gas tank replacement experiences?

hi!

I have a 1995 Legacy wagon that needs the gas tank replaced.

Before I dive in and get in trouble, does anyone have any experience they are willing to share?

I am concerned about the components that need to be removed before I ever get to the tank dropping.

According to the manual I have, the cross member has to go and the drive axle dropped. Does that sound right?

Are there bolts involved that could break off when I go to remove them?

Any potential surprises in store?

Thanks for your time!

John - MA

You can always do what my brother did in his Ford Probe and just put a fuel cell in the trunk of the thing. Run two lines and a fuel pump to a switch on the dash.. That thing was a mess XD

Anyway, It's been awhile since I've done one. but that sounds about right. You can expect the gas tank straps to break, or at least one. I'd just cut them off and get new ones anyway. If you have a lift it'll be a walk in the park for the most part.

Then again it depends on the shape of your car. If she's sporting rust then it will be worse, but if it's been undercoated and parked in a garage most of it's life it'll be easy.

That's my two cents.

I am in MA so rust is an issue. Car has 248K.

The manual I have (Haynes) says first one has to remove:

*exhaust

*rear differential

*lower control arms

*rear cross member

So for example can I unhook the exhaust and maybe hold it lower with bungee cords or something? Not crazy about messing with old, original bolts on that.

Obviously a torch is out of the question so I need to depend on Liquid Wrench to free up the others.

Are there bushings that should be replaced while control arms are off? Will this mean getting it re-aligned?

I am not doing the job for 2-3 weeks so I am trying to plan ahead for all the obstacles that might come up.

do you know where it is leaking?

these cars are known for the filler pipe rusting.

the tanks can also leak, but the filler pipe is much more common.

and easier to replace.

if you remove the passenger rear wheel you will see the filler pipe.

there is a black plastic protective cover that traps dirt, and gravel .

it causes the pipe to rust and leak.

the leak on my 95 lego was minor, so i used JB WELD ot patch it.

worked great.

most folks just replace it.