Question

How do I remove the exterior rear door handle on a 1972 Citroën D-Series?

Citroen Tech Tip

Got this question in recently and thought we would answer it here on Citroen Tech Tips since it is not the first time the question has come to our attention.

I am at a loss as to how to access the outside rear door lift handle assembly for removal. While attempting to press out a small dent surrounding the outside door lift- handle using a lever through the window glass slot I dislodged one of the “bobby pin” shaped flat springs from the backside of the handle. So I not only need to replace that, I also still need to remove the handle to finish the dent removal. Any information will be sincerely appreciated.

To take a 1972 or later Citroën D-series door handle off you will need a combination 8mm wrench, a small punch, a door panel remover, or putty knife, a flashlight and a mirror.

We have included some pages from the parts book to more easily describe things. Have the window in the full up position for this procedure.

8-983/7 shows the Citroën door panel that you need to remove, but first you want to look at plate:#7-961/1. This shows the window crank #5 that needs to be removed first. What you will want to do is push in on the door panel around the window crank to compress the spring #13 around it’s base. When you compress the spring this will expose the shank of the window crank.You may have to turn the crank slightly to see the cross drilled hole in the
crank that has a pin in it. Here you may get lucky and have the pin drop out when you compress the handle, but if not you will need to use the small punch or even a finishing nail to push it through.

Once the crank is removed you can then look at plate #8-983/7 to see how the #8 clips are arranged that need to be carefully popped out with the panel remover or putty knife placed under the panel and carefully pry. Be careful not to tear the Masonite panel that the clips are mounted in.

Carefully work your way around the edge of the panel and remove it.Under the panel you will see what we
Ike to call: “windows” that are through the back side of the door. These are closed off by pieces of plastic, unless someone else has been in there before you and failed to put them back. Here you will want to remove several of these plastic closing pieces close to the back end of the door where the exterior door handle is located.

Now, looking into the door with the window rolled up, you should be able to see the door latching and lock mechanism. You may have to use a flashlight and even a mirror of some kind to see the back side of where the exterior door handle is mounted.

Referring to plate #7-861 you should see a backing plate #12. This plate has two 5mm bolts with 8mm heads that hold it to the back side of the exterior door handle. You will also see in plate #7-861, a pinch bolt #13
that holds linkage #11 in place. Be sure to get a marking pen or some type of marking device to mark the location of this linkage where it goes into the latch mechanism so that when you slide it back into the latch mechanism it is in the same position as when it was removed. If this is not done the adjustment of the door to open from the inside and lock will not be correct.

Once you have marked the linkage position loosen up the 8mm headed pinch bolt so the linkage is loose.

Now move to the two 8mm headed bolts that hold the backing plate #12 to the back side of the external door handle. Remove these bolts and the door handle should be able to be removed from the outside of the door.

Putting it back in should be the reverse. Make sure to check the latching and locking of the door before you close things up. Another thing to remember is to reinstall the plastic on those door “windows” we described before. Here an all purpose contact cement can be used. These pieces of plastic are vital to sealing the door off from water getting to and warping the Masonite door panel backing.

As far as the “Bobby Pin” clip that you spoke of, we are not exactly certain what you were referring to. With the backside of the door opened, if it fell down into the bottom of the door you should be able to find it and figure out where it went in the mechanism.

Something we forgot to mention is… you might want to keep a few bandages around for those cuts you’ll be getting from some of the sharp edges inside the door. They are treacherous.

Good luck with removing your Citroën-D series exterior door handle. We hope this Citroen Tech Tip has helped. Please leave a comment below if you have any suggestions.

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7.17 CITROMATIC – OPERATION AND ADJUSTMENT

INTRODUCTION

Don James, OH (840912)

The series of articles by Don (Red) Dellinger to follow will help you put your Citromatic back in adjustment, no matter how screwed up some previous owner has made it.

Follow the instructions step by step. Please remember one thing—check the simple things first. If your Citromatic sounds like it has marbles in it, bleed the centrifugal regulator at the bleed screws provided at the top. The Citromatic will not work correctly if there is air in the brakes, so bleed at the carburetor, too.

If the gears grind, check to be sure that the clutch release lever is moving forward far enough. If it is, and the gears still grind, there is obviously something wrong with the clutch and pressure plate—not the Citromatic! The gears would grind, even with a standard shift. As with most of the problems that owners have with their Citroens, 99% of the problems that develop, come from simple, and avoidable causes.

The single biggest problem with Citroens is caused by mechanics working on the car when they do not understand how it works! They never fail to put the entire car out of adjustment and cause more damage than years of normal wear could cause.

An automatic transmission that gets the same fuel mileage as a standard shift has been the dream of many auto makers for years. The trick is to eliminate the clutch, but retain a direct drive with no slippage. This was invented years ago by Citroen. The transmission was not a fully automatic, but could have been if they had wanted it.

It is what we now call an automatic stickshift or semiautomatic transmission. Citroen called it “CITROMATIC”, and it is more wondrous than their famous hydro-pneumatic suspension.

7.18 CITROMATIC – OPERATION AND ADJUSTMENT PART 1 – PRINCIPLES AND ADVANTAGES

Donald (Red) Dellinger, PA (840912)

Many people get confused about Citromatic equipped cars especially if they have never had any previous experience with this type of shift. Most owners who have driven them for years do not understand the workings of this hydraulic marvel. When I think of it, it must be as close and effortless as you can get to a fully automatic transmission without the undesirable aspects of the fully automatic transmission such as loss of power, loss of control, flexibility, economy, etc.

The Citromatic is quick, positive, safe, economical and effortless IF all units are working and are adjusted properly. No four speed shifts faster or more accurately than a DS with Citromatic. No declutching manually, no wait for synchronization, no foot slipping from clutch pedal, no clutch slip (riding clutch), no left leg cramps in traffic, quick shift from 4th to 3rd are just a few of this transmission’s good points.

One of the transmission’s great points is ease of shifting even in hard cornering when extra power is needed. In a normal 4-speed equipped car you must remove one hand from the steering wheel, declutch with the left foot, move gear lever with right hand, release accelerator, etc. Valuable time is lost in these motions! The control of the car may be lost by split second timing in an emergency corner- ing situation.

Citromatic is instantaneous and when adjusted properly the shifting is precise. Most people are not patient enough to take time to understand Citromatic. Most mechanics do not understand it, therefore cannot adjust it properly. Most Citromatic clutches are so improperly adjusted that they have overheated and warped which causes clutch chatter and gives erratic operation.

