Loose Gas Tank Baffle Fix?

[torinoscj429]

Hi All

The black plastic baffle inside the steel tank of my 2000 Mountaineer 2WD has come loose. Has anyone had any success getting it stuck back into place? If so, how did you do it, and with which materials?

I had the gas tank out to change the pump/sender assembly. It's a pretty easy job. I put it all back together, but then I wondered about that loose baffle. It may be what's causing my gas gauge to read wacky...the baffle may be contacting the float. The car was rear-ended when it had 1/2 a tank of gas. The gauge has been wonky ever since the accident...I thought it was a bad sender, maybe it was the loose baffle all along.

Thanks!
Gerard
San Diego

 

[J_C]

I wonder how it appeared to be attached in the first place. Was it welded and rust broke that free? If so it seems like time for a new tank. If it broke, maybe just pull it out (hole too small?) and see if sloshing is a problem, otherwise get the two mating surfaces clean and try epoxy but how would you gain access to do that?

Would pictures show the issue?

 

[torinoscj429]

The tank is clean inside, so not rust. The car got rear-ended when it had 1/2 tank of gas, so maybe that broke the baffle's bond to the metal. The baffle won't come out of the hole...the hole is too small. I wish I had taken a photo of it, but it just didn't register in my mind until I had the whole thing back in the car.

I read a post about a guy who removed the baffle by breaking it into smaller pieces, but then others warn of fuel slosh problems below 1/4 tank, and not starting when pointed downhill.

Gerard

 

[Mbrooks420]

I’d say you are due for a new tank. I replaced the one in my old Mounty and got a really clean one for $50. In PA the tank has to come out of any car that goes into the scrap yard, so they typically have a surplus of them and sell them cheap. I’m sure that’s not true everywhere, though.

 

[koda2000]

I've never looked at how the baffle is attached to the bottom of the tank, but I don't think you'd have much luck trying to reattach it. Here's a brand new tank for $108 on eBay w/free shipping, but a good used tank would be a lot less expensive.

F77Z9002NC New Fuel Tank Gas Ford Explorer Mercury Mountaineer 1997-2001 | eBay

 

[torinoscj429]

Looks like there is some sort of baffle in that new one. Thanks for the tip!

 

[koda2000]

Looks like there is some sort of baffle in that new one. Thanks for the tip!

Yeah, there's something in there. The only thing I see that's missing from the new tanks is the pad where the tank top presses against the frame when the tank strap is tightened.

 

[torinoscj429]

I took the tank out again, to remove the loose baffle, but I did a dumb thing. I didn't really examine HOW the plastic baffle was attached to the metal tank, and just broke it out of there. Turns out, the metal tank has a ridge where the plastic baffle slides under. I may have been able to slide it back into place. I do have to wonder, though, that if it came loose the first time, that it would be likely to come loose again.

Anyhow, time for a new tank.

Does anyone have personal experience with the aftermarket tanks? I saw the one listed above on eBay for $108. Dorman offers one for about $250, and Spectra Premium offers one for about $250. Do they all have the same baffling, material, etc? The Spectra unit is tern-plated steel, with a steel interior baffle.

Here's a pic of the broken baffle slid back under the metal tab inside my tank. The full plastic baffle has an oval to match the metal tab.

Gerard