F'N Gas Tank

[black5litre]

1994 Explorer Sport 5 speed.

Gas has been leaking. Took it to a shop and they told me I need a new sending unit and tank. Apparently the flange that holds the sending unit in is to rotten to hold the unit. So far does this make any sense?

The next Fing problem is apparently because its a 2 door explorer the particular tank was only made one year and the mechanic working on this cannot find one. Make sense?

Help. I need to find a tank cheap!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Glacier991]

Those tanks were not metal, just the ring and retainer were metal... can't THOSE just be replaced on the old tank????? Others can chime in, but I had to replace my fuel pump on my 92, and that's what I am recalling anyway!

 

[Brain]

http://www.napaonline.com/cgi-bin/n...r=28568947&prmenbr=5806&usrcommgrpid=90861725

Is it this fuel tank lock ring? ($14.95 from NAPA)

 

[liqhx2]

if its a 94 its a plastic tank it can't be rotted out

 

[F14CRAZY]

I had a leak too when I still had my '92 Eddie. I didn't know wha tI was doing back then so I had my mechanic do it. I wish I would have seen the progress, but he replaced the sending unit/pump, since it was rusted out where the tubes bend on top of the tank. He did say that if it leaked again, it would require replacing the entire tank. I would assume this is the steel ring. I have seen this ring before when kinda fixed the sending unit in my XL. It's rust free so there wasn't a problem with this ring or sending unit. I did notice a little crust on it, but nothing to compromise its integrity.

The Eddie I spoke of was pretty crusty (a Michigan truck, what else)

I don't know if this really helps you. I hope it can do something.

I would attempt to find a replacment ring if at all possible.

 

[Glacier991]

that's where I am coming from. I think you might be able to use a ring and the steel for the tank part and reuse your old tank. If the plastic is lacking integrity (e.g. leaks) there are places that can repair plastic tanks....

 

[black5litre]

Thanks guys for the input. I thought the gas tank was a plastic. So this rotted flange around the sending unit that this guy is talking about is more than likely this fuel tank locking ring.

Cool ..... I'll see if this mechanic guy will actually consider that.

thanks

 

[DeRocha]

First off welcome to the site and sorry to hear of your troubles and your description makes 100% sense. The fuel tank is plastic as everyone indicated. Just to give you an overview the plastic tank contains an imbedded steel lock lock ring mounting flange (to me it looks like this flange was imbedded to the tank when the plastic was still in liquid form). Similar fuel tank pictures I'm sure it is this imbedded mounting flange that your mechanic has found to be defective (which in their book would require a new tank). If this were me I would bring the old tank home sandblast the rust from the lockring mounting flange and thoroughly clean the tank (inside and out). I would then get fuel resistant epoxy and glue a new sending unit and lock ring to what is left of the lock ring mounting flange. You wouldn't need a new tank, but you would if you any fuel pump issues down the road.

 

[Glacier991]

Ah, thanks DeRocha... my memory failed me... so the part the locking ring rotates into and "locks" is itself bolted into something metal yet integral to the tank eh? hmmmm I can envision sandblasting the rotted out bolt holes, filling them with epoxy and then drilling that and using something akin to a helicoil to recreate threads for a new locking ring plate....Course there are limits to this kind of repair....But I think it could be done.

 

[black5litre]

OK, so what the mechanic is telling me is there is a locking ring on this tank on the inside that connects to a ring on the outside and the only way to fix is to replace the tank. Anyone ever hear of this on a 94 Explorer Sport?

 

[DeRocha]

That is exactly what I posted, is there some confustion on what I wrote?

 

[mikeh]

This is a somewhat common problem. The same thing happened to a friend of mine with a 92 Sport. He replaced the tank with one from a junk yard. It still cost him a ton.

mikeh

 

[black5litre]

That is exactly what I posted, is there some confustion on what I wrote?

Sorry, didn't see your post. Guess it would help if read more.

Not fixed yet but I'll keep ya'll posted.

Thanks