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I need to remove the tank from my 06 but I can't locate the disconnect. I see where the line disappears under the heat shield at the rear of the differential, but I see nothing above the front of the differential. I have watched Sam's video but that doesn't help. Where should I be looking?
You are presumably looking for the pushfit connectors that go into the front face of the fuel tank? I've never had to remove mine but have seen them. They are rearwards of, and above, the rear axle/diff assembly, not in front of it.
Okay, thanks for that. My first picture was the fuel line disappearing under the heat shield at the rear of the differential. I assume I have to slide my disconnect tool along that line, which is horizontal at that point. I always thought the line to the tank was vertical at the disconnect.
I hope it goes smoothly for you. When I did this, it took me many hours to actually get the fittings on and get the fitting to push in enough to release the fuel line. From my memory, I had to shape and trim the connector release tools. Be patient and eventually you will get the lines released! Good luck.
The connectors are indeed horizontal and pointing forwards.
I'm guessing that the heat shield is in the horizontal plane and extends between rear of the axle and the bottom of the tank so you cannot look up and see the connectors. I assume that you cannot just remove the heat shield? Can you use an extending mirror or camera to look above the heat shield and check the connectors are there? If they are there and you can see their exact location. you might have to bend the heat shield out of the way or cut a flap in it which you can bend out of the way and bend it back and secure it later.
Sorry I'm late on this, but hope I can help you find the lines going into the tank.
Lay forward of the rear end with you eyes about 2 feet, so you can see over the shield. Now, look over the left side of the rear and up to where the shelf of the trunk is.
You will see the line (s) coming out of that area and a circle of metal missing where they go into the tank.
If you take your arm out over the left side of the rear and up, that will let you put the tool on the pipe, now use a long screwdriver and push it into the disconnect springs while leaving you left hand holding the pipe you are trying to remove and pull on it.
What ever you do, first thing is drill a small hole on the tool and put a string on it about 3 feet long. You are going to drop the tool a couple of times and it will hang up on the top of the rear and disappear for the life of the car.
Let me know if you want me to call you while you are under the car for direction.
Here's hoping you have drained the tank.
Wayne
I think I have it figured out. I have looked at a u-tube of a 4.0 tank and see a hole where the line goes to the tank. I don't have a hole in the heat shield. Tomorrow I will attempt a little surgery on the heat shield.
Wayne- the tank still has over three gallons in it. Are you suggesting it may all run out? That doesn't happen when I change the filter.
The fuel line is about a 1 inch above the bottom, 3 gallons will give you a bit of overflow. I used a 1/4 inch tube 44 inches long, get all the bends out off it so it will lay flat on the bottom. I had about a half gallon left when I took the tank out and it was at least a 1/2 inch from going out the hole for the fuel lines.
I used the JagRepair by Gus on the fill tube to get everything out of the way to pull the tank out. Well, I did have Jon there and he just grabbed the tank and pulled it out.
Some flexibility in your arms is going to help to get the tubes out and really don't need to cut any heat shield out of the way, might pull it down a bit. We used the magnetic lights from Harbor Freight stuck all over the place to give us the vison of everything because you or your helper can't hold a light in place and get into position to do this.
Speaking of Harbor Freight, we did send the wife down there to get the 22 inch screwdrivers and used the flat end of that filed down to a slight curve to get the lines back in. Much easier than getting the tool to open the spring.
At first it felt like the lines were in solid but a few pulls proved we didn't have it pushed in far enough, it will go very solid when in right.
Jon did a great write up on it and hope he will hop in and give you the location of the thread, I don't have it right now, will look in the morning if Jon doesn't chime in.
Wayne (cjd777) and I replaced the fuel pump in his 2000 XK8 in January 2020 with the rear end up on jackstands. He used the Harbor Freight 22" flatblade screwdriver to detach (and later reattach) the two fuel line connections underneath, then I slowly and carefully lifted and pulled the fuel tank rearwards in order to create the necessary access down into the tank for him to remove and replace the fuel pump....
He used his bench grinder to grind a curve into the tip of that long screwdriver. With the curved tip, it fit into the fuel line connection sockets perfectly and he managed to release them in just a minute or two. Before we went to Harbor Freight and purchased that screwdriver, we had tried other methods (fuel line plastic disconnect tools) for close to an hour without success....
With that long and skinny screwdriver you do not have to be as concerned with having enough room for your hands down underneath the fuel lines (although I remember it is indeed very tight down there)....
Can you get some assistance from a friend? This is one of those jobs that is less challenging if you have four hands available instead of just two, even if all one person does is hold the flashlight in the proper position so the other person can see better....
That 22-inch flat-blade screwdriver made all the difference. Once Wayne ground the tip of it into the properly-shaped curve, he had both fuel lines popped out in just a couple of minutes. We would not even attempt this job again without having that screwdriver in hand first....
I found the disconnect. A bulge in the heat shield was hiding it. Now I just need to get it off. I disconnected the fuel line at the filter and just a little dribble, but I also managed to siphon another couple of gallons from the filler neck. I'll be busy for a while doing other things, but I'm sure I'll be able to get the tank out.
Thanks for all the help, RJ
Finally got the line off. It isn't too hard to get a 3/8" A/C release tool on the line after it makes the 90 using two fingers, then slide it around and up. But I had a more difficult problem because the foam pad that the tank sits on had been pushed up against the line so that I couldn't push the tool home. An hour of cutting and tearing finally allowed access.
I may have set a record for doing this, somewhere in the area of five hours including the time spent searching for the connection because the heat shield had a bulge and was hiding it.
I was hoping no one would ask. I had some fuel in a lacquer thinner can and poured it in the tank. The engine quit after a little over a mile and when I got the car back home I discovered I also had some antifreeze mix in an identical can.
So I want to get the tank out to make sure all the antifreeze is gone, then I'll flush the rest of the fuel system and probably replace the plugs. I blame this error on old age. By the way, I was just barely able to get two fingers up in the area of the outlet and I bet you can't.
11-20-2023, 11:17 AM
Fuel line disconnect
