7 replies to this topic

[MrBounce]

Several months ago I was able to repair my fuel tank (modified van/pickup/estate item) by using one of Frost's tank seal kits. Having dragged it out from under the workbench to look at fitting the new sender unit, I have stumbled across a potential issue. Just inside the tank to the side of the sender unit is where the pick-up pipe sits. It appears to have some sort of filter thing attached to it (see pic). Of course this is now covered in the sealing paint from the Frost kit. As this stuff sealed the pinhole in the side of the tank, it is likely to have caused some change to the way that this item works. Is it just an in-line filter? Can it be easily removed? I don't want to have to replace the tank as they're rather expensive new.

 

What suggestions do the knowledgeable amongst you have??

 

 

[dklawson]

This is a timely post for me.

 

Your tank lining appears silver and since you purchased it from Frost I assume it is the POR-15 brand kit.  I applied that to my car's LH tank about 8 years ago.  It failed last month.  After years of service, somehow rust started under the coating and it erupted in a series of pin holes that worked to loosen the coating.  Some of the coating came off in small pieces that started plugging the pickup tube in the tank.  I am currently dealing with trying to strip that coating off the inside so I can apply a different liner material.

 

Back to your immediate issue, yes that part was a plastic, cylindrical pickup screen and it will be completely plugged at this point.  Hopefully it at least prevented the coating material from plugging the pickup tube itself.  Being a long-wheelbase tank, your arrangement is different than my sedan.  After applying the coating I used a long steel drift to lever/drive the screen off the pickup tube.  You can run without the screen, however, you may someday experience what happened to my car last month where it suddenly couldn't get fuel due to the coating debris blocking the pipe.  I am going to try fitting a stainless steel mesh aquarium filter to the pickup tube on my car to take the place of the long disposed of plastic unit.  If I have luck with this I will show what I did so perhaps you can do the same.  

[MrBounce]

Many thanks Doug. It was indeed the Frost kit I used (it was a birthday present so at least I didn't pay for it!!). I shall take my frustrations out by trying to remove the pickup screen. I hope it's not too stubborn. I could of course buy a new tank (especially if it all goes wrong), but I would rather spend the money on something else!!

[dklawson]

With the long-wheel-base tanks you may find it easier to implement what I am going to try for a replacement screen.  On eBay I found "stainless steel shrimp aquarium filter".  I am going to try modifying one and slipping it over the pickup tube in my sedan tank.  I am weeks away from that but will let you know how I progress.  

 

See eBay item 271372296547 as an example.  I received mine yesterday and my concern is that they may have epoxied the end caps on (I would have preferred welding or soldering).  I was already planning a modification to adapt the filter opening to my pickup tube.  (When the seller specifies the filter diameter... they are talking about the hole in the rubber grommet, not the OD of the mesh).

[s3swiss]

might be worth leaving any non-motoring replacement filter in a jar of petrol (or 'gas' for Mr Lawson) for a few weeks? Would hate for it to dissolve into something that gums up your fuel pipes even more....

[dklawson]

In the case of the filters I ordered from China, they are stainless steel mesh so they won't dissolve.  However, they have endcaps that appear to be epoxied onto the ends of the stainless mesh.  I really don't want to trust that so I am removing the end caps and will seal the filter off some other way.  Regardless, if the filter is not all metal, I would certainly test by soaking as s3swiss suggested.

[Turbo Nick]

Would it not be a lot easier to remove it and just run an inline filter before the pump?

 

I removed that mesh filter in my old tank as it clogged up and caused me fuelling issues. Only difference with mine was that the outlet went straight under the car into a filter and then the electric pump. 

[dklawson]

In the case of my tank, there currently is no pickup screen.  As the tank liner I applied failed, shards of the material plugged the pickup tube because there was no screen to prevent them from getting sucked up.  

 

For 8 years I ran this tank with a filter before the pump but no screen in the tank.  So... yes, you can do without it.  But if trash gets in the tank you run the risk of blocked fuel flow.  I didn't think there was any risk to my car but I was wrong.