Building up enough courage

[desertmonkey]

I have narrowed down my issues with my adopted 260z to fuel starvation. Sediment in the tank sloosching around gets caught in the pickup. My options are either dumb some Berrymans inside and pray or roll up my sleeves and pull the tank. I plan to pull the electric pump off and blow out the lines and run multiple filters to see if the mechanical pump will draw the fuel to the carbs. Either way I will get a Holley pump because the filler pipe has a leak at the base so the tank will have to come out anyway. Is there an easy way to get the tank out I looked at the hoses connecting it and it is like a octopus in the rear. Why am I doing this well because my timing settings are dead on and she loses power at 3000 rpm and you can see fuel trickle to the carbs.:bulb:

[darom]

It is not difficult - having another set of hands will help.

1. Lift the rear of the car up

2. Drain the gas

3. Remove the passenger side wheel, remove the plate that covers the filler hose, loosen up the hose clamps

4. Using another jack with a long 2x4 wrapped into something soft (to avoid scratches on your tank), support your tank.

5. Remove the 2 tank support straps

6. Start lowering the tank with your jack. Once it clears the bumper, you will see some emissions hoses on top. Disconnect these.

7. While you are lowering the tank, disconnect the filler hose (probably one of the biggest pains in the neck).

8. You are done - 50% at least.

A few good things to do while "you are it"

- Inspect the top emissions hoses and replace them if needed

- Inspect the filler hose, if it is old, hard and cracked (as you already know it) - replace it.

- Remove the fuel sender inside of the tank, with multimeter check the potentiometer's readings, clean the dial. Replace the O-ring.

- Inspect the pick up fuel tube inside and check for any cracks.

- Inspect the sender's electrical wiring, clean the contact leads.

- Repaint the tank straps, if rubber strips are gone, replace these.

- Take the tank to a radiator shop and let them clean it and vacuum test it for any leaks.

Putting it back is more time consuming - a helper will be a nice addition at this point. For me it is always the filler neck struggle due to tight space.

Regards!

Edited May 23, 2011 by darom

[240260280z]

Dropping tank on '77: http://atlanticz.ca/zclub/techtips/fuel/gastank/index.htm

[SteveJ]

I'm not the most mechanically inclined. (Translation: I manage to fix more than I break.) I dropped the tank in the 73 enough to replace a bunch of old hoses. It wasn't that painful.

[Darrel]

A floor jack comes in handy R&Ring the gas tank. Not a big hassle.