Once all of the components of the Citromatic are adjusted properly the only slippage the driver will get is if the car is started off in a gear higher than it should be (2nd or 3rd when it should be in 1st). Have you ever observed the shift pattern closely? Typical Citroen engineering!

The transmission must be in neutral to start for safety (the shift block can only be in neutral or the starter will not turn). 1st and reverse are directly across from each other, this is for ease of parking (minimum movement of the lever). A properly adjusted DS will idle into a parallel spot just by touching the brake pedal and shifting from 1st to reverse to 1st again.

By the way, the brake pedal on a DS is to be operated by the right foot only—no left foot on brake and right foot on accelerator like an american auto – this will defeat all adjustments. The champignon or mushroom foot brake rubber sphere is designed for a minimum travel its entire life and is lower than the accelerator pedal for a special reason—quick reaction time from the accelerator to the brake with the right foot, your foot only has to pivot on the heel to depress the brake and pivot to the right for the accelerator. If this is not so in any Citroen D-model the accelerator linkage needs adjustment.

This is all leading to proper driving of the DS Citromatic. When all the adjustments are carried out properly to the driver’s satisfaction, from this time on, normal maintenance should be a clutch adjustment every 10,000 miles (5,000 miles if the car is used primarily for stop and go driving).

EXCEPTION: when any of the components in this circuit are replaced, then adjustment of that component is necessary. The transmission, differential, clutch pressure plate, clutch disc, and release bearing are identical to the manual shift cars except for the internal shift rods and forks and the operation of the clutch. Instead of a mechanical clutch cable and rod there is a clutch slave cylinder and fitted to the transmission top covers are five servos or pistons (one each for 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and reverse).

Lines leading from the hydraulic gear selector (shift block) to the transmission connect to these servos and are tied together in one bundle. Like any hydraulic clutch slave cylinder, it has one function – to engage or release pressure on the clutch release fork to operate the clutch mechanism. This lengthy description is necessary because the manually shifted car clutch free travel is also adjusted here by feel of distance or clearance, which can be checked quickly with finger and thumb, but NOT the Citromatic.

The Citromatic clutch is adjusted so that at 750-800 rpm the clutch components are just about ready to contact each other—disc, pressure plate, and flywheel. Putting it more simply, the clutch release or throw-out bearing is depressing the fingers on the pressure plate to the point where the clutch is just about to engage slightly but is still disengaged.

For comparison on a manual shift car, the point reached when you are in 1st gear and have eased out on the clutch pedal to where another 1/8” would cause the car to start to creep away on the level. Manual shift and Citromatic clutches are adjusted differently. The manual clutch is adjusted without the engine running and the clutch pedal out (clutch engaged position) by pressing with your right thumb against the adjusting bracket (clutch fork) toward the radiator. There should be approximately 6mm clearance or play. Turning the adjusting screw clockwise reduces the clearance, counter-clockwise increases it. That’s it for the manual shift car owners, but for you poor buggers with Citromatic, let me continue as we are going to the meat and potatoes of it.

7.19 CITROMATIC – OPERATION AND ADJUSTMENT PART 2 – CLUTCH ADJUSTMENT

Donald (Red) Dellinger, PA (840913)

Start engine and bring to normal temperature. If the front of your car has been wrecked and the crank extension will not fit through the air duct without binding you must either remove the duct or make a tool from 1/4” or 5/16” rod (obtained from a hardware store) and weld about 2” 14 mm or 9/16” allen key to the 3 foot long rod. We use an old army surplus rifle cleaning rod that has a “T” handle that revolves.

This must take the place of the crank extension piece and is inserted in the front of the transmission and must be pushed in approximately 1”. This makes contact with the transmission main or clutch shaft which passes through the clutch disc and is supported by the pilot bearing in the flywheel. Now, back to the adjustment procedure: engine at normal operating temperature; turn the large air screw (brass) located at the front bottom left of the carburetor clockwise until seated and slightly tight, this should slow engine speed; check and adjust engine idle and mixture screws to obtain a smooth idle of
750-800 rpm (check with tach); Since the clutch disc is connected to the transmission main shaft and our crank dog is pushed in this is the speed the engine will be idling at when you stop for any reason in driving—so at this speed we want the clutch disengaged (primary idle). Since the clutch disk is connected to the transmission main shaft and our crank dog is pushed in with the crank or our home-made tool; by changing the adjustment we can adjust the DS clutch properly. Turn the adjustment bolt counter-clockwise with the engine running (WARNING: watch fingers in moving pieces—belts, fan, etc.) until the tool (or crank extension) starts to rotate, this will mean that the clutch is starting to engage. Then turn the adjustment bolt clockwise until the tool just stops turning (clutch just disengaged) then continue to turn the bolt one full turn clockwise. You are now finished with the clutch adjustment.

Note: If the shaft will not stop turning even after turning in the adjustment bolt all the way, then the pressure plate is broken and a new clutch is necessary. This is a fairly common occurrence even with manual shift on high mileage cars. If you try to adjust any other components of the system and you have a faulty pressure plate or clutch you will not be successful at all.

7.20 CITROMATIC – OPERATION AND ADJUSTMENT PART 3 – ENGINE IDLE

Donald (Red) Dellinger, PA (840914)

The next step (providing the clutch adjustment was successful and the clutch/pressure plate mechanism is working properly) is to adjust the engine idle. I prefer 1000 rpm secondary idle. To adjust unscrew the large brass screw you previously screwed in back out (counter-clockwise) to obtain 1000 rpm. Now, step on the foot brake and the engine speed should drop to 750-800 rpm (primary idle). When you let go of the brake the engine idle should rise to 1000 rpm (secondary idle). You are now finished adjusting idle.

Note: Remember 1000 rpm minus 750 rpm equals 250 rpm (for future reference).

7.21 CITROMATIC – OPERATION AND ADJUSTMENT PART 4 – CENTRIFUGAL REGULATOR

Donald (Red) Dellinger, PA (840915)

Fig. 67 Sectional View of the Centrifugal Regulator Key: 1-Front bearing; 2-Bearing end plate; 3-Governor mechanism; 4- Assembling screws; 5-Regulator; 6-Dashpot; 7-Bleed screws; 8-Clutch disengagement corrector body; 9-Seal; 10-Rear plate; 11-Nuts; 12-Spring; 13-Piston; 14-Circlips; 15-Rod; 16-Spring; 17-Cup; 18-Seat; 19-Slide valve; 20-Support; 21-Pad; 22-Sleeve; 23-Pulley; 24-Adjusting screw.

