get tanked

[RCC]

Hey TRS'ers,

I have a '96 extended cab Ranger and need to get
the gas tank off. Hole in it somewhere.
The blasted thing is about 6' long and front part rests
on a non-removable cross member.
I can't slide it back enough to clear that cross member
without hitting the rear axle.

HOW do I get the tank out short of taking the rear end
loose or cutting the cross member?? :icon_confused:

RCC

[ZSK]

I assume that you already have the bed off? Or are you trying to removed it from under the truck?

[JohnnyU]

Remove the straps and drop it out the bottom....

[RCC]

Hey JohnnyU,
Obviously, you ain't never tried this on a '96.
With every line, hose, and strap taken off,
the tank don't drop nowhere!
Just hangs by the front of the tank over that freakin'
cross member.

ZSK, no.
I have not taken the bed off, but I thought about it.
Been underneath and it seems impossible.
Gave that cross member a stern look. It supports
the front of the tank and the drive shaft carrier bearing.
Almost ready to grind the rivets off! IF that thing were
removable, the tank WOULD just drop down.

RCC

[BOSS302Man]

You can't do a search under the old forum, but everybody always says it's easier to take the bed off any Ranger than try to drop the tank. 6 bolts and it's off. It's got to be the best way to replace a sending unit or fuel pump, rather than work under a dirty truck.

[RCC]

BOSS302Man,

Yep, I came to that conclusion after looking
at all the other alternatives. Still a pisser
that Ford had to rivet that mid cross member
in place. If it just unbolted, the tank would fall
right out from underneath. :annoyed:

So, I'm going to start pulling the bed tomorrow.
Got to get this tank out. See if I can repair it.
Anybody ever made a permanent repair on
one of these polyethylene tanks?
Otherwise, I'll be looking for a replacement.

[Shoeboy]

When pulling the bed, remeber about the 3 bolts (7mm if I remember right) from the fuel filler neck, and to unclip the tail light harness (clip should be above the licence plate, or between the licence plate and left (driver) side tail light. or remove the lenses and feed the wires down.). The bed bolts are a T-55 torques and you may need to get a breaker bar (long arm, strong arm, L handle, ect) on it, and if one brakes (like in my case) the bolts, are quite pricy, and are a Ford Only item (I paid about $12 for 1 bolt, and about $15 for one of the "nuts", thats when I ran it through the shop account, I love that part about working in a garage, thats CDN funds as well). Ya, when I was doing my box swap, I forgot about the tail light wiring, and ripped my apart, so I used the one out of the doner truck, luckly, it worked.

[wahlstrom1]

I pulled the straps, bent the guard out of the way and pulled the rear driveshaft and it came out.....oh damn, wait....I removed the crossmember when I did my one piece driveshaft swap...goodluck, lol.

-andrew

[RCC]

Hey wahlstrom1,

Said you "removed" that cross member and went
to a one piece drive shaft. Did you put it back in?
I ain't changing my shaft, so I have to retain the
carrier bearing. Wondering if there would be any
problems later if grind the rivets off, take the cross
member out and bolt it back in when I'm done.

Don't have the T55 Torx socket for bed removal and
the thought of breaking one of those "pricey" bolts
doesn't encourage me much. What I do have is a side
grinder, cutting/grinding discs, and a bunch of grade 8
nuts& bolts.

What to do, what to do....remove bed or cross member?:dntknw:

[brendank]

Why make more work then you have to by removing the bed? Just grind off the rivets and then bolt the crossmember back on. There's nothing wrong with doing that. I switched to a one piece a few years ago and I've been running with no crossmember ever since.

[High Desert Ranger]

Try jacking the truck up in the back by the frame and let the rear end drop down.
Then maybe you can slide the gas tank back and let the front fall.

[Jeepman401]

You can't do a search under the old forum, but everybody always says it's easier to take the bed off any Ranger than try to drop the tank. 6 bolts and it's off. It's got to be the best way to replace a sending unit or fuel pump, rather than work under a dirty truck.

Its much easier to pull the bed.
Do it all the time at work

[brendank]

Its much easier to pull the bed.
Do it all the time at work

Depends on the situation. I would rather pull the tank out than worry about peeling off that stupid drop-in liner, hoping I don't snap off any of the bed bolts, then trying to find a way to rig up a lift to pull the box off. Not to mention I'd have to put the body lift back under and then get the body lines to match.

Not worth the hassle IMO.

[RobbieD]

BOSS302Man,
Anybody ever made a permanent repair on
one of these polyethylene tanks?
Otherwise, I'll be looking for a replacement.

Yeah, I've used epoxy to repair a crack in a Ranger plastic gas tank. Done right is working both sides (the inside through the fuel pump hole), drilling small holes along the crack (especially the ends) and roughing up both inside and outside surfaces so the epoxy bonds to the plastic well.

FWIW, I've dealt with the gas tank both ways, and hands down I'll pull the bed to work on the tank. Good luck with it.

