Fuel tank for 1989 Ford ranger with 6ft bed.

[MaD]

So my fuel tank is leaking I'm gonna remove the bed and drop the tank to get a better look. If I need to buy another one, is there an online site that sells em? I see similar looking ones pop up on a Google search but some say it won't fit my ranger... Also the fuel looks brown??? Idk if it's just grime and dirt that stuck to the tank or something more serious?

 

[MaD]

 

[rusty ol ranger]

Plastic tank?

I did a quick search and came up empty for an 89. Which is strange i figured they would be the same as a 83-88

 

[MaD]

Plastic tank?

I did a quick search and came up empty for an 89. Which is strange i figured they would be the same as a 83-88

Yes. Finding a gas tank for 88 and earlier is easy but not for mine and unfortunately they look different.

 

[Brain75]

I too hunted a few places earlier and came up empty... junkyard? Maybe go to a junkyard just to see what differences there are between 83-88 (1st gen) and 89-92 (2nd gen) and what you might be able to fabricobble to bridge the gap, then buy the plastic one online.

Junkyards here NEVER leave a tank intact, they pierce them with a jaws of life looking thing to drain the gas, EPA says they have to drain the gas out and that is least amount of work

 

[MaD]

I too hunted a few places earlier and came up empty... junkyard? Maybe go to a junkyard just to see what differences there are between 83-88 (1st gen) and 89-92 (2nd gen) and what you might be able to fabricobble to bridge the gap, then buy the plastic one online.

Junkyards here NEVER leave a tank intact, they pierce them with a jaws of life looking thing to drain the gas, EPA says they have to drain the gas out and that is least amount of work

Same here, the junkyards here rarely get rangers and when they do they're already stripped or completely destroyed. I look nearly daily and I'm signed up for alerts for when they get a ranger. But they're always already completely destroyed and nothing worth taking.

 

[Brain75]

that's more a testament to how long rangers last the fact they never make it to the yard means people are still driving em... I have the luxury of a ma/pa kinda yard that has a few and they rotate the cheap crappy cars (ford focus) pretty fast and kinda leave the rangers be until they are well picked.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

which is strange i figured they would be the same as a 83-88

They enlarged the sender hole in '85 to accept an in tank fuel pump for the EFI 2.3. What else they changed over the years I don't know.

that's more a testament to how long rangers last the fact they never make it to the yard means people are still driving em... I have the luxury of a ma/pa kinda yard that has a few and they rotate the cheap crappy cars (ford focus) pretty fast and kinda leave the rangers be until they are well picked.

Or they just go straight to the crusher rather than to the lot...

I am pretty sure the yards around me use a pick ax to drain fluids.

 

[MaD]

that's more a testament to how long rangers last the fact they never make it to the yard means people are still driving em... I have the luxury of a ma/pa kinda yard that has a few and they rotate the cheap crappy cars (ford focus) pretty fast and kinda leave the rangers be until they are well picked.

At pull a part the engines & transmissions get taken asap there's a high demand. People love their rangers lol.

 

[Jazzer]

Search Results

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Seems odd for a plastic tank to be leaking without suffering damage of some sort…

Maybe the gasket on the sender or the locking ring is bad? I’d investigate and find the exact leak.

I’d think at least 89-92 would all have the same tanks. Should be a smaller tank for reg cab/short bed (not sure how many gallon but I have one) and the 19.5 gallon for the extended cab and long bed trucks. Not sure how interchangeable the tanks are in other years. The shape of the tank in my 92 is slightly different from in my 00, but in the places that matter like the gas tank straps and stuff, the tanks look like they potentially could swap, but I have no actual information.

 

[Brain75]

2nd gen from p 256 of manual:
reg cab / standard (6' ?) 16.3 gal
reg cab / optional or LWB (7' ?) 19.6 gal
supercab 19.6 gal

I think the OP has an original steel tank and was looking at replacing it with anything but only found plastic in the 1st gen aftermarket.

 

[MaD]

Seems odd for a plastic tank to be leaking without suffering damage of some sort…

Maybe the gasket on the sender or the locking ring is bad? I’d investigate and find the exact leak.

I’d think at least 89-92 would all have the same tanks. Should be a smaller tank for reg cab/short bed (not sure how many gallon but I have one) and the 19.5 gallon for the extended cab and long bed trucks. Not sure how interchangeable the tanks are in other years. The shape of the tank in my 92 is slightly different from in my 00, but in the places that matter like the gas tank straps and stuff, the tanks look like they potentially could swap, but I have no actual information.

One of the first things I did when I bought the truck was put a new fuel pump and clean the tank. There was absolutely no damage. I very rarely drive it as it has been a project truck and while I still have a lot of things I want to replace, 2 weeks ago is the 1st time I've actually filled the gas tank more than the couple of gallons I was putting in via a gas can. I put a new thermostat gasket on last weekend and didn't see no fuel. It wasn't until yesterday. But I plan on dropping the tank to investigate fully.

 

[JoshT]

2nd gen from p 256 of manual:
reg cab / standard (6' ?) 16.3 gal
reg cab / optional or LWB (7' ?) 19.6 gal
supercab 19.6 gal

I think the OP has an original steel tank and was looking at replacing it with anything but only found plastic in the 1st gen aftermarket.

OP posts pictures that clearly show an original plastic tank.


@MaD

I'd certainly check the top of the tank for the leak source before condeming it. Plastic tanks rarely spring a leak in the tank itself, unless its been punctured by something and that is typically on the bottom. I'd look for either a leaking seal, a broken/loose locking ring, or a rotted line letting fuel escape. Filler necks on these olders trucks are especially known to crack and leak with age.

Could have gotten a seal a little off when replacing the sending unit. Could have disturbed something when you did the work that lead to failure. May not have been anything wrong at the time, or anything you did during replacement, but seals and hoses can fail seeming at random. Especially so when dealing with this modern, ethanol loaded, fuel on older machines.

If you do determine the leakto actually be the tank, check out later model rangers as well. Up through 97 should have practically the same frame, so the tanks may fit with minor effort.

 

[MaD]

2nd gen from p 256 of manual:
reg cab / standard (6' ?) 16.3 gal
reg cab / optional or LWB (7' ?) 19.6 gal
supercab 19.6 gal

I think the OP has an original steel tank and was looking at replacing it with anything but only found plastic in the 1st gen aftermarket.

No it's a plastic tank.