The next unit we will adjust will be the centrifugal regulator, located above the high pressure pump and driven by a small belt from the pump. This belt must not be over tightened or the result will be premature bearing failure in the centrifugal regulator.

The centrifugal regulator has one purpose only. That is to start discharging fluid from the clutch slave cylinder between 800 to 1000 rpm of the engine (a very slight amount). When the engine speed increases from primary to secondary idle speed, just enough fluid is released from the clutch slave cylinder to make the clutch start to engage. When the clutch starts to engage just slightly the car starts to “creep” or move slightly in first or in reverse. Therefore the operation of the regulator is as follows.

When in first or reverse gear and your foot is on the brake pedal the engine is at primary idle and the regulator has clutch disengaged and the car stays still when you remove your foot from the brake pedal the engine speeds up (approximately 250 rpm) to secondary idle which in turn causes the weights in the regulator to signal the clutch to start to engage and the car begins to creep.

It is only normal to have your foot on the brake when stopped at stoplights or signals or for backing up. This is why it is important to use the right foot only for braking—so that the accelerator is released and the primary and secondary idles work properly. If the car will not creep when the foot brake is released in first gear, it will need adjustment. Shut off engine. The adjustment is an 8 mm headed bolt which goes through the center of the centrifugal regulator pulley and is locked in place with an 8 mm nut. Unlock the nut and turn the bolt out (counterclockwise) one turn. Lock the nut, then start engine and check creep again. Continue this adjustment (counter-clockwise to increase creep / clockwise to decrease creep) until the car is set to creep at a speed you are comfortable with. (If the car stalls on selection of first gear, turn the adjustment screw until you achieve the desired creep.)

This is a fine adjustment and should be adjusted in increments of one turn or less at a time. If the car stalls every time on starting out or coming to a stop usually the seals on the piston inside the regulator are swelled and hard, causing the piston to stick in the bore. This is a simple unit and consists of a set of centrifugal weights and springs acting on a sliding piston controlled by the adjusting screw. It’s only purpose is to activate between the difference in speed of primary and secondary idle to release a minute amount of fluid from the clutch slave cylinder.

7.22 CITROMATIC – OPERATION AND ADJUSTMENT PART 5 – GUARANTEE CONTROL

Donald (Red) Dellinger, PA (840915)

Fig. 68 Citromatic Guarantee Control

Fig. 68 shows the Citromatic guarantee control located on the right side of the transmission. Its function is to guarantee the transmission’s gears 1st and 2nd are engaged before the clutch can engage (for safety) by stopping fluid return from the clutch slave cylinder if the gears are not fully engaged. Adjustment procedure is as follows: hydraulic pressure up, engine off, gear selector in neutral, loosen two 11mm headed bolts which hold the control to the transmission, pull the unit toward the front of gearbox, stop and push backwards slowly until the unit snaps rearwards (this is the neutral position), and retighten the bolts. Generally, this unit never gives any trouble and almost never gets out of adjustment. Adjust only if it is removed for repairs.

7.23 CITROMATIC – OPERATION AND ADJUSTMENT PART 6 – CLUTCH RE-ENGAGEMENT CONTROL

Donald (Red) Dellinger, PA (840916)

Fig. 69 Clutch Re-engagement Control Adjustment

This control is attached to the intake manifold in front of the carburetor and is activated by the carburetor primary throttle shaft. Its function is to control how quickly fluid is discharged from the clutch slave cylinder between gear changes (how fast the clutch reengages during the shifting from 1st to 2nd, 2nd to 3rd, and 3rd to 4th). There are two adjustments:

(1) On the side of the unit facing toward the driver’s side of the car, a straight slotted screw protrudes approximately 8 mm, sometimes with a knob fixed by a small screw. The knob has a small raised post allowing it to be turned only 350 degrees, but by unscrewing the small screw it can be turned without stopping on the small peg. If the speed of the clutch re-engagement between gears is too slow turn the screw in (clockwise) until you are satisfied with the clutch re-engagement speed. If the re-engagement of the clutch is too fast unscrew it (counter-clockwise) until it suits you. This screw will not unscrew and fall out and sometimes must be adjusted several turns depending on the condition of the clutch (such as when a new clutch is installed). After getting the adjustment set you can reinstall the small knob with the set screw. Install the knob straight up which will give you approximately 175 degrees of fine adjustment in either direction. The adjuster has a very fine thread, so the adjustment is not too sensitive. Caution: someone may have removed the carburetor and did not fasten the unit on the idle position. As a result the shaft adjustment in relation to the carburetor idle may have been moved.

(2) There is a small hole (usually plugged with a plastic plug) just above and to the rear of the shaft centerline (towards the front of car). This is an adjustment/ alignment hole. Normally with the throttle closed a 2.5 mm (.100”) wire should pass through the hole in the housing and go into the line- up hole in the internal shaft, locking the unit and the throttle shaft tight. If it does it is alright, if not proceed as follows: Grip control unit shaft with thin vice-grip pliers near the body of the control, hold shaft from turning, loosen the 8 mm bolt in clamp between the control and the carburetor shaft, push 2.5 mm (.100”) wire in hole in housing and turning shaft against spring tension until the wire falls into the hole in the shaft and locks the unit from turning, release pliers and align shaft coupling and tighten the 8 mm bolt. After realignment of the control, readjust the unit as No.1 above if necessary (it usually is).

Then on your road test after adjusting the unit drive the car at approximately 55 mph in 4th gear on a level road, move the gear change control to 3rd gear without releasing the accelerator pedal. The shift should be smooth and almost unnoticeable. If not, stop and fine adjust by the knob (or screw if yours no longer has knob on it), road test and readjust to suit your driving style. Total time involved is about 1/2 hour.

7.24 CITROMATIC – OPERATION AND ADJUSTMENT PART 7 – SHIFT BLOCK

Donald (Red) Dellinger, PA (840917)

Fig. 70 Citromatic Shift Block (“The Brain”)

There is only one adjustment on the shift block itself and it very seldom, if ever, needs readjustment unless the shift block is removed from the car. Adjustment procedure is as follows: With left hand reach under and to the rear of the shift block, there you will find a rubber plug with the largest part about 11 mm in diameter. After removing this dust cover you will have access to a 3.94 mm hole. When 1st gear is selected with the control lever a pin 3.94 mm diameter x 50 mm length will slide into the lineup hole approximately 30 mm and lock 1st gear position in the shift box. If not a mirror will allow you to see the hole.

