Gas tank - how do you replace hose?

[urdrwho]

Last night I filled the tank. When the automatic shut off engaged at the pump, I clicked the handle gave one more bit of gas fill.

 

Went home and parked, driveway is on a hill. Later I walked out and because of the angle of the drive, you can see under the car. I saw a small drip. Dunked my finger on the drip, smelled my finger and it was gas. I crawled under the car with my flashlight and saw that there was some leakage and it was coming from the hoses that attach to the tank.

 

There have been times in the past that I smelled gas after a fill-up at the station.

 

Just went out and looked, there is no drip under the car.

 

 

1. Do I need to replace the hoses
   
2. Maybe just don't give one last blip on the fill up
   

 

 

The tank doesn't look in great shape where the hoses meet the tank.

 

How hard is it to replace those hoses. It looks like I can't access the hoses because they are hidden behind the sub-frame.

 

Worse yet would be the need for a new gas tank. How hard is it to replace the tank (if it needs it).

 

1997 Outback 2.2

[johnegg]

i'm not familiar enough with the hose and the tank to respond to that question,

but a common leak for these cars is the filler neck.

 

it has a plastic shield protecting it in the wheel well,

and it catches and holds dirt, gravel, sand, rocks, and moisture.

it is easy to remove and inspect the filler, once the wheel is removed.

 

and yes, quit the extra blip.

 

replacing the tank is a bear,

the diff needs to come out.

the tank straddles the drive shaft / diff.

 

the fuel line hose that feed the engine are connected on top of the tank.

there is an access panel under the cargo space in the rear up close to the seat, passenger side.

actually there are two, one for each side,

but the passenger side is primary.

[Tr00b]

Hoses are likely not the problem. I had a local shop jack me around for over 100 bucks on replacing hoses.... any scabbed rust on the tank blistered under the undercoat will hide pinholes. I bought a tank from the j-yard and my tank that I had in the car... used the tank in the car cause it was in better shape... both were scabbed bad around the filler neck...

 

And what johnegg said def.

[urdrwho]

Oh crap!

 

I just spent a bunch of money to replace the engine. I looked at the tank design and yes again I gave a big sigh about engineering. I am enjoying driving the car with the 2.2 but maybe it is time to find another car. I can't drop the Diff and to pay for someone to do such a job probably places this car past what it is worth.

 

It turns out that my wife was correct about this because she wanted to sell it as soon as I found out about the original problems with its old 2.5. That was 1.5 years ago.

 

 

 

i'm not familiar enough with the hose and the tank to respond to that question,

but a common leak for these cars is the filler neck.

 

it has a plastic shield protecting it in the wheel well,

and it catches and holds dirt, gravel, sand, rocks, and moisture.

it is easy to remove and inspect the filler, once the wheel is removed.

 

and yes, quit the extra blip.

 

replacing the tank is a bear,

the diff needs to come out.

the tank straddles the drive shaft / diff.

 

the fuel line hose that feed the engine are connected on top of the tank.

there is an access panel under the cargo space in the rear up close to the seat, passenger side.

actually there are two, one for each side,

but the passenger side is primary.

[urdrwho]

I remember cleaning that plastic cover by spraying water up there but today I pulled the bottom off / away from the metal keeper.

 

I got a pile of dirt crap fall out of there that was amazing. I sprayed the neck as much as possible with rust prevention / converter paint. I debated putting it back on the keeper and just letting it hang thinking that dirt will have an easier time to fall out. I put it back on because I didn't want to hear any bumping.

 

What were they thinking on that one? No wonder there is so much filler neck rust problems.

 

I am not leaking anything on the driveway at the moment and when I get a smell it is always after a fill up. So maybe I should always stop at the first click of the gas nozzle?

 

 

i'm not familiar enough with the hose and the tank to respond to that question,

but a common leak for these cars is the filler neck.

 

it has a plastic shield protecting it in the wheel well,

and it catches and holds dirt, gravel, sand, rocks, and moisture.

it is easy to remove and inspect the filler, once the wheel is removed.

 

and yes, quit the extra blip.

 

replacing the tank is a bear,

the diff needs to come out.

the tank straddles the drive shaft / diff.

 

the fuel line hose that feed the engine are connected on top of the tank.

there is an access panel under the cargo space in the rear up close to the seat, passenger side.

actually there are two, one for each side,

but the passenger side is primary.

[Tr00b]

We undid all the bolts, rear driveshaft and let the diff hang by axles/bushings and squeaked the tank past it, no taking it out req. Its very doable esp if the tank is empty. Putting the tank back in is the hardest part. Empty the tank as much as possible.

 

Mine leaked for about a year and a half before it got bad enough to take care of it

[urdrwho]

That sounds like it wasn't to hurtful.

 

When I look under my car I always guess that the R title (or is an an S title on this car) anyhow I estimate a water salvage. The under carriage of the car is so rusted that to get the bolts loose to drop all that you mention will take a lot of use of a torch. I see nuts that are so eaten away from rust that they are almost round. It all kind of looks like a dock near the ocean and how their bolts become eaten from rust.

 

We undid all the bolts, rear driveshaft and let the diff hang by axles/bushings and squeaked the tank past it, no taking it out req. Its very doable esp if the tank is empty. Putting the tank back in is the hardest part. Empty the tank as much as possible.

 

Mine leaked for about a year and a half before it got bad enough to take care of it