How to Remove Fuel Tank

[Chipps]

I see by searching there has been considerable discussion of fuel tank issues, but nothing on how to remove the fuel tank. I have a 1973 Spider. I have removed all of the hoses, top and bottom. I have also removed all of the screws holding the tank to the trunk. However, it is unclear to me how to remove the tank from the trunk. Do I have to unbolt the fuel filler neck where it attaches to the body then remove that section with the tank as a single unit. The only other way I see to do this is to cut off the short rubber hose that connects the fuel tank to the filler neck that is attached to the body, as these does not seem to be a way to slide this rubber hose up or down out of the way.

[ghnl]

I'm probably not understanding your question but you certainly will need to remove the filler hose that attaches to the top of the tank. You shouldn't need to cut any hoses, just undo the hose clamps and get the hoses off.

Some pictures of the tank removal from our '84 Spider here.

[dpoole]

I have a '82 but I assume it may be similar. I just removed my gas tank and it all came out easy. I disconnected the wires and hoses at the internal fuel pump (first I labled all connections with tape, made a drawing, and took a digital photo to make sure I knew how to connect it all back). I removed the internal fuel pump so I could siphon out the gas from the tank. Then disconnected the fuel return lines, and the rubber filler hose (it came off easy without having to disconnect the metal filler neck - although you could also remove the 3 screws to the filler neck and pull it all loose from the tank as one).

Remove the bolts holding the steel floor panel (cover) and the screws holding the tank. I just pushed hard from underneath and the rubber seal broke loose and out she went. See picture (pdf) attached of after tank is out.

I can't figure out how to make my digital pictures small enough to attach to a posting so send me an email and I can email you more pictures if you want.

Dale
'82 Spider w/ F.I.

[Chipps]

On my car the on the connection between the filler pipe and the top of the tank there is a short rubber hose that connects the filler pipe to the tank. This rubber hose is held in place by two hose clamps. The hose can neither be slid up or down more than 1/4" due to connections in the filler and the tank neck for return lines. In other words, it will be really hard to remove this short rubber hose. This short rubber hose is the problem. It is very stiff. Therefore, it does not bend very much as I push the tank up from the bottom.

[Chipps]

I just looked at both sets of photographs. See how both of you removed the filler neck from the inside of the body. This is what I want to know. Must I remove the filler neck from the inside of the trunk to get the tank out or is there some easy way to remove the short hose that connects the filler neck to the tank neck?

[dpoole]

In my picture, the metal filler neck is still attached to the bracket on the inside fender. I didn't need to remove it to get the rubber hose out. The metal filler neck is held in place by the 3 bolts visible in the picture (near the blue tape I have at the end of the return lines).

In my case the rubber hose between the tank and the metal filler neck came out easily. I was able to squeeze it enough to move it back over the edge of the 2 1/4 inch metal tubes. However, my rubber hose was not very stiff - it was very pliable.

If your hose won't come out, you can try removing the 3 bolts that hold the metal filler neck to the fender. The rubber "spill guard" just pulls out. This may allow you more wiggle room in that area to allow you to pull the hose loose from the tank end.

Or, you can just use a hack saw or utility knife, etc. to just cut the hose loose. Just a rule of mine is to always have the replacement part in hand before I destroy an old part.

All of these options are likely to drop more crud into your tank but since you are trying to remove it I assume you are planning to clean it out anyway.

Dale
'82 Spider w/ F.I.