The best method to line up the hole (if it is not already) is to have someone move the control lever to the left/right/in/or out slightly in order to line the hole up in the shift block so that the pin can be inserted. Once you have the pin inserted into the shift block properly then you must adjust the shift control lever to the corresponding 1st gear position. To do this you must first remove a dust cover from the metal cowl to the rear of the shift block (under the hood). This plug is about 1-3/4” in diameter and is made of rubber. It exposes two 8 mm bolts which tighten a clamp between the control lever mechanism and the shift block. To adjust, loosen the lower 8 mm bolt and align the shift control lever to the 1st speed detent (pops into place). Then tighten the lock bolt. Remove the alignment pin and reinstall the dust cover (plugs).

You are finished. This unit is faithful and almost never gives trouble but is often accused as being the cause of trouble. One exception is when it becomes gummed up and stiff (especially in cold weather). Then it must be flushed out or removed and cleaned. A hissing noise from the shift block can be caused by misadjustment or a sticking piston which can be remedied by adjustment or removal and cleaning. Seriously, this unit is like all Citroen hydraulic units and is well engineered and needs little attention. Should service be required never take it apart in place, it is easily removed from the car to be repaired on the bench.

Editor: Before you look for any trouble in this unit, be sure that you check the belt on the centrifugal regulator. The car will not move if the regulator is not turning. Do not overtighten the belt. Should the belt break, the car can be driven by using the manual engagement control that is located under the steering column.

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Several years ago, I wrote an article for our Citroen Club of North America newsletter. It was published on the internet and I decided to let my readers take a peek. If you’re interested in preserving your D Model, it’s well worth the time to keep it rust free. Just click here… Oiling a Citroen “D” Model …to read my article. I will be updating this article in the near future, as I have found a lot of improvements to keep Citroens and all cars rust free. Check back soon.

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Here is a wonderful video that was placed on YouTube a few months ago. It is taken from the British television . Here the Citroen DS is discribed in a general, yet telling way, always refering back to it’s 1955 introduction date and just how truely advanced the car was. I hope you like it as much as I do.

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Sorry for the tardiness of this entry, but I was ill for a couple of weeks. So here goes:

Now that the tank is in place and you have not caught the tabs on the walls of the tank compartment with the outer flange of the D Model gas tank, it is time to hook things up. Let’s start with the hard one, and that is the fuel pick up line.

This can be tough…

If you remember, the fuel pick-up line was pulled out of the tank and through the sidewall of the tank compartment, and left out of the way up against the outside frame of the D model.

Now with the tank in place, it’s time to bring the fuel line back through the sidewall and start to feed it back down the standpipe in the front right corner of the tank that it came out of.

But first…

But first, you might have noticed the two rubber grommets in the sidewalls where the line comes through. Well, you want to make sure they are in place and have not popped out of place.

A good idea is to coat a little bit of rubber lubricant like silicone to lube up these two grommets and allow the larger diameter rubber hose that the smaller diameter Rislan hose runs through to easily slip through also. You will see what I mean.

Start the fuel hose through the wall and start it down the standpipe. This always ends up being the most difficult part of the project, because you have to get the hose all the way to the bottom of the tank or you will be short sticking yourself and run out of fuel before your tank is empty.

Don’t kink it…

The fit is tight and you will have to carefully push on the line without putting a kink in it.

Now to add to things, you will notice as the line starts to go down the stand pipe tube the larger diameter rubber hose that the smaller diameter Rislan hose runs through needs to be centered and carefully brought through the wall and through the lubed up grommets without disturbing them.

This can be a challenge…

Now, once the fuel line is down the standpipe far enough for the rubber hose to be through the wall, you want to grab a flashlight and get a view up through that 22mm drain plug hole.

You should notice that standpipe that the gas line is being fed through and that the standpipe does not go all the way to the bottom of the tank.

Grab those pliers…

This is where you want to find a pair of needle nose pliers and reach up through the drain hole and carefully grab hold of the end of the fuel pick up hose, if there is enough of it through the end of the stand pipe to be able to grab. Then pull down on it to help it along. Move back up to the tank compartment and help the line down the pipe and then get back under the car and pull on the line again.

Once you have the hose to the point where the larger diameter rubber hose is up against the end of the standpipe you want to get another pair of pliers that can give you some leverage and grab hold of the rubber hose and help it back onto the end of the stand pipe.

Are we having fun yet…

It will get difficult at this point, but remember the rubber hose is tightly bonded to the Rislan hose and must be completely onto the standpipe and up against the tank before the fuel line is at the bottom of the tank where you want it.

OK, the worst is over…

Well, believe it or not the worst is over, and at this point you are probably going to want a cool one or at least a change of shirts if you are working in the summer months.

But we aren’t done yet…

Next you want to take the vent tube for the D model gas tank and put it back onto the standpipe where it belongs. Now there are original clamps that are available for these hoses, but I would tend to go with a screw tighten high gear clamp for these. Clamp them down tight.

Next thing to put back in is the fuel level sending unit. Make sure the rubber gasket is clean and in good shape. Apply a little bit of sealer onto the gasket before you put the unit back into the tank. Brass screws are used to hold this unit down so make sure you use the correct type and size screw driver, and don’t cross thread the screws or mess up the heads when you tighten them up.

Plug the electric wire back onto the unit.

Gather up the two straps that hold the tank in place. Find that large flat bladed screwdriver again. Wedge it between the back wall of the fuel tank compartment and push the tank as far forward in the compartment as it will go.

Now slip the back double U ends of the hold down straps into the two holds on each side of the back of the tank compartment where they fit. Now with those ends in place, move with the screwdriver to the front of the gas tank compartment and move the tank back as far as it will go.

I said as far back as it will go…

With the front screws in place on the front of the straps, slip the loop that the screws thread into over the tab on the front wall of the compartment. Start to tighten the straps down, but first move the tank once again a little towards the front of the compartment to centralize it.

Gather up the rubber hose-like pieces that go around the outer edge of the tank up against the walls. Put them in place and bend those tabs back over them to hold them in place.

With the tank in place, move back to the fuel filler neck as it comes through the frame wall. Lube it up with some light oil and slide the rubber hose that connects the filler extension neck to the tank.

Once you have it on, lube up the filler extension neck and slide it into the rubber connecting hose.

