Changing fuel tank - Fiat Ducato 2.8jtd (1 Viewer)

[westy77]

hi, I've noticed some corrosion and a leak on the fuel tank on our Fiat Ducato, is this a possible diy job at home? If not, does anyone know of a garage in/near Harlow in Essex that could carry this out? The van is a 2005 2.8jtd

Another thing is I went to Euro car parts to price up parts, they said I wouldn't be able to buy them anywhere other than main dealer, also quoted £1100 for the tank alone!! I've seen tanks on eBay for £102, is there a real difference between the two? Is the eBay one to be avoided at all costs?

Link to eBay tank

 

[chesterfield hooligan]

Have you checked it fit's your's in the drop down list if it is there then it seam's reasonable delivered, give a coat of Hammerite before fitting if you are not yourself have a garage do it it shouldn't cost to much

 

[westy77]

Yeah checked the drop down menu, it's the correct tank, for a tenth of the price!

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[tonyidle]

I had the same experience with Smart car sump prices. The cheap eBay one arrived in a Merc poly bag with Merc stickers on. Go for the eBay one.

 

[TheBig1]

changing the tank is fairly easy if you can get access. the trick is to use up as much diesel first so you are not handling a part full tank. Still once it is out, the rusty tank needs to be treated as contaminated and disposed of properly in accordance with current pollution regs. in effect this is best done by delivering it to a vehicle dismantler.

It can be a very dirty job to change tanks, so be aware of this before starting to dismantle and you need to have materials ready to clean up all spillages

On the whole I would recomend that most diy mechanics leave such a job to a professional. by all means buy a cheaper tank from ebay though to save a small fortune on fiat dealer prices

 

[dave newell]

Simple enough job but can be a bit of a mawl. In the left hand cab foot well, just in front of the seat base is a removable panel. Remove this to gain access to the tank unit, disconnect it. As the big one said use as much of the fuel up as you reasonably can, 80 litres of diesel is pretty heavy. Raise the front of the vehicle as high as you can with either ramps or jack and stands. Support the tank on a trolley jack with a piece of wood on it. Undo the tank fixings and lower it carefully down watching out for wiring/pipes snagging. Fitting the new tank is a direct reversal of the removal procedure but make sure all the pipes/wires that connect to the tank unit are accessible before you bolt it up. Put a few gallons of fuel into it and turn the ignition on for 20 - 30 seconds, do not start the engine. After a few cycles of turning the ignition on and off you should hear bubbling in the tank, this is the air being purged from the pipes and fuel filter. When turning the ignition on stops producing bubbling you can start the engine.

D.

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[westy77]

Thank you guys, I have a tank, seal and lower solid pipe on the way from eBay. Also the two rubber hoses and clips plus new set of bolts to hold it in ordered from Fiat. We are using the van this weekend, so fingers crossed it behaves and can get some of that fuel run out! It's probably been like this for a while, just we've never had it full of fuel on the driveway before, we always fill up on the way out on a trip.

 

[westy77]

The underside of the tank and van looks fine, it's when you look above the tank you "Oh!!" Good old Fiat.

%5BURL=http://s14.photobucket.com/user/wes...B-2434-415B-B514-6EFA154B9B44.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

 

[Bart]

here's a working link to the image.

http://s14.photobucket.com/user/westy77/media/A0A3F7AB-2434-415B-B514-6EFA154B9B44.jpg.html


sure looks well rusted

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[chesterfield hooligan]

That look's bad for 12 year's on the road, don't forget to give it a good coat of paint before you fit it, not where the seal's or pipe's fit.

 

[westy77]

here's a working link to the image.

http://s14.photobucket.com/user/westy77/media/A0A3F7AB-2434-415B-B514-6EFA154B9B44.jpg.html


sure looks well rusted

Thanks for that, not sure why the img link from photobucket wasn't correct!

 

[westy77]

That look's bad for 12 year's on the road, don't forget to give it a good coat of paint before you fit it, not where the seal's or pipe's fit.

I'm planning on two coats of primer and a couple of Hammerite on top, I've already given it one coat of primer, didn't think to not do where the pipes fit! What will be the issue?

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[chesterfield hooligan]

It's just it could make the pipe's tight to fit and might effect the rubber if the paint's not dry when fitting it could bond to the pipe and make future removal difficult, you want to make a good seal around the gasket's

 

[westy77]

Ok thanks, there's just one coat on at the moment, I'll mask it before the next. It will be properly dry before the tank is fitted.

 

[pappajohn]

Just beware, even though the cheaper ebay tank is listed for your van it doesn't mean it WILL fit straight on.
I bought a new wing for my chrysler from an ebay seller in Poland.
Apart from being badly damaged in transit it didn't have the hole for the indicator side repeater. As this is a specifically shaped hole it would have been very hard to drill and shape to the exact dimensions.
It went back to Poland for a full refund and I bought a genuine used one off a rear end write-off for the same money.
Cheap isn't always a bargain.

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[westy77]

Update to this, the tank ended up with six cans of Hammerite on it. I got it all fitted (fighting with a tank with 60ltr in wasn't fun!). We, or rather she, drove it from Harlow to Santa Pod and back with no issues, so all looks good!

If anyone else has this issue and finds this thread, Fiat will want £1100 for a tank! I got the tank from eBay delivered for £103, I bought cans of hammerite from Halfords and painted tank and pipe (mentioned in a bit). I prob could have got the next bits from elsewhere, but time was an issue, so from Fiat I bought the rubber pipe that joins to tank, the clips and bolts that hold tank to body and fuel pipe to tank. I got the metal pipe that's between the two rubber bits from eBay, also the pump to tank rubber seal.

To do the job, have an empty tank, would have saved me a boat load of time! Go in cab on pass side, take off access cover, pull elec plug and the two fuel pipe connections from pump (take pic before for reference)

Go under van, unbolt fuel pipe brackets, push out of way to front of van, undo the bolts holding tank to van, use trolley jack if fuel in it, lower part way down. Take off green vent pipe and rubber fill pipe. Pull tank away, note position of pump in tank, undo nuts, take out. Fit to new tank using new seal (be careful with sender). Get tank under van, fit new filler pipe bits first, then loose fit the four bolts that hold tank to van, fit filler pipe to tank and vent pipe. Make sure fuel lines and wireing are on top. Tighten bolts up, reattach fuel line brackets to tank. Back in cab, push fuel lines back on and put plug on pump.

Fill with fuel, turn ignition on to prime, when pump stops buzzing, pray for a bit, turn key, if all has gone well, engine will be making noise, gauge will indicate and bottom of tank won't be covered in diesel.