Hey Tercel4wdQuébec - got a fuel tank?

[lesabre400]

I just dropped the tank out of my 86 4wd wagon and discovered that 2 of the 3 steel lines coming out of the tank were rusted right through - I'm surprised the car ran at all. Anyway, the holes in the lines are right near the cap, so I can't just replace them with hose, and I can't get the cap off. There's 6 bolts holding it onto the tank - I got 2 off, rounded 2 off, and can't even get the socket on the other 2. If I can manage to get this cap off (I thought about fly-cutting some slots in the bolt heads with my dremmel), I guess I just need that - the tank seems to be in good shape. If anyone in Canada (Tercel4wdQuébec, GTS?) has a good fuel tank or at least the cap & lines, please let me know! If anyone in the US has one, I'd like to hear from you too - the shipping's a killer though.
Thanks!

PS I know this should be in the parts section, but I just caught your posts, Québec, and I thought I could find you here...

[3A-C Power]

If you have a dremel, just drill those bolts out! I had to drill the whole bolt out and re-tap the threads for the bolts that didn't come off with the vise-grips. I was suprised at how many of them actually came out without breaking considering how rusty they were. If you don't have drill bits or taps, you can buy just the ones you need and they are cheap because they're small. The dremel works great for those small holes and these fuel tank bolts are not hard because they're low alloy steel which is why they rust so badly compared to other bolts. To replace them I'd reccommend bolts other than the ones you get at Canadian Tire (grade 8., they are weaker than the originals and rust quickly. Go to a fastener supply like Brafasco and ask for higher grade bolts or even stainless ones. If you just buy the feed pipe assembly rather than the whole tank, shipping will not be too bad so you could get it from a wrecker anywhere.

[lesabre400]

Great advice - thanks, 3AC. I'll attack those bolts tomorrow and call around on Monday for a feed pipe assembly (wasn't sure what that was called). There was an earlier discussion about fuel leaks when I was posting about my brake fiasco. Someone said they had just plumbed in new lines (after drilling the old pipes out of the cap) using copper pipe and basic plumbing soldering techniques. I'd rather avoid using my propane torch on my gas tank and dropping metal filings into the system, so I'll work those bolts free one way or another.
Thanks again.

Anyone have one of these feeder setups lying around before I call the wrecking yards?

[3A-C Power]

Ok, in case you need the information, it's an M5x0.8 bolt, so get that tap and drill with an 11/32" drill bit. A metric 4.2mm is the correct size and #19 is close but most people and hardware stores only have fractional size drill bits.

[lesabre400]

Thanks again for the info, 3AC. I managed to get the thing off - I only need to drill and tap 2 holes - the other bolts eventually came off. My brother-in-law got a tap/die set a couple Christmases ago, so I'll get what I need from him. I haven't yet found a replacement unit though - I'll search more on Monday. Hopefully some local yard has one.

[Tercel4wdQuébec]

Well, you know what?

I just did the Swap with the Fuel Tank of ma parts car, because mine was badly rusted and the one on the Blue Parts car was barely brand new!!! But it's a PITA to remove these bolts ... I went to a place where they rebulided the cap and the pipes...


Anyway sorry I don't have a tank left!!!

Vince

[lesabre400]

Thanks for checking, Vince. I wondered if someone could just rebuild it. I may ask around about that (haven't had any luck at the yards so far).

[GTSSportCoupe]

Thanks for checking, Vince. I wondered if someone could just rebuild it. I may ask around about that (haven't had any luck at the yards so far).

lesabre400: Make sure you carefully check the condition of your tank. I had exactley the same problem as you with my 86 tercel. I thought just the cap and lines from the tank were bad. But then when I went to clean up the tank and repaint it, I found lots of little pin holes under rust that began to leak gas. I ended up getting a whole new tank in good condition from the wreckers.

If you continue to have trouble find one, let me know. I'm sure there are some wreckers on the Island with good tanks in stock. I'm not sure that they will sell just the cap though, probably just the complete tank.

[lesabre400]

I found this at PartsPro (http://www.tpartswarehouse.com):

"SENDING UNIT
4WD w/Oring
86 Tercel"
$30.64
Part# T670302
OEM# 8332020000

Is this the sending unit for the gauge or the lines? I've sent an email to their customer support, but just wondered if anyone would be able to find out based on the OEM number (there was no picture)

[lesabre400]

Hey all,
Well I never did find a sending unit, so I had the old one repaired for $125 Cdn. Sounds like a lot, but it's cheaper than buying a tank, the guy did it in half a day and the workmanship looks solid. Anyway, I'm armed with new bolts and hoses for everything so the re-assembly starts tonight. Still need to drill and tap 2 holes for the bolts I snapped. Anyway, I'll let you know when it's all wrapped up. The only major hurdle will be identifying the lines running under the car. I didn't think to draw myself a picture of the cap before it was rebuilt or tag the lines on the chassis. Duh. A trick I've learned is to loosly tie some string around one line at the fuel pump, say, and drag it along until you get to the back of the car (untying and retying whenever you hit a mounting bracket or whatever).

Naturally we had a snowstorm the other day. It's been great weather for the longest time but as soon as the Tercel was up on stands, down comes the snow.
Figures.