Here once again you can use the original hose clamps or replace them with the proper size gear clamps. Replace the fasteners holding down the extension neck to the trunk wall.

OK, back under the car…

Move to the underside of the car and replace first the 12mm drain plug with its gasket and tighten it up.

Now here is where you are going to make a decision; I usually don’t replace the stacked washer type fuel filter back into the bottom of the tank. I choose to add a good replaceable filter up in the engine compartment.

The choice is yours, but…
If you chose to put it back into the tank, then carefully slide it up onto the fuel pick up line that should be right at the bottom of the tank. Now, screw on the 22mm plug with its gasket and tighten it up.

Go back over the whole tank installation and make sure all hoses and gaskets are in place and that everything is tight.

Now, we have not closed up the tank compartment and that is because we are going to see if there are any leaks anywhere.

Check for those leaks NOW…

This is a better time to find out them when everything is closed up, or when you have some close relatives in the car and decide to fill the tank up for the first time.

So that’s what we are going to do right now.

After you’re sure that everything is good and tight and sealed up, remember those proper fuel cans I told you to have on hand to drain the tank?

Please do the right thing…

Well, if that gas was bad which I assume it was, then dispose of it in the proper manner at a local oil waste station or find out who will take it. Please do the right thing here and dispose of it properly and not on the neighbors fence.

Now that you have taken care of that chore, you want to go to a gas station and get some fresh gas. You will need about 17 gallons to be on the safe side and fill the tank completely.

Yep, that is what you are going to want to do, fill that puppy right up to the fill cap and then set back and see if anything leaks.

Make sure you have the car parked in a well-ventilated area with no chance of any ignition points. Leave the car like this for several hours. I have been known to leave it like this over night.

No leaks? Great!!!

Now you can put the rest of the car back together. Put that clamp back onto the fuel pick up line on the sidewall on the outside of the frame. Put the frame covers back on. Put the gravel shield that covers the fuel filler neck where it connects to the extension back on. Replace the D Model’s rear fender. Replace the lid that covers the top of the fuel tank compartment. Replace the back seat back cushion and bottom cushion.

Take the Citroen D model for a ride and enjoy!!!

Now about the Citroen D Model Wagon, also known as the Safari or Break…

I told you I would explain the differences with the wagon at the end of this article so here they are:

The wagon or Safari / Break model that was available in the USA, was the standard model and not the familiale. I will therefore explain the standard model in this case.

The wagons back seat is a little more involved to remove then the sedan. The seat cushion that hinges forward will need to be removed at the hinges, and this means unscrewing them and then picking up and removing the seat from the D model.

Once that is removed, you will notice there are ends covers on each side that need to be removed. Here you will have 8mm headed bolts and 11 or 12mm headed bolts depending on the vintage of the car.

Once these sides are removed you want to remove the front panel that the seat hinged forward on. These will be 8mm headed bolts. Now you need to move to the back cushion of the seat.

Fold it forward and take notice of the bolts that will have to be removed here. As you can see, the D Model wagon in our market had two small jump seats in the rear compartment. They fold up out of the floor.

The first one, closest to the front of the car, attached on the right side of the compartment, will need to be removed, as will the fold down cover panel that is across from it on the left side of the compartment. These can be removed by unscrewing the 8mm headed bolts holding them in.

After these are removed, you will see some additional 8mm headed bolts to be removed on that back seat panel. Hidden down two round access holes, you will find two 11 or 12mm headed bolts that will need to be removed also.

Once all these fasteners are taken out, the rear seat back of the D Model wagon can be removed.

At this point you will see that the gas tank compartment lid removal is the same as the sedan.

The rear fender on the wagon is also a little different to remove.

Under the rear taillight cluster you will find a small red reflector. Two screws hold it in place. Remove the screws and remove the reflector. This will expose a 14mm headed bolt that will need to be removed to take off the rear fender.

As with the sedan open the right rear door of the Citroen. Pick up on the rear of the fender and pull it away slightly from the body of the D Model. Now reach down between the body of the Citroen and the fender and disconnect the wires that connect to the taillights.

Once this is done, continue to pick up on the rear of the fender and once it clears the back rubber bumper guard, start to pull it back and off of the two front pins that hold it on to the C pillar of the Citroen.

From there on the D Model wagon will be the same as the sedan to remove and reinstall the gas tank.

Please leave your comments on this blog in the box below and let me know if it helped you in any way. I appreciate it.

Good luck and stay safe!!!

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Ready to put the refurbished tank back in…

Well, the compartment is ready to receive the Citroen fuel tank but, lets take a look at that tank once you got it back from Gas Tank Renu.

As I have told you, they do a great job with renewing the gas tank. There are just a few things I have learned from experience that you want to check over before you put it back in.

First, you want to check that stand pipe that the fuel pick up line runs down.

If they have gotten any of the sealer down that tube, you want to run something down the tube to clean it out. Using a piece of mechanics wire, run it down the tube and bring it out the bottom where the tube lines up with the 21mm drain plug hole.

With the tank up on a bench, run the wire down the stand pipe, out the drain hole and grab hold of each end of the wire with both hands. Pull it back and forth until you have removed any traces of the sealer. Now, blow some air down the tube to finish cleaning it out.

You can spray a little bit of lubricant down the tube at this point, so that it will be easier to slide the fuel pick up line down later.

Since you sent the tank to them without the drain plugs in it, (this was done so they would not get lost) you want to examine the female threaded holes for the drain plugs. Turn the tank over on the bench and examine them for any traces of the sealer. Get a fine dental pick and clean these threads out good.

Believe me, you’ll thank me later…

Believe me it is a lot easier to do this chore on the bench than after you have it installed in the Citroen. Once you have all this sealer removed from the threads, check to see how the plugs fit. The large plug’s female threads in the tank are a captive insert and can sometimes get a little bunged up, so watch for this.

Now, that flat plastic washer that fits under the 21mm plug, I usually take it and lap sand it.

This is done by getting a piece of old glass and putting a piece of fine sand paper over the glass to form a nice flat surface. Put the glass on a nice clean flat surface. Put the plastic washer on the sand paper. Put your index and middle finger over the washer and working in a figure 8 motion sand the washer flat. Flip the washer over and do the other side.

Now, with some fine sandpaper on a flat backing, sand the area where the washer will come into contact with the fuel tank.

Sand it good…

Do the same thing with the copper washer on the other side, or replace it if you can find one at you local hardware or auto parts store. Now, replace the 12mm headed plug at this time and tighten it up.

