Since I got the XJ yesterday, I figured I'd start tearing it apart since he said the fuel tanks leaked when more than a few gallons were poured in, and the brakes were spongy. I figure I'll fix the fuel tanks first so that I can know it'll safely run w/o leaking in case I need to adjust the timing on the v8, or if I just want it running to show it off to friends or whatever.

Anyways, I got the side bumper/chrome off, which surprisingly wasn't that hard. I also finally got all the screws/bolts out holding the lower fender on, and only had to drill the head off 1 bolt! It was the one nearest the tire, covered up by the bumper/chrome. After I removed it, I was finally able to get to the tank drain bolt. I know there's a rubber cover on the bottom (which was still there) but it was being stubborn, so I figured if I REALLY want to check out the tank's condition anyway, I'd just better go ahead and remove the body panels.

I get the bolt broken loose and removed and it's just dripping fuel out at much much less of a rate than if I had removed the oil drain bolt for example. It was steady, but not gushing out like I thought it might. I know there wasn't much fuel in it, but even when I ran the water hose through the filler neck to wash out any crud that might have been in it, it still had the same slow pour even when the tank had a lot of water in it.

I figured maybe some crud was blocking the drain hole so I took a short screwdriver and pushed it up in the hole to see if that helped and it felt like I immediately ran into a solid block of some sort, as if there were some structural piece just over the drain hole. Is it supposed to be like that or do I have a realllllly stubborn hunk of crud? lol

I'm going to continue tearing it apart some tomorrow to see if I can't find the rest of the bolts holding the tank in and completely remove it altogether. I didn't feel like purchasing the service manual yet, so I'm just going to wing it. It's been easy so far. To my surprise though, the tank looks to be in very good condition. I don't know how much is left unexposed but I can see quite a bit of it with the lower panel removed and it looks great. No rust holes, no evidence of dripping from the seams or anything, but I'm still going to remove it to get a full inspection, and then replace all the old hoses with fresh fuel hose and clamps. Then, on to the other side.

 

Check out this link - it has a literal cutaway of an XJ6 tank:
Welcome to Jag-lovers - Members Photo Viewing Page

That set of images is from this thread:
JagFORUM Logon

There is a tube there, and I think a small screen filter as well.

 

Oh ok, I can see that in the pics now, that's a definite help. Well, I'll just continue tearing the system apart and see what I find....maybe they're rusty near the top and that's where the leaks were coming from he was telling me about. There's only one way to find out.

 

Keep us posted! I am having pretty much the same problem you are. My left tank leaks when it gets over about 3/8 full.

 

if you drove the car home, it means the engine runs, if the engine runs, you need to de-pressurize the fuel system before disassembling the tanks!! otherwise you will have issues later. Order the Factory Service Manual, they are available on eBay for under $20.

don't butcher the car!