1982 280 Fuel tank Leaks. How to Drop it?

[k_rasmussen]

I can see where the straps are connected, I just can"t access both on either side.

thanks. kevin

[overlander63]

The straps should have a bolt on one end, and a clip on the other end. If the tank is ahead of the axle, it will have the bolts closest to the driveshaft. Behind the axle, the bolts should be closest to the axle. You may have to use a really LONG extension to access the bolts, they are usually 9/16" hex, but may be 5/8".

[k_rasmussen]

Thanks for your quick reply.

the tank is behind the axle and the rear most bolt can't be accessed it appears with out dissassemby of sourronding area.

[overlander63]

Hmm, you may have to get creative, with what is known as a universal joint for the socket in order to reach the bolt. Can you even see the bolt, or put a finger on it?
Also, be careful dropping the tank, even an empty 50 gallon steel tank is prety heavy, and fuel weighs almost 8 pounds per gallon, so a quarter tank would weigh an additional 96 or so pounds. If you have a floor jack, it is very handy to place under the center of the tank, both to lower, and to raise back up. You probably already know that, but the next guy reading this thread may not realize it until the tank is lying on his chest.

[k_rasmussen]

It's fixed.

we decided to poke around inside over the tank and noticed a tin sound while tapping the carpet, it turned out to be a patch from a previous repair so we opened it back up and replaced the return line.

[overlander63]

Originally Posted by k_rasmussen

It's fixed.

we decided to poke around inside over the tank and noticed a tin sound while tapping the carpet, it turned out to be a patch from a previous repair so we opened it back up and replaced the return line.

Gee, that was too easy...

[k_rasmussen]

the hard part was putting the carpet back