I can’t emphasis how important this is! Once the tank is in place and one of these plugs is leaking is the wrong time to have to back track and do this procedure. So no matter how smooth the two surfaces appear, please do this proceedure.

Leave the 21mm plug out until the tank is installed, because you will need access into that hole to put the fuel filter back in and to make sure the fuel pick up line is truly at the bottom of the tank.

Oooh, that can be a bad surprise if it isn’t…

OK, it is time to put the Citroen gas tank back into it’s compartment. Make sure the tabs that held those rubber pieces of tubing that keep the tank secure are flat and up against the walls of the compartment.

Like I mentioned before, you don’t want the flanged edge of the tank catching them, because you will have to pull the tank out to flatten them out again.

Sometimes if these tabs are really stuborn you might find yourself putting the shaft of a screw driver behind them while you push the top end of the tab firmly up against the wall of the compartment.

This is all done so the tabs are not sticking out when you put the tank back into its compartment.

Watch out for the electrical wire…

Next, you want to make sure the electrical wire for the fuel sender pick up is out of the way so you don’t catch it with the sharp flanged edge of the gas tank.

OK, grab the tank with both hands, grasping your right hand around the front of the tank and with your left hand on the fuel filler spout side, tip the tank back so that the filler neck fits through the hole in the frame where it runs.

Watch out for catching those tabs as you lower the tank back into it’s compartment and extract your hands without pinching them around the sides.

Yes, it’s in…

Next time we will connect up the lines, spout, and fill this puppy right up to the brim with fuel to see if anything leaks.

But that is next time…

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It’s back…

OK, you have the D Model fuel tank back from Gas Tank Renu. You can see that they did a great job. The inside is red and the outside is black. Both are are patented coatings that are impervious to any of today’s reformulated, high alcohol based fuels.

So, rest assured that you have a gas tank for your Citroen D Model that won’t be causing you any more rust problems. The other thing is, if you should ever sell your little piece of history, don’t forget to mention what you have done with the tank, because this will definitely make your D model worth more money.

Wait a minute, before you put it back in…

Now, before we put that gas tank back into your Citroen, let’s take a good look at the compartment it came out of. There are several things you want to inspect and do before you reinstall the fuel tank.

First, we want to inspect the floor of the Citroen gas tank compartment. Water can roll right down the filler neck and into the tank compartment and end up on the floor of the compartment.

So, you want to inspect the floor, especially around that back corner, right below where the filler neck enters. If it is rusted out, you want to cut out the rusted metal and replace it with new metal. (Rust repair is a subject I intend to cover in a later article more in-depth)

If it is not rusty, you at least want to clean out the whole compartment. I like to use a scraper in the corners and follow it up with a good shop vac.

What the heck is “beading”…

Now, in the floor of the compartment you will notice what is called “beading.” This is a formed or stamped in notch that Citroen put in all the floor panels of the D Model when they made the car to give them strength and eliminate any “tin can” effect.

If you look closely at the two ends of several of these beads, you will notice a fanned out section and a cut in notch running width wise with the car. Now the purpose of this notch is to get air ventilation into the compartment as you are driving down the road.

Has your car ever been jacked up…

If the car has ever been jacked up or put on a lift by someone who did not know what they are doing, these areas could very well be flatted out and not serving their purpose.

If this is the case, you want to put a flat putty knife into these slots and reform the vents. You may not think this is important, but believe me, this system helps to keep the floor of the gas tank compartment dry naturally as you drive down the road.

OK, it’s all prepped…

Now, once you have the gas tank compartment all cleaned and any areas reshaped that needed to be, you want to paint the area with one of the better moisture curing urethane paints out there, such as Por 15 or Rust Bullet. Follow their directions for prepping and application, and you will have a nice clean gas tank compartment that is ready to accept that beautiful new gas tank.

These paints can be found at: www.por15.com/ and www.rustbullet.com/

OK, it’s painted…

At this point, because I am such a firm believer in oiling to prevent rust, I suggest that this is the perfect time to oil the gas tank compartment with the fuel tank removed.

Over the years I’ve used several different concoctions for this purpose. But, several years ago I settled on a product that is designed just for this purpose.

Use Fluid Film to prevent rust…

Fluid Film is by far the best in my opinion for this purpose. Using a base stock derived from sheep’s wool it has all the properties I like for preventing and sealing off rust. It does not evaporate like a petroleum product will. It creeps into small cracks and crevices.

It can even be used on top of old rust and will seal it off and help prevent it from spreading.

Info on Fluid Film and where you can buy it can be found at: www.eurekafluidfilm.com/

Watch for my article on Oiling a D Model…

A comprehensive article on rust prevention by oiling for the D model is in the works for this blog so watch for it at a later date.

Once everything is dry we can begin to put the tank back into our Citroen D Model, so that is next…

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Did you find the fuel pick-up filter…

When you removed the the fuel line from the tank, and if you still had the large 21mm drain plug out of the tank from the passenger’s side of the D Model, you might have noticed the fuel-pick up filter that I spoke of earlier fall out onto the ground.

If this did not happen, then it is probably still inside of the tank. You want to have that out of the Citroen gas tank at this point, in preparation for what we want to do to the tank next. It will come out easily by tilting the tank toward the filler neck and then tilt the tank back further and it should roll right out.

There it is…

With the fuel sending unit removed you can look down into the tank with a flashlight. You might be able to see some of the general condition of the tank at this point. You can get a small mechanics mirror or dentist mirror and see a little bit more, but what I am going to tell you about the construction of the tank you will just have to take my word for, since it is pretty hard to see without cutting the tank apart.

As you can see, the Citroen D Model gas tank is big and flat and runs the width of the car. As most manufacturers would do in this case, to keep the fuel inside from sloshing around too much when the vehicle goes around a corner and to give extra strength to the tank, is to put vertical walls or baffles in the tank. These baffles have holes in them to slow down, yet still allow the fuel to move back and forth in the tank.

Rusty, rusty, rusty…

Well, adding the rusty factor to your D model’s compartmentalized fuel tank, you should begin to realize that without opening up that tank, it will be impossible to get all of that rust out of there. Take it from me, early on I used to try and steam clean the tank, knock some stones around inside and then even tried one of the fuel tank sealers. I just had no luck with them. I did have success on my old motorcycle tank and my lawnmower tank, but not on the Citroen tank. It’s not possible the way it is constructed.

