Cleaning Gas Tank

[Decoy12]

Does anyone know if it is hard to remove a gas tank in order to clean it? I found build up (of old gas, I assume) in my fuel filter as my car seems to be starved of fuel. Any advice will be appreciated! Thanks!

[Captain_Zeros]

I haven't done it myself yet, but I was just reading up on the matter as I'm going to have to myself. It appears that it isn't too bad, removing a couple bolts for the tank straps and unhooking a bunch of rubber hoses. This guy has a pretty decent description on his log that I've been using for picture references: http://phreakmonkey.com/240Z/journal-2000-01.html

[Jeff G 78]

If the car isn't rusty (which a CA car shouldn't be), the tank drops rather easily. Rusty cars are harder due to the long strap bolts which tend to be a pain. The hoses WILL be hard and tough to get off so you need to try very hard to salvage them unless you plan on replacing them.

Once the tank is down, the cleaning and sealing process is a pain in the butt, but it can be done and does work. I have done two tanks with POR-15 and both came out great. To do it right, it takes about a week once the tank is down and costs about $80 if you do it yourself. If you go this route, you MUST follow the directions exactly and even go a step further if needed to preclean before starting the POR treatment.

[timhypo]

If you want to test your fuel system to see if a dirty tank/lines are causing your issue, it's relatively simple to hook up a gas can upside down with a line running from it directly into your mechanical fuel pump on the right side of the motor (on carbed cars) and drive it around the block. Make good and sure you're not leaking any gas, though, and keep a fire extinguisher handy. This worked well enough for me to determine that the electric fuel pump the PO had installed in my car was pumping garbage.

How does the POR-15 work with the baffles in the Z tanks? They do have baffles, right? I think I remember seeing them in one...

[JimmyZ]

Do a search on this site. The gas tank issues have come up many times. Dropping the tank is easy. Putting it back in can be frustrating. The main hassle is getting the filler neck back on. Many posts on that too.

[Decoy12]

Hello everyone... thanks for all the replies thus far. My "friend" and I removed the tank earlier today at his house and we found a lot if not most of the crud came out with the gas that was inside the tank. Looking inside it was not too bad. We put more gas inside and shook the tank around a bit and more of the stuff flaked off. My "friend" cut the hoses instead of trying to reuse them because they were so hard to get off and we were going to replace them. I made the mistake of not getting fuel hose before hand because I wasn't sure of the size. Anyway, I found out autozone does not carry 3/8 and 5/8 hose. Anyway my "friend" and I got into a fight over something and he said he would not help me anymore. He dumped all the nuts/bolts/screws/clamps into a sandwich bag and threw them in my trunk along with my cut hoses. He helped me remove most of the tank, while I went to get the gas to clean the inside of the tank. Now I don't know what hoses go where because I didn't see how he took it off. So I moved my car out of his driveway and it is now sitting in the street at his house. Does anyone know where I can get the fuel hoses or if I have to order them specially?

[260zCaliCar]

this thread should help you, The hoses are still available:

http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=25857