once in a while? The ethanol in today's fuels has a certain amount of water in it from day one, and gathers moisture whenever possible. The question in most tank fittings is not whether there's corrosion, but is it so much that getting the strainer (or pump) fitting out is possible without bringing the steel sleeve with it. My casual guidance is to go ahead and buy the strainer fitting and the seal if you don't want to disassemble then order parts.


Jim Corenman shared some guidance on using a narrow hose clamp to help hold the steel sleeve in the tank nozzle while you unscrew the strainer/pump fitting.

One of our members has made some repair fittings to go in the tank if the sleeve comes loose from the tank during extraction. That piece is available from at least one of our parts vendors here. I glued the original one back in to a clinic car tank after making an insertion and holding tool, but would recommend the repair fitting as a better option.

hacker-pschorr

Installing a new strainer in my 79:

WICruiser

Thank you for the insight and pictures.

I have some logistical issues in the short term (I need the lift for another project on Monday) that will require me to delay the repair but once I get back to it I should be able to take it apart to decide what I need before buying parts.

I found several threads related to the sleeve coming out of the tank so trying to prevent that will be desirable. To the best of my knowledge this has never been apart and it definitely is in the "driven once in a while" category but the premium fuel here is ethanol free and I routinely use fuel stabilizer so I am at least hopeful.

WICruiser

I was able to remove the strainer without the tank insert coming out. I did install a clamp as suggested and that may have helped as it was pretty tight.

I decided to replace the strainer and seal rather than just the seal given that I am this far into it. The strainer doesn't really look bad, just don't want to have to come back to this again.

WICruiser

Finally getting back to this and found that the new strainer and seal didn't correct the problem. I should have looked closer at the tank fitting before but as you can see there is a split in the tank material at the outlet end of the tank fitting. The split is apparently providing a leak pathway past the strainer seal.

Any good ways to fill the crack so that the strainer can seal correctly?