I found a fuel leak at the strainer. when trying to unscrew the strainer it has decided to keep turning inside the tank .
How screwed am I?

 

Very screwed.
That normally means that the insert that the assembly is screwed into has come unaffixed from the tank itself.
There are fixes that may or may not work. Search will be your friend. Read all you can about previous fixes before attempting one. And of course, the ultimate fix would be replacing the existing tank with a new to you used fuel tank.

 

John you speak the truth! here is a pic of the strainer/insert that came out in one piece!

 

Several have had success epoxy-ing that thing back in....u-boat commander did it, methinks....

 

JB weld may not be the best adhesive epoxy for this job.

IIRC PC7 might be a better choice

 

I did this a long time ago. I sealed it up (before it came right out) with PC11 gas proof epoxy, which lasted 5+ years without leaking a drop. In the end I replaced the tank, and gave the old one away. New owner pulled the insert out, cleaned it up, roughed up the tank area, applied epoxy, pulled the insert through from the inside with a wire. Last report it was still sealing OK.
jp 83 Euro S AT 55k

 

I had the same issue 4 years ago except when pulling what looked to be the original in tank fuel pump.

I dropped the tank, cleaned up the insert and the tank mating service, applied a good coating on JB Weld, reinserted and let it dry for several days. I then installed a used in tank pump that came as a spare with the car.

No leaks and within the last month the used in tank pump starting growling like a bear so I replaced it with a in tank strainer. In tank pump came right out. Insert was still rock solid!

I did use a small amount of anti size on the threads of the replacement pump when I installed it. There is a gasket between the strainer and the tank so no need to torque it down hard.

There is also a small lip of the plastic tank that will make reinserting the insert hard. I followed the advice of another poster and shave the lip down a tad to allow the insert to be pushed in with no ill effect.

 

looks like I'll be looking for pc7/pc11 today.

 

Jim, I hope I can get the insert and strainer apart, that could be the hardest part.

 

It was hard. Mine looked as bad as yours. I submerged mine in transmission fluid for a couple of days and then put insert into a vice, locked it down and was able to get the old pump to break loose and un-thread.

Great write up on dropping the tank is here. Hardest part was draining the tank and you are already done with than

http://members.rennlist.com/sharkski...0-FuelTank.htm

 

I used a strong epoxy I purchased from home depot. It has been 5 years and no problems. make sure both contact surfaces have been cleaned off with denatured alcohol or another cleaning solvent.

 

here is a new product that may be good for repairs to our plastic tanks.

http://ri.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=AwrB...DfQGuieyaDA1k-

 

so far so good.used pc7.

 

I don't know why this link doesn't work, but here's the same one that does:
http://members.rennlist.com/sharkski...0-FuelTank.htm

From these great pages.
http://members.rennlist.com/sharkski..._Main_Home.htm

 

I bonded mine back in using JB Waterweld. I initially tried The normal JB Weld but it softened with long term exposre to the gasoline (couple months), and started leaking again. the Waterweld product is rated for continuous emersion in fuel. been several years now with no issues.