Need advice/procedure on gas tank removal.

[drdave]

I have a gas leak and I now believe it originates high on the tank, probably the fuel pump gasket.

So I have to drop the tank and take a look around. I am not extremely motivated about doing this, but I also hate to pay anyone to do work on my SHO's.

Can someone post the procedure for removing the tank on a 90? It looks like the exhaust is in the way, but looks like the tank maybe can be moved around to clear it.

Is there anything else on top that can cause the leak?

One last question. If I have a bad gasket, would the tank still hold pressure? When I remove the gas cap, I still get a strong pressure release.

 

[luigisho]

When I did the fuel pump I found it was the same as the regular taurus. I would recommend getting the Haynes or Chiltons manual for this procedure and others that are shared with the regular Taurus models.

 

[93MTXSHO]

When I did mine, I didn't move the exhaust or drop the tank completely . Instead, I jacked the car up as high as I could get it, put a floor jack with a block of wood under the middle of the tank, undid the straps, lowered the tank about 4 inches and undid the harness and lines, and had someone help maneuver the tank around the exhaust so that only the passenger's side was hanging down. Then all you've got to do is use a 1/4 inch extension and a small hammer to tap the locking ring around in the correct direction (it's quite obvious). Voila! Have you checked the fuel hoses where the filler neck connects to the tank? I'd check them first, cause they're a whole lot easier to get to.

 

[twr]

Here's a good link for the procedure.

 

[drdave]

I have checked the hoses as they are easily viewed. I first thought that the seam in the tank was splitting, but after my last fill I had leaks in several places.

But one thing still puzzles me. This leak produces fume smells all of the time, and a liquid leak depending on the tank fullness. Why does the tank still hold pressure then? Maybe I'm thinking about it all wrong, but if my gasket was wasted that much, I wouldn't expect the tank to hold any pressure.

Any thoughts?

 

[FordLover]

My 95 does the same thing. One thing to keep in mind is it could be a return line that's leaking.

Mine only leaks out and causes the fuel smell in spirited driving or when there's more than 7/8's of a tank of fuel.

It's definitly coming from the top side of the tank, but only comes down on one side of the tank keeping it wet with fuel at all times. Ahh well, I guess that's why I have a parts car in the driveway.
-Martin