I will share with you now the company I would always send a steel Citroen tank to without any hesitation. Their franchised name is Gas Tank Renu. Their national website can be found at: www.gastankrenu.com

They offer a lifetime guarentee on their work. This will make one less thing for you to worry about with your classic car. Their process involves them cutting into the tank, full sandblasting the tank inside and out, checking for any leaks that might show up, repairing them, then welding the tank back together where they opened it up.

They then use their own patented coatings that they will use on the inside and the outside of the tank . This makes the tank impervious to rusting inside or out for the life of the car. It’s the best way to go.

They’re the best…

Now believe me there was a time when I believed in these do it yourself coatings. But, getting this type of tank nice and sand blasted clean is not possible without taking it apart. And when those do it yourself coatings start to fail because the surface was not prepped properly, well, they start coming off in sheets, and you think a rusty tank is no fun?

Try one with the coating coming off after you went to all the work of taking one of these puppies out and putting it back in again.

Oh, Man…

Take it from me, just send the job to the pros and be done with it. This way you can do something more constructive with your time, like going with your wife to pick out the colors for that kitchen remodel.

So, here is the national site again: www.gastankrenu.com. Go there and look up on their dealer locator the nearest franchised dealer in your area. Give them a call and tell them what you have and that you want the tank sand blasted and their process done.

I have a rusty Citroen D Model gas tank…

There are two things you want to caution them about and they are… Tell them to make sure they don’t put any of the coating down the fuel line pick-up stand pipe. You don’t want it any smaller inside diameter when you are putting that fuel line back in. Second, tell them not to bend the fuel filler neck, because that angle is very critical to getting things to line up when you put the tank back in.

If you have to ship the tank make sure you seal up all of the openings in the tank. Also, put plenty of packing around it when you box it up and put several hundred dollars of insurance on it along with tracking. A good fuel tank can be hard to find.

Next time I will tell you how to put your Citroen D model tank back in once you get it back…

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The tank is drained…

Now that the tank is drained, it is time to get back to those 8mm nuts we sprayed with penetrating oil earlier. Find your 8mm, hopefully 6 point socket and get onto these nuts carefully.

If they come off easy that’s great, consider yourself lucky. What you have to remember is these nuts are attached to some 5mm studs that come through the trunk wall and breaking them off is just going to make a great deal of work for you later.

If they give some resistance, then you want to loosen them slightly, then slightly tighten them again. Spray some more penetrating oil on them, and repeat the process.

Take your time and they should all come off without snapping on you. The key is not to put so much resistance on them that they snap. When you feel them giving a bit of resistance back off and slightly tighten them to release the resistance. Remember it does not take much to break a 5mm shaft on a bolt.

OK, the nuts are off…

Once these are off and you have removed the gravel shield, you will notice that there is a short length of rubber hose that the filler neck attaches to before it connects to the actual neck of the gas tank on its way through the frame.

Here you will notice some clamps. You want to remove them. If they are original strapping clamps it is easiest to cut them off with your wire cutters, or equivalent.

Up close to the cap, or fill end, of the fuel filler neck you will notice a vent tube. On later models there was a charcoal canister attached into this vent. Carefully disconnect things and be sure you inspect all the tubing and hoses for splits and leaks. This is an easier time to replace them than when you have a full tank of fuel.

The clamps are off…

Once all the clamps are off and you have popped out the rubber surround from around the filler cap, you want to wiggle the filler neck loose from the rubber hose that connects it to the tank. Once this is done, carefully pull the rubber hose off of the tank spout.

This piece can get very hard with age, and is often prone to splitting. I have had the best luck with replacing it with 2″ inside diameter fuel hose from my local auto parts store such as NAPA. I also understand that recently a reproduction of this piece has become available. Here in the states it can be found at: Brad Nauss Automotive. You can contact him at: citparts@aol.com

Now for the straps…

Now you want to move back into the car. You will notice two straps that hold the tank down. At the front of the fuel tank compartment there are screws that hold these straps down.

Loosen the screws enough to unhook the straps at the front. Now remove the back end of the strap where it hooks into the frame.

This can be sort of tricky and you might have to use a large flat bladed screw driver and nudge the tank forward a bit in the compartment in order to get these ends out. Push between the back of the gas tank compartment wall and the flange on the fuel tank.

Around the sides of the gas tank, you will notice pieces of molded rubber tubing that are secured with a metal tab holding the rubber tubing against the flange that runs around the fuel tank.

These help to keep the tank from moving around in this compartment, along with the straps you just removed. Take your screw driver and get under the tabs and bring them up toward you and flatten them out against the wall of the fuel compartment so that the rubber tubing can be removed.

This is very important…

Flattening these tabs up against the walls of the fuel compartment is very important, because when you reinstall the tank unless this is done the flange on the tank will catch these tabs and make them impossible to retrieve unless you pull the tank out and flatten them out again.

I know I am going into great detail on this whole project, but believe me I have taken quite a few of these tanks in and out in my time and there are a lot of pitfalls that I have personally been through that I want you to avoid if at all possible.

This part stinks…

Now, we get to my least favorite part of removing the D Model fuel tank and the part that you have to be very careful with. On that right side of the car you will notice a panel that closes off the door sill from the rocker panel.

If this is a Pallas D Model it will be a stainless or aluminum, two piece, attached together strip that runs the length under the door sills and cuts at a 45 degree angle from the bottom rocker edge of the Citroen and is attached to the under edge of the door sill with quite a few screws.

If this not a Pallas model Citroen, then there will be two tapered panels up under this sill closing off the area between the sill and rocker and each panel is held on by several screws. Remove the panels and place them off to the side were you won’t step on them.

Do you see the two hoses…

Looking back into the fuel tank compartment you will see two hoses that go into the front right corner of the tank. One you will notice is a vent tube. Remove the clamp and pull it free from the stand tube where it connects to the tank.

Now comes the fun part. Look under the sill that you have just exposed. You will notice the fuel line comes through the wall of the fuel tank compartment and runs up the side of the car toward the engine compartment.

There should be a small clamp that holds the line against the wall just a few inches forward of where it comes through from the gas tank compartment. There is an 8mm headed bolt holding the clamp. Remove the bolt and remove the clamp from the line. (very important!)

Now, back into the fuel tank compartment. Notice that fuel hose that you saw running up the side of the car just a minute ago.

It is made of an old type of vinyl called Rislan. It can be very brittle and you will have to exercise great care with it not to put a kink in it or it can split. This hose as it comes through the wall of the fuel tank compartment runs through a larger diameter rubber hose.

