Fuel tank crushed....sucked in..

[downhillpat]

Back in June I took my 01 mounty out on a class VI road in so. nh....The Results: Water over hood, motor hydrolocked, friend played Everybody Hurts by REM while I frantically pulled spark plugs (he saw "oliver" on Top Gear one too many times).

The damage: 3 bent rods #8 and #3 cylinders cracked, grenaded #8 piston....regasketed a 5.0with my heads , swapped engine in driveway, buttoned it up, ran awesome.

Little did I know...took it out for a ride to get a sticker, saw a dent in the bottom middle of tank (must have hit a rock...) failed emission test with P1000 not ready. I figured ah whatever, do a couple drive cycles bring back next Saturday...nope...Fuel gauge kept going UP TOWARDS FULL on the way home...hmm...so I figured ah whatever, check it when I get home. 20 miles later, I turned onto my street, truck starts bucking and sputtering, floored it to get to my house, turned into driveway, dead. no fuel....fuel gauge now at 3/4 full. Go to drop tank a week later assuming screwed up sender due to rock damage...NOPE!!! The bottom of the tank was sucked up to within 3 or 4 inches from the top.

Mud was packed in the fuel cap and canister vent valve...no venting of tank=sucked in like an empty beer can...Only saw that once on an old Briggs generator that someone put an elec. fuel pump on.

I'll post pics tomorrow.

Moral of the story: Mud sucks...literally...make sure after mud to check the fuel cap and vent valve.

 

[downhillpat]

As promised...albeit a little late, here's the pics of my fuel tank, just got it's 20 dollar rust free replacement bolted in.

 

[1996BLKBauer]

Oh snap, that's crazy. Your Explorer does not have the skid plate for the gas tank? I know a rock was not your issue, but I am just wondering.

 

[downhillpat]

Nope no skid plate. I NEVER had clearance issues anyway where I took this thing, it went through hell...probably the first Mountaineer across Shirkin Rd. Should have built a snorkel. I never want to hear that sound again, which sounded exactly like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rl8Cg7lDnto

 

[1996BLKBauer]

Nope no skid plate. I NEVER had clearance issues anyway where I took this thing, it went through hell...probably the first Mountaineer across Shirkin Rd. Should have built a snorkel. I never want to hear that sound again, which sounded exactly like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rl8Cg7lDnto

Such a bad sound, if you ever want to get a cheap skid plate, Eddie Bauer Editions had them from the factory, at least every one I have seen has. you can go to a Junk Yard and get one with all the hardware for real cheap I am sure, if I remember right they attach with U-Nuts, which you can get from Ace Hardware, and then drill the holes in the cross members that are already there.

 

[RomeovilleIL]

I have never seen an electric fuel pump put that much vaccum into a tank to collapse it. My suspicion would be bottoming out in mud and weight of vehicle on the tank, but who knows. See something interesting every time people go offroad.

 

[alohamonte]

the pressure in the tank is only 3-4 lbs. No way tank would collapse.

 

[Turdle]

Hot fuel, with no vent in the tank would crush it when it cooled--

 

[swshawaii]

Can't imagine the EVAP canister holding enough vacuum to collapse the tank.
Would think the vent fittings would blow off or the hoses would rupture first.

 

[downhillpat]

I know it isn't rock damage. Here's the "revised story" as it didn't happen all in 1 day...(probably should have told this first but typing sucks)

After I got the engine in, I drove it up to Manchester, NH (20 milesish from salem) put it up on the lift for state inspection, I made sure I looked at the tank while I was under there, nothing but mud streaks and a dimple about the size of a baseball. Failed emissions for not ready, did a couple drive cycles, nothing, threw another 20 bucks in the tank, drove out to Fremont, NH to a buddy's house, stayed for 5 hrs...consumed malt beverages and timed an f250, drove home and parked it. Next day, I replaced both noisy idler pulleys, took for 15 minute test drive around town, pulling out of a corner, truck bucked and jerked fuel gauge started going up. I drove about 1/4 mile to my road, turning right, hesitated and jerked, floored it to get 500 feet to my drive way, died in driveway like it ran out of fuel, pump still working. At this point I had a CH under 1/4 tank of fuel when I left on the test drive, by the time I got back in the driveway, I had over a HALF!!! You should have seen me trying to get the fuel cap off (think big channellocks....) If you notice the top is also sucked in, but my phone sucks at night pics so it doesn't show it that great...

It was damn cold that day too...

 

[SoNic67]

Eddie Bauer Editions had them from the factory, at least every one I have seen has.

My 2001 EB doesn't have one.
I don't know if it was removed by previous owner, but it helped not to have one when I replaced my fuel pump.

the pressure in the tank is only 3-4 lbs. No way tank would collapse.

Pressure is measured in psi. That is pounds per square inch. On large surfaces, means lots of sq in. That adds up to a lot of pounds.

 

[snoranger]

Pressure is measured in psi. That is pounds per square inch. On large surfaces, means lots of sq in. That adds up to a lot of pounds.

Yes, and vacuum is measured in inches of mercury... Which is what would have caused this.

 

[IAmTodd]

My 2001 EB doesn't have one.
I don't know if it was removed by previous owner, but it helped not to have one when I replaced my fuel pump.

Skid plates stopped around '98 or '99. My 2000 was bare bellied.

 

[JCat]

 

[Turdle]

 

[1996BLKBauer]

My 2001 EB doesn't have one.
I don't know if it was removed by previous owner, but it helped not to have one when I replaced my fuel pump.

Pressure is measured in psi. That is pounds per square inch. On large surfaces, means lots of sq in. That adds up to a lot of pounds.

Maybe I am just seeing older ones then, Because every time I am at the Junk Yard if there is an Eddie Bauer I look around it real good to see if it has any parts I need, and every time they have had it attached, or it has been thrown in the back somewhere. Mine is a '96, so they may have gotten rid of it to reduce weight to get an extra .01 mpg. Car company's like to cut corners all day long.

 

[SoNic67]

55gal drum crush

Cool video. People always underestimate the power of vacuum. Even if it is used to stop their 3-4 ton vehicle with a slight touch of the foot

 

[swshawaii]

Searching "fuel tank implode" this is not uncommon as one would think.
Almost every occurrence was caused by plugged fuel tank venting.

 

[downhillpat]

Knew you guys would get a kick out of this thread.

I like the RR car one.

funny thing....the used tank from a 97 came with a skid plate...I didn't put it on though, mainly due to it being rotted beyond belief. Went to the big scrapyard in the sky...

The tank is in amazing shape for an original...Not like the truck it's going into is much better, it has massive rot around the liftgate opening under the latch post and across the rear body mount, as well as both rockers, and LR wheel arch. This truck is now my nephew's first car, he's going to have his high school do some body work on it (I really DON'T wanna do it, and made sure he knew that...) I'm going to replace it with another mounty, same year/eng/drive but with a lot less rot.