[kunar]

i have done 2 rangers and a b2 from underneath and never had any problems. i would rather not risk breaking 20 year old hardware on my bed...

[kennykenny]

do yourself a favor and take the bed off...i take mine off for all sorts of stuff...beats fighting on your back and getting dirt in your eyes...just a thought

[wahlstrom1]

I never put my crossmember back in, but you could very easily bolt it back in. I'd do it from underneith on anything thats ever been offroaded much or is more then 4-5 yrs old, as I have a bad habit of breaking smaller bolts.....especially as I live in alberta.


-andrew

[RCC]

Well gaw-lee TRS'ers,

It's about 50/50 split on tank extraction method.
Some say yank the bed off, some say go under.
Both have advantages and consequences.
Don't have but two hands and no hoist to lift the
bed if I did get it loose without snapping any 10
year old bed bolts.
I'm gonna grind the rivets off the cross piece.
Like I mentioned earlier, that cross member is the
ONLY thing stopping the tank from literally falling
out from under the truck once the straps and lines
are removed.
(wish this job was my B2, nuthin' to getting it out)

Did extensive search on line, found replacement poly tanks
for Rangers, just not for any 90's and later.
So, I'm checking my local bone yards for any 96-97
ext cab Rangers. Will have to see what they got and
what they want for $$$.
If the search turns up nuts, I'll have to get serious advice
on mending plastic tank. Talked to a couple local shops
that had nothing good to say about permanent repair
attempts on polyethylene. Said if it broke once, it will
break again....:fie:

[RCC]

Almost forgot,

I DID try jacking the truck up in back by frame. Let the suspension hang down
as far as possible. Didn't work. My rear stabilizer bar still gets in the way.
Just one thing for me to have a chance breaking if I tried removing mounts.

RCC

[Explorin94]

If the tank is cracked and leaking there is no doubt that you need to get the tank out of the truck to fix or replace it. Once you get the bed off and find the tank is leaking in places other that the sending unit area or top you have wasted your time on pulling the bed. There is no way to get the tank out from the top unless you remove (grind rivets or cut) the frame braces. Get the gas out of the tank, put the truck on jackstands, remove all the bolts that hold the skidplate and tank up, get a jack to help you hold the tank up while you disconnect the fuel lines, vent line and sender connection, filler tube and then take the tank out at an angle. You may have to remove the rear drive shaft as it may be in the way. There has been some good information in the past replies put here all giving you advice on how to get your job done right. I have done just about anything to a Ranger that needed to be done, I have over 300,000 miles on my truck and do all the work that needs to be done to it. I had the trans out and back in Monday night in 3 hours by myself to replace the slave cylinder. My response to you is take the advice from these guys as some have been in your shoes and know where to begin. Some even have tricks to get the job done even faster.

[RCC]

Hey Brett,

Taking(and giving)advice.....that's what TRS is all about.
IF I knew everything, wouldn't be asking so many questions.
Even though I have been wrenchin' since I was 14, and that was
a very long time ago, there is always something to learn.
Every bit of sensible info that has been given regarding this job was
taken into consideration.

AS for tank removal, you are the only person to just come right out
and say it. The blasted thing ain't coming out unless that mid cross
member is removed.
I have unbolted the carrier bearing, ground the rivets off, and slid
the cross piece out of the way. Once filler, lines, and straps were
removed, there was nothing to it.
Tank has small triangular shaped hole punched in the bottom
near center about 18" from the back.

Talked to a body shop man I know well, he recommends a marine
polyethylene repair kit, 'Marine-Tex'. Said he has used it to repair
several poly tanks in the past with excellent results.
Going to call around, see if any local boat shops have the kit.
Shop guy said it's runs around $20.
With a little luck, should have repair complete and be back on
the road soon.

Thanks for all input, TRS'ers.

[RobbieD]

Hey RCC- if you find and use that Marine-Tex kit, I would appreciate your posting back how well it worked and what you think of it. When I had to fix my tank, I couldn't find a recommendation for any special-purpose repair material for a plastic gas tank. The best I got asking around was "try epoxy, it should work". Which it did, (albeit with a lot of care applying it) but I'd like to know if there's something which works even better.

[High Desert Ranger]

How do you know the gas tank is leaking? Ranger trucks of that year had a notorious reputation of leaking at the fuel fill hose.

[Explorin94]

How do you know the gas tank is leaking? Ranger trucks of that year had a notorious reputation of leaking at the fuel fill hose.

Because he posted this....

Tank has small triangular shaped hole punched in the bottom
ear center about 18" from the back.

[RCC]

Hey RobbieD,

Be glad to give feedback, if I ever get the stuff.
Have not found it locally. There are some similar
products for marine application(fixin' kayaks, canoes,etc)
but I kinda got my mind set on finding that Marine-Tex.
May have to order it and wait a few days.
Wanted to post the add I found on the web, but I can't
upload attachments.

