Patrol 4x4 - Nissan Patrol Forum banner

Access fuel tank from inside?

13K views 9 replies 8 participants last post by  Oystein  
#1 ·
Hey fella's,
Can you access the fuel tank (the top of) from inside the back cargo area/under seat?
LWB wagon? For inspection, or to check the lines or say remove the sender unit. Its a Long Ranger aftermarket tank, with no "apparent" holes ....

I filled the tank- it squirted out the filler neck as it does :) then started running from the top of the tank, onto the floor. Gave the servo lady a heart attack! Spill kit Witches hats- nearly the fireys. Lost maybe 2 litres, and the fuel gauge is reading half. Its been reading empty for 2 weeks as I use gas 90% of the time. Just use petrol for starts.
You know the drill.

Thanks !
Mark
 
#2 ·
Yes if its the rear tank, pull the carpet up and you will see a round section of floor that can be removed.
 
#8 ·
I got a 2006 TI with LPG in the back and petrol in the belly, and as you say there is no other option than to drop the belly tank in order to access the fuel sender.
A few questions:
  • My fuel gauge always show full for the petrol tank.
  • Is there any way to access the wiring to make a test measurement to confirm that the sender is the culprit without dropping the tank?
  • Once I drop the tank, would it be a good idea to create a "service hole" just above the sender, if it happens to be in a flat area? (If so, where can I get a suitable plate to cover the hole?)
Appreciate all help and input :)
Cheers.
 
#4 ·
Unless the gas tank is in the rear cargo area and it still has tank under the rear.

In this case, if it's a long range aftermarket tank then the hole for the sender is actually in a different spot to the factory tank (most brands anyway), so that hole is only any good for the factory rear tank.
 
#5 ·
Also keep tank access points accessible if you are considering installing drawers. I had to replace a fuel pump (TB42) on the side of the road via the rear cargo area.
I was glad I didn't have drawers at that stage. And I will remember it for the future when I build some.
 
#6 ·
I thought I had covered everything, but Yeah, its a belly tank. My bad,sorry. I even had a quick look in the back! Lucky i didnt pull the carpet up. Dur! . Dammit!
Thanks for the input. I work night shift and had 2 hours sleep. (palm of hand to forehead).
I dont want to drop that MF tank!

Mark
 
#7 ·
Hey Mark, I had to drop my belly tank last week. When you go ahead with it, get the back of your car on ramps and syphon as much fuel out of it as possible. I used a trolley jack and just slowly lowered it and disconnected stuff as it came within reach. Absolute ***** of a job but after doing it a couple of times, i had it down to about a 5 hour job! The hardest part was trying to rebolt it back on with no room to get your hands in above the tank. Good luck!
 
#9 · (Edited)
I guess it depends a lot on your belly tank design, but the fill and breather hoses have to travell a fair way to the filler.
Mine did the same as yours 18 months ago, problem was the fill/breather hoses had gone hard, and the filler hose had cracked around where it goes over the diff. There was a smell of fuel for ages, but I thought it was a cracked tank weld.
It's a real pain to find the right size hoses too. The breather I ended up replacing with 20mm garden hose (polythene), and the cracked plastic filler was replaced with fuel rubber hose and steel tubing bends.
It's now done a lot better than the "chuck it in" method used by the LPG fitter who did the conversion (before I bought the car).
I replaced the fuel supply and return hoses while I was at it.

R&R the tank wasn't that hard for mine (55 liter) but make sure you do like Tadpole said and drain it first, using something to support it as you take it out.
If you have reasonable length supply/return hoses, drop the tank down before you disconnect them, and attach them before you lift the tank back in. If they are short - get some longer ones for your own sanity.
Oystein- If the sender is showing always full, it could be that it was shoved into the tank by the fitter and the float is stuck on the side of the tank. ( the sender is designed for the original tank, and must have the float arm bent before it is fitted to the belly tank.) If you unplug the wiring, the gauge should show empty (ignition on). If it still shows full, the gauge or wiring is faulty.
 
#10 ·
I guess it depends a lot on your belly tank design, but the fill and breather hoses have to travell a fair way to the filler.
Mine did the same as yours 18 months ago, problem was the fill/breather hoses had gone hard, and the filler hose had cracked around where it goes over the diff. There was a smell of fuel for ages, but I thought it was a cracked tank weld.
It's a real pain to find the right size hoses too. The breather I ended up replacing with 20mm garden hose (polythene), and the cracked plastic filler was replaced with fuel rubber hose and steel tubing bends.
It's now done a lot better than the "chuck it in" method used by the LPG fitter who did the conversion (before I bought the car).
I replaced the fuel supply and return hoses while I was at it.

R&R the tank wasn't that hard for mine (55 liter) but make sure you do like Tadpole said and drain it first, using something to support it as you take it out.
If you have reasonable length supply/return hoses, drop the tank down before you disconnect them, and attach them before you lift the tank back in. If they are short - get some longer ones for your own sanity.

Oystein- If the sender is showing always full, it could be that it was shoved into the tank by the fitter and the float is stuck on the side of the tank. ( the sender is designed for the original tank, and must have the float arm bent before it is fitted to the belly tank.) If you unplug the wiring, the gauge should show empty (ignition on). If it still shows full, the gauge or wiring is faulty.
Sorry for late reply, but thanks a lot for the inputs. The instrument cluster was broken. Fixed by re soldering all the connections.
Oystein