Series 2 Military fuel tank removal/repair

Hey all,

I've got my sunday booked in this weekend to drain, remove and rinse through, let dry etc etc.

My fuel tank leaks about 12-15 litres up. It's a double skinned military tank that's filled by lifting the seat and filling directly into the tank. I've got underneath and soaked the bolts in wd40 and now they can be removed without bull****.

I've got some of that fuel tank sealing liquid (somewhere in the depths of the shed) that you coat the inside of the tank in as a hopeful fix as a new military underseat tank is twice the price of a normal one. If this doesn't work then i'll have to take the hit and buy a new tank.

Anyway, could somebody please list the process required to:

- Disconnect the tank
- Remove the tank
- Prep it for the sealant/purge
- Using the sealant/cure time etc

- Reinstalling the tank
- Hooking it all up again
- Any post sealing checks/things to run through

I'm thinking of also grinding the **** off of the tank and then giving it a nice coat of black paint.

Any advice would be wonderful, it's been away from home on the farm since february whilst i've been working on it and this is the last piece. I just want to go for a micks monster burger up the hill in my landy

Any tips and tricks that i can take with me sunday would be great, cheers all!

Will

I'm not pretending to be an expert but I found the removal of the mil tank really easy. Just watch out for the weight. I caught it with the side of my head.

This was my method for removing the tank:

DISCONNECTING AND REMOVING THE FUEL TANK
Be careful with the tank as it is made of aluminium and can be punctured. The fuel tank is designed to be removed from underneath the Land Rover. First disconnect all the pipes and wires attached to the tank. There will be a large fuel filler pipe at the back, an air breather pipe just next to it, a fuel to engine pipe on the top, a fuel return pipe next to it, and two wires attached to the fuel level sensor. Put some tape over the free ends of the fuel pipes.

Next, loosen the three bolts at the front of the tank and the single bolt at the back of the tank but leave loosely attached. Place a support under the tank such as two axle stands with soft wooden blocks to protect the tank. When you are sure it can’t fall remove all the bolts and gently pull it free of the chassis. Take the weight of the tank and push away the axle stands.

olsver said:

I'm not pretending to be an expert but I found the removal of the mil tank really easy. Just watch out for the weight. I caught it with the side of my head.

This was my method for removing the tank:

DISCONNECTING AND REMOVING THE FUEL TANK
Be careful with the tank as it is made of aluminium and can be punctured. The fuel tank is designed to be removed from underneath the Land Rover. First disconnect all the pipes and wires attached to the tank. There will be a large fuel filler pipe at the back, an air breather pipe just next to it, a fuel to engine pipe on the top, a fuel return pipe next to it, and two wires attached to the fuel level sensor. Put some tape over the free ends of the fuel pipes.

Next, loosen the three bolts at the front of the tank and the single bolt at the back of the tank but leave loosely attached. Place a support under the tank such as two axle stands with soft wooden blocks to protect the tank. When you are sure it can’t fall remove all the bolts and gently pull it free of the chassis. Take the weight of the tank and push away the axle stands.

Click to expand...

The military tank has not got the filler pipe or breather pipe. I took one that was leaking to a radiator repairer and they did a very good repair and cheap. still not leaking years later.

minecab said:

The military tank has not got the filler pipe or breather pipe. I took one that was leaking to a radiator repairer and they did a very good repair and cheap. still not leaking years later.

Click to expand...

I'm a noob to fuel tanks, by that are you saying mine isn't a mil tank? I'm pretty sure it was.

What kind of price did you get? If you don't mind me asking.

My mil tank(s) are stell and single skin. I would't go grinding anywhere near it, just hand held emery. Watch out for the order of the rubbers and washers on the fixings. If you go down the patch route fill it with water and soft solder with a small airgap, otherwise people have had good results with plastic metal but make sure its not stressed when you bolt it up, that where the washers and rubbers come in..

Okay, thanks all, i'll keep this noted down for the weekend. It might be wiser for me to talk to a local radiator company about a quote for repairs. Not looking like a simple fix.

cheers

Nearest radiator repair company said they won’t do fuel tanks.

Anybody have any suggestions for someone around the Portsmouth/Chichester area?

Cheers

Got the tank out. For some reason there was a load of windscreen glass on the side of the tank. I can only assume some glass flicked up and got stuck at some point.

Can’t see an obvious point where the leaks coming from. Some dark patches but it only leaks 1/4 full.

I reckon I’ll just use that tank sealing putty on all of the seams. Just hoping it’s not pourous.

If it is anything like the 90 diesel tanks, then mine was porous, started as looking damp and then I noticed a little drip.

Darn thing was as rotten as a 2 week old fish on Portsmouth harbour in this weather.

Cheers

neilly said:

If it is anything like the 90 diesel tanks, then mine was porous, started as looking damp and then I noticed a little drip.

Darn thing was as rotten as a 2 week old fish on Portsmouth harbour in this weather.

Cheers

Click to expand...

Well...





****. I’m going to seal all seams and if there’s pourous patches I guess I could put the sealant on those bits too. Though at that point I may as well shell out for a new tank. Just the whole twice the price of the regular tanks makes me grumpy.

you can get tank sealer kits.......

https://www.frost.co.uk/por15-small-fuel-car-tank-repair-sealer-kit.html

How-To Restore Your Classic's Fuel Tank


Remove, flush, seal and future-proof your fuel tank at home
Classic fuel tanks can rust readily. This quite often happens from the inside out, so you might know nothing about it until external symptoms start to manifest themselves. Petrol leaks are the most extreme example, signifying that the corrosion has completely penetrated the tank's structure. A long time before this happens, though, the petrol will start to be contaminated with rust particles. Larger particles will block fuel filters; smaller particles may find their way into the carburettor and clog jets. If you find either, the tank is the most likely source.
The problem is exacerbated by leaving a classic standing for long periods of time. Modern petrol doesn't help, either, as the ethanol it contains absorbs water during long term storage and speeds up corrosion.
Of course, you don't have to wait until symptoms appear before you take action. If caught early enough, it's possible to use a specialised sealer to reclaim a rusty tank and avoid the expense of replacement or refabrication. Simply stripping the inside of the tank will initially cure the problem - but it won't prevent rust from coming back. For complete future-proofing, it needs to be treated with a tank sealer.
Sealers have a mixed reputation as early versions proved to be incompatible with modern petrol. The latest POR 15 system from the USA, however, is a safe bet. American fuel has far higher levels of ethanol than ours, so it should resist anything supplied on UK forecourts for the foreseeable future. Kits like the one we're using in this feature are available in various sizes from Frost Restoration (01706 658619, www.frost.co.uk). Removing the tank provides a good opportunity to replace dodgy fuel lines, filler and breather pipes, filters and tank seals. Remember to clear any rusty silt out of the fuel line before you connect it back up.