The way I understand the 'fix', is sorta like fixing
bicycle tubes in the good old days. You prep the surface
with heat(article called it "flame treated"), causes the poly
to change state. Looses it's shine and slick property.
Apply super epoxy/solvent from the kit, then heat a patch of
polyethylene material until it is like a slice of warm cheese.
Slap it on and apply a little more heat to the whole repair
spot. If it is all done correctly, the patch and tank melt
together becoming one piece.
Says you don't have to use a patch for real small repairs
but I am.

Simple, eh? Yeah, right.
Got the feeling I may need to make a practice run on
an old gas jug or two. Get the hang of it.

[RobbieD]

Thank you, RCC. The process does sound feasible, and that's a good idea on the practice run. Sounds like more of a professional than a DIY kit, so it doesn't surprise me that it's tough to come by. As you've probably already done, pulling the pump/sender assembly unit out makes a large opening in the tank; I would definitely be sure that the tank is completely bone-dry of gas before working on it. Please let us know how it turns out, and good luck.

[MAKG]

I'm not familiar with the particular truck in question, but can you make room by removing the rear end and/or stabilizer bar instead of the crossmember? Grinding rivets is a noisy PITA. The axle can be most easily disconnected at the U-bolts (and driveshaft and shock absorbers). Or perhaps the front spring bolts (not the rear). If it's just your stabilizer bar that's in the way, these are really easy to remove.

As for bolt safety, it's only slightly worse than the radius arm bracket. If those bolts backed off, you would get quite a bit of warning before they failed, in the form of a high speed shake. The bracket does not support the weight of the vehicle.

[RCC]

Hey MAKG,

Rivet already out. Yes, it is sorta a pain, but not as bad as removing my
rear stab bar mounts, breaking the U-bolts, taking the emergency brake
cables loose, unbolting the drive shaft and wrestling the rear axle back another 10".
Besides, should I ever need to remove the tank again(God forbid)
it's REAL easy now. The way it should have been to start with.
I'm a die hard Blue Oval man, but every once in a while I would luv
to choke some FoMoCo engineer 'till his eye bug out!

I know why it's like this. The engineers' old lady was messin' around with
a mechanic and this was his way of getting back at the wrench....:woot:

[AllanD]

Generally when those tanks are leaking it's the filler neck tube, the rubber splits down by the hose clamp.

I've never actally seen a plastic tank split and I firmly believe that one splitting is "urban myth.

I've actually sawed a couple in half and found that they are 3/8-1/2"
thick depending on where specifically on the tank you measure.

I've also seen them squashed flat by an excavator and they still don't split.

My bet is that you have the "infamous" filler hose split, OR whoever worked on it last didn't get the pump unit o-ring in place (or were too cheap to put a new one in for you)

The big issue with the pump unit O-ring is that they are SPECIFICALLY AND INTENTIONALLY made out of a rubber that SWELLS when it is exposed to gasoline, it expands and seals the pump unit, this means that if it is removed you must give it time to "dry out" and shrink before attempting to re-install it, this usuallytakes several days, sometimes a week or more.
Generally it's easier to use a new o-ring to install the pump unit.

AD

[RCC]

Hey AllanD,

Funny how these threads seem to take on a life of their own.
Suddenly, the gouge hole(approx 5/16")made by an unknown
(but quite sharp and pointy)object that struck the tank while
running 70-75 in late afternoon interstate traffic, has now
become a 'split'.
At this rate, I'll be needing a replacement tank soon...:D

Ribbing aside, you brought up some things I started wondering
about Saturday. When I began to clean the outside of the tank
there was a lot of dirt/crud built up around the the flange of the
pump unit and around the vapor valve seal.
Before the strike damage, I had been smelling a strong whiff of
gas when driving with back window open. Not all the time, mainly
on sharp turns or sudden stops. I now suspect it was seepage at the
o-ring and seal.
Think you're right, when the pump was replaced(supposedly)I bet
that pump ring was NOT replaced.
Don't know why the vapor valve seal would be leaking unless the
same folks that did the pump removed the valve too. :dntknw:
Hell, I'm starting to wonder IF the pump was replaced!
It looks mighty 'stock'. Has FORD stamped all over it.

[RCC]

Hey TRS'er,

I still say Murphy is a prick and never sleeps.
He's teasing me big time.

My tank issue took a good turn yesterday.
I was helping a friend do some work on his 7.3 diesel
F350 and mentioned the gas tank saga. He made a
call and came up with a replacement. Great condition.
NO LEAKS!

Cool, eh?
Well, I was going to put it in today. Checking all lines
and hoses closely and found the fuel filler hose has several
cracks in it. One up top, two on the bottom. Maybe I did that
fighting with it.:black_eye:
Anyway, I can't find another one readily. Looked up a couple
sources on line. Fuel filler neck&hose assembly: $130!!! :shok:
Called local parts houses and they had 'generic' replacement
hose. BUT, it's all linear diameters. I measured the old one,
it's 2" top, 2 1/4" bottom.

Suggestions, anybody.