i have 71 maverick. how can i removde the tank? is it hard to do myself? also the filler neck has a rubber fitting at the bottom how can i remove that?
Remove the screws that hold the filler neck, to the tailight panel, and pull it out. Then at the back of the tank, between the rear valance and the tank, there are 2 nuts, remove them, that will loosen the tank straps, then disconnect the fuel sender wire, and the supply hose, and there should be a vent hose on the top of the tank. It's pretty easy, use a floor jack to support the tank.
my '73 has a hole w/slot. i can loosen nuts and slide the nut/bolt over to the hole and the strap is loose. makes reinstalling the tank easier...no nuts to start... ......
Hello, I have a '71 Mav--it's gas tank time! I removed the five bolts/screws from the outer "flange" and with some effort I was able to free it from the cork gasket on the trunk. Unless I'm mistaken, it seems like this outer part is supposed to come out, freeing the filler tube to exit with the tank--am I wrong about this? If the outer piece is supposed to be removed, how am I to do that? Looking closely at the inside of the cap locking area, I noticed a slight separation between that and what appears to be the end of the filler tube. Once the "flange" thing is off, should I replace the cork gasket? Will I need to replace the dust boot at the base of the tube? Inside the filler tube just beyond the opening, is a strip of metal that's kind-of loose, coming from the top side of the tube. Is this normal, or will the filler tube need to be replaced? As you can see with the photo from the shop manual, Ford gave neither names for parts, nor did they provide any instructions--very frustrating! I appreciate any help you can provide! Daniel (Renton5)
loosen the filler tube from the rubber seal on the tank. then pull it through the hole to the outside.
The neck of the tank is not a separate part form what bolts onto the outside. Once you take out the 5 outside bolts/screws.....you will need to pull and twist on the neck to get it out of the tank. I see no need to replace the cork gasket or trunk floor seal if they are not torn.
Hi Frank and Craig, Thank you for your responses! Just to be sure--the filler tube is NOT bolted or welded into the gas tank?
nope...just stuck... once the boot is removed spray some lube on the tank seal, it can be be bought new if destroyed when removing. sometimes backing off on the strap bolt nuts helps.
I just went through this with my '74 tank and a tank and filler from a '76 parts car. : The '76 tank is in better shape than the '74's rusty insides but the filler on the '76 was stuck fast and I finally had to pull the tank down to get the filler out/off of the tank. I had removed the fillers' outer screws and dumped WD40 on the rubber doughnut and tried to twist and pull it out with no luck. The '74's filler neck with the rusty tank slipped right out the back panel after some WD' and twisting with ease. * Autokrafters lists different fuel tank filler gaskets for 71-75 vs 76-77. The '76 filler has the "Unleaded Only" filler door vs the pre-mandated 74's filler. have fun
It's out! Some of the particles is from crumbled fuel sender unit's filter. I'm guessing the rest is from 45 years of gas pump residue. I've been hearing conflicting methods of cleaning the tank out: 1. Using Super Clean and high pressure water along with drywall screws to scrub out the tank. 2. Use denatured alcohol and slosh it around and also use Coke. 3. Use muriatic acid--at a radiator repair shop. Once cleaned out, I've heard to use Red-Kote, but I've also heard not to use it if there aren't any leaks. Then there's the Gas Tank Renu system of proprietary treatment--costing a lot of $$$! How would I know if there pinhole leaks? Thanks again for the help!
That's a nice looking tank! I'd just wash it out with dawn and hot water and fill it back up with water to check for leaks. It's not always pinholes on the lower section that drip noticeably but the ones around the mating surfaces that can weep out very slowly and cause that gassy smell but never shows up on the ground. If no leaks then drain and use about half gallon or slightly less of denatured alcohol to slosh around an collect the residual water. Drain once more by letting it sit upside down for a few minutes and then turn it rightside up to let it cook in the sun to steam out the rest of the water ladden alcohol mixture. Done deal.
Hi Groberts101, Thank you very much for the suggestion! The gas turned into varnish so I decided to get it professionally cleaned. Also, without having a wet/dry vac, I wasn't sure if I would have been able to get the tank completely dry--and I don't have a leaf blower either.
did you get to see how they did it, in Ca. I can only imagine what they did ? water only and a lint free rag to dry it...LOL
