A couple of days ago, I started smelling gas and found the fuel tank leaking down the right side of the tank. I thought the rubber lines on top may have broken, but I had just filled up and the tank probably weighs a couple hundred pounds at this point so I decided to pull the bed off. I have been wanting to do this since I bought the truck back in January just so I could sandblast on the frame and get it cleaned up and looking new.

Anyway, last night I cut the heads off the bolts holding the bed down bed down because they were rusted past the point of being able to use a wrench on them. It didn't take long and I ended up punching them down through the bed. We were able to take the bed off and now I can see the top of the tank. The top of the tank was dry and as I looked around, it looks like there is a hole in the side of the tank!

My question is this, what year trucks have the same tank? Mine is a short bed single forward tank and it seems to be small, possibly a 12 or 14 gallon tank. Should I replace it with a junk yard tank, or buy a new tank?

 

if that's your only hole and the rest of the tank is good i would patch it first.

if that doesn't work or you want to get rid of it the front tank on the shortbeds is 16 gallon. i had to get one for my truck. i wouldn't even waste my time looking for one cause these shortbeds are rare. what condition is the sending unit in? word of warning... when i bought my tank (i think from advance auto) it was a spectra brand made in canada. i think most parts stores sell the spectra brand. anyway, i definitely ordered the right tank and the right sending unit but when i received them the little notches to hold the sending unit in place did not match the tank. i had to file new notches into the new tank to get it to fit. not the end of the world but something you shouldn't have to do. i'm pretty sure i took pics and posted them on here. do a search for my username. post was probably in may or june.

 

Smashclash, thanks for the heads up. How to you patch a fuel tank? It looks like it may be leaking from the seam so that's why I was going to replace. The sending unit is the original unit and probably should be replaced. The fuel pump is going to need replacement too. Does the new replacement tank go where the spare tire was?

 

well, i never repaired one myself but my father has and i also researched how to do it. when he did it he cleaned the tank where the leak was, even used a wire wheel to clean it up. (be VERY careful here and make sure the tank is empty and the vapors are out if you do this as a spark could make things unpleasant). anyway, once it's cleaned and dry he used fiberglass sheets and resin packs and patched it over the hole. then painted the tank with bed undercoat. some people will say the fiberglass doesn't hold up to fuel but he did his repair probably close to 10 years ago and it's held up great.

i think they make special gas tank plug glue (like a JB weld type) but i have no experience with it.


one last thing, i thought my tank was leaking from the seam as well but it turned out to be coming from there AND the top. the seam was just where the majority of it was collecting since there's a horizontal surface there.

if in doubt replace the tank and give serious consideration to replacing the sending unit as well. dropping these tanks isn't the funnest job in the world. especially the front ones. (the low pressure fuel pump and sending unit are both on the same mechanism). i got mine at advance as they were the cheapest around. free shipping over orders over $75 and use code big40 or lc123 for discounts.

the new tank will go in place of the one you have now. i thought you said it was the midship tank (meaning it fits underneath the bed and the cab). there is another tank that goes in the rear and you would not need to relocate the spare tire unless you got the tank for the bronco instead.

 

Roger that. Mine is not leaking from the top as I removed the bed last night and there is nothing coming from the top of the tank. It is just from the seam. My tank is also the midship tank that is half under the bed and half under the cab. I'm going to empty the tank tonight by siphoning it out into my wifes suburban. Then I can drop it and see the extent of the leak. I'm going to call Autozone shortly to see what it'll cost me for everything. It wouldn't hurt to replace it all I don't guess. I may also look at the pick-a-part yard as well.

Thanks for the advise. Has anyone used a tank from the salvage yard before as a replacement or is it best to get a new one?

 

don't waste your time with a used fuel tank. if you take my advice and go to the advance website you can get the tank shipped to you (received in a couple of days) for $66. Not going to beat that anywhere. I plugged in a can of WD40 to get it over the $100 threshold but select whatever you want. You can't beat that price.

 

Make sure that under the straps is still good if you decide to repair it. I managed to put 21 gallons in a 19 gallon tank before it was all over the ground.

I had a leak in my front tank that I thought was the sending unit but it turned out to be under the top strap had totally rusted out. I ended up taking the tank out of my parts truck (86 diesel) which had been oiled for winter and was in like new condition.

 

I'm going to pull it tonight, so I'll update shortly with what I find. Smashclash, I was looking at the Advance website and found a Permatex Fuel Tank Repair kit which says it is ideal for weak seams. At $11.99, I may give that a try first. While the tank is out, I can clean any rust and paint it up. I guess I should wait and see what it looks like once it's out.

 

If you have an air compressor, pressurize the thing and pour soapy water on it, you'll see
where all the leaks are.

 

If the tank has rusted through, that means there is even more rust inside. Any rust in the fuel system can really mess the fuel system up when it gets in the lines and in the carb. The least it will do is clog the fuel filter. The worst is flood the engine when it gets in the carb. I would replace it.

 

Ok, I ordered the new tank today and the fuel pump. Where did you get the sending unit? I don't want to replace the tank and not replace the sending unit.

 

RockAuto Auto Parts (one of the sponsors here) might be able to help ya.

 

Interestingly enough, I've searched all of the parts sources with no luck. The only place I've seen the sending unit is LMC Trucks and it's $69.99. That may not be a bad price, but I was going to see if I could find a better price, I just didn't know where else to look.

 

What year & model truck? What engine? EFI or carb?
Single midship tank, correct?

 

don't get the one from LMC. it is only the sending unit and doesn't include the fuel pump.

read my post in this thread.