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Old 02-25-2021, 11:48 AM   #1
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1992 36' Land Yacht
Grayson , Georgia
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Looking at dropping the fuel tank

1992 Land Yacht 36' with tag axles.

I'm thinking of dropping the fuel tank to replace all the rubber hoses, fuel pump and sender. This started as a project to figure out why my generator was loosing fuel pressure but that turned out to be a failing fuel pump issue. Not sure when I'll do this but any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

I did take a look at it yesterday. What I found was no visible hoses going to the tank except the filler hose. Very hard to tell if they're just hidden by the frame or routed in a way that the grey tank hides them. The tank runs lengthwise front to back. It's supported by 3 bands and at least 4 direct bolts going through a flange at the front and back and screwing into a frame member. The hard part seems to be getting the filler hose off. The filler hose band clamp is located on the inside of the frame rail and can not be accessed from underneath. Very easy to get to the other side of the filler and vent hose though. Completely exposed from underneath. I could cut the filler hose at the frame rail if needed. The tank will have to be tilted to get it out even then. To complicate things I did top up the tank in preparation for winterizing. Now I'm sitting with 80 gallons of gas in a huge and heavy tank. Guess I'll be using up some of that gas in my van over a few weeks.

Anyone have an estimate on what a shop would charge to R/R the tanks fuel
and vent lines? That would tell me if I need to do this or have local RV shop do the job.
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Old 02-25-2021, 01:46 PM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 92landyacht View Post
1992 Land Yacht 36' with tag axles.

I'm thinking of dropping the fuel tank to replace all the rubber hoses, fuel pump and sender. This started as a project to figure out why my generator was loosing fuel pressure but that turned out to be a failing fuel pump issue. Not sure when I'll do this but any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

I did take a look at it yesterday. What I found was no visible hoses going to the tank except the filler hose. Very hard to tell if they're just hidden by the frame or routed in a way that the grey tank hides them. The tank runs lengthwise front to back. It's supported by 3 bands and at least 4 direct bolts going through a flange at the front and back and screwing into a frame member. The hard part seems to be getting the filler hose off. The filler hose band clamp is located on the inside of the frame rail and can not be accessed from underneath. Very easy to get to the other side of the filler and vent hose though. Completely exposed from underneath. I could cut the filler hose at the frame rail if needed. The tank will have to be tilted to get it out even then. To complicate things I did top up the tank in preparation for winterizing. Now I'm sitting with 80 gallons of gas in a huge and heavy tank. Guess I'll be using up some of that gas in my van over a few weeks.

Anyone have an estimate on what a shop would charge to R/R the tanks fuel
and vent lines? That would tell me if I need to do this or have local RV shop do the job.
Had this done at the stealership on an e150 conversion van years ago. The bill was about 850- mostly labor. Your RV at an RV shop will probably be double that but I don't see it being any more complicated than the van.
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Old 02-25-2021, 01:58 PM   #3
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You'll want to run almost all the gas out, either way.
Once it's empty, and you've got access underneath, shouldn't be too bad.
Without seeing it, lines to want to replace should be on top of tank.If you do tank yourself, good time to flush it out.Replace all your filters too.
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Old 02-25-2021, 02:59 PM   #4
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I've dropped 3 tanks although none as large as 80 gallons. A long time ago I made a floor jack attachment out of 3/4" plywood with a metal plate and pipe fastened to the bottom, I used carriage bolts and countersunk them on top so they would not damage what I was lifting/lowering which was mostly automatic transmissions but it comes in handy for fuel tanks as well. You could make a custom one to fit your tank. (see pics, the duct tape makes it fit tighter into the floor jack)
Just recently I picked up the Harbor Freight cross beam for floor jacks which also looks like it would be handy for long tanks.
Whatever you use best to get a couple load straps cinching it to your lifting platform once you have lowered it just enough to get them over the top of the tank. Also be careful not to pinch any lines upon re-assembly, BTDT.
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Old 02-25-2021, 04:16 PM   #5
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Likely well over a thousand to pay for it, and then you just have to trust that they did a good job.

Disconnecting a hose somewhere and pumping it out will be much easier than siphoning, in my experience anyway.

A transmission jack with a piece of plywood attached makes the job a lot easier.
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Old 02-25-2021, 04:31 PM   #6
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I second what Rob is saying. As long as I am able and willing, I would not trust any shop to do this job. Just way too many hidden items, you can not check. The PO of my rig was charged a lot of money for having the tank cleaned and again a year later to have the fuel pump replaced. The tank was never cleaned and they disconnected the generator line and used the fitting as a vapor return line.

Yours being a 92 , just like my 350LE, I have it seems the same 80 gal tank, with three straps and 4 bolts. With the right kind of Floor jack, its easy to drop the tank after you empty it. I installed it once just by myself, but its a lot easier with 2 people.
you should have a secondary filter at the passenger side frame rail, which you could use as your drain line. Connect a fitting to the line with a hose going into a gas can and use your in tank pump to start the flow.
I replaced the in tank fuel pump with an an external Walpro GSL395
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Old 02-26-2021, 06:20 AM   #7
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Based on the feedback in this thread, I'll probably attempt the job myself. I can empty the tank to about 1/4 full using the generator fuel pump or, as Peter said, using the fuel filter line located on the curb side rail. I have an extra electric fuel pump that I can use to draw the fuel out faster.

I'll probably wait for a little warmer weather before I start dropping the tank. Even with the pump, it will take me a while to drain the tank and use up the gas in my van. The van does have the 8.1L engine so it does go through some gas rather quickly. I wish I had someone to help but this will most likely have to be done by myself.
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