This rubber hose is attached to the metal stand pipe on the fuel tank. Then the Rislan hose continues down into the fuel tank and goes down into the tank, out of the curved stand pipe and into the center of those washers/discs filter that I spoke of in an earlier article.

Please be gentle…

Now here is were you are going to use some “gentle strength.” What I mean is, you will have to gently pull that fuel line out of the fuel tank stand tube without putting a kink in that Rislan tubing.

I usually begin by putting on a pair of leather gloves and grabbing that rubber hose that attaches to the tank stand pipe and getting a good grip, pull on it. Now, what you will be doing is pulling the whole thing out and through the wall of the fuel tank compartment.

You may find that some lubricant, such as spray silicone, will work best here… sprayed on the rubber grommets that go through the fuel tank compartment wall to allow the rubber hose to slide more easily through the fuel tank wall.

Sometimes if I have one that is really stubborn and does not want to move, I have been known to put some flat billed pliers on the rubber hose and use the inside top edge of the fuel tank compartment as a leverage point to get the hose to start to come up out of the fuel tank and come out the hole of the wall through to the outside of the car.

Remember that clamp…

Remember how I said to remove that clamp on the outside wall and how it was important. Well, here is where you will have to get your hand up in between the sill and side of the car and pull on that rubber hose, and if you did not remove that clamp, you would put a kink in the rislan hose potentially causing it to split and leak.

Once you have pulled the fuel pick up hose completely through the wall of the fuel tank compartment and have its end out under the sill, you can start to take the fuel tank out of the car.

Make sure that the pick up wire for the fuel sender unit is out of the way. I sometimes will wrap tape around it to protect it from getting cut by the flange of the fuel tank as it is removed.

One thing you will want to do at this point is to find a suitable plug to put into the filler neck on the tank before you start to remove it, just in case there is any residual fuel still in the tank. This way it won’t spill out when we have to tilt the tank to lift it out of its compartment.

OK, it’s coming out…

Now, you want to get your large flat blade screw driver and get it between the front wall of the fuel tank compartment and the front flange of the fuel tank. Pry back on the tank to move it as far back into the compartment as you can.

This is to avoid a clearance problem with the two hooks in the front of the compartment where the straps were attached.

Now that you have done this, watch your fingers for pinch points and lift the front of the tank up so that it is high enough to slide it forward and the the neck of the tank back in the passenger side corner will clear the hole in the frame and allow the tank to be removed from the D Model.

It’s finally out…

At this time we can put the tank on the bench, plug up or tape up the various holes in the tank, and lets talk about what we want to do with the tank.

Next time…

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Ready to drain the tank…

Now that you have the D Model safely up on jack stands and everything is stable it is time to proceed with draining the tank of the D Model. (I will first explain this for a sedan, and then come back with the few things that are different for the wagon)

With the Citroen up on its jack stands, you can remove the lug nuts on that right rear wheel the rest of the way, and remove and put the wheel out of the way, or slide it under the car for additional safety.

As you look at the inner fender with the wheel removed you will notice the route of the fuel filler neck as it travels down the inner fender liner/trunk wall on it’s way to the gas tank which is located under the rear passenger seat.

Don’t forget to get some good penetrant…

Find some good quality spray penetrant, and spray the 8mm nuts that attach the hold down straps for this fuel filler neck to the inner fender liner/trunk wall. These buggers are constantly being bathed in road grime splashing up from the wheel and can often be very rusty and prone to snap off when you attempt to remove them. We don’t want that to happen if at all possible.

You also want to spray the penetrant on the 8mm nuts that hold down what we call the “gravel shield” This is the sheet metal cover that you will see down in the corner of the fender liner covering the fuel filler neck as it goes into the unitized frame of the Citroen on it’s way to the fuel tank. Spray all of these nuts heavily, and we will get back to them in a bit after that penetrant has had a chance to soak in.

Take out the seat…

Next go around and open the rear door on the driver’s side of the D Model so that both rear doors are open. While you are over there reach down and put your hand under the front edge of the rear seat cushion and lift up. Go around to the other side of the Citroen and do the same thing, giving the seat cushion a lift up.

This will free the rear cushion off of the plastic plug type pins that hold it in place and you can then lift the front edge of the seat up and lift it out of the Citroen and put it in a safe place. Next you want to remove the rear back cushion. For this you will need to remove two bolts. One on each side. Feel your hand at the two bottom back corners and you should find two 8mm bolts with 11mm, or 12mm heads depending on the vintage of your D Model.

Take your open end wrench of the correct size and remove these two bolts. It’s tight under there and you will probably only be able to get a portion of a turn at a time, but be patient. (Here is where you will find out how many of the bolts found on Citroens are much longer then they need to be).

Once these bolts are out, you want to lift up on one corner, then go around to the other side and lift up on that corner. What you will find is that the top of the seat is held in place by two hooks on each side that hook the top of the seat to the rear window, or speaker ledge. Free the top of the seat from these two sockets and remove it from the D Model.

There’s the tank cover plate…

With the seat completely removed you can see into the trunk area. You will also notice a cover plate that was under the rear seat cushion and covers the fuel tank compartment. First, remove the seat belts if the car has them. A 5/8″, or 17mm should fit these. Once those are removed, remove the rest of the 11mm or 12mm headed bolts that hold this cover plate down.

Once these are removed pull up on the back side of the plate. You will notice that it is stuck down a bit, but it should hinge up toward the front. Once you do this carefully slide it out of its hinge and out of the car. You are now looking at the fuel tank!!! This can also be a favorite area in D Models for mice to make nests, so if you see any evidence of them put on a face mask so that you aren’t breathing in anything they may have left behind.

Now it is time to drain the gas tank. Hopefully there is not too much fuel in there, but we have to be prepared. Full, the tank holds a little over 15 gallons, so have enough cans and pans to accomidate this amount. Surprises are a pain when you are draining a gas tank and don’t have enough containers for everything.

You don’t need any surprizes…

If the tank is pretty full you will want to pump some out from the top first. In the center top of the tank toward the front you will notice a round gizmo with a triangular top that raises up on it and a wire that plugs into it. This is the fuel level sending unit and you want to remove it. Unplug the wire and put it to the side, out of the way.

You will notice two brass screws in the top of the unit, remove them. Now, carefully pull up on the unit. There is a float attached to it with a wire arm that travels off to the side, so be careful as you remove it so that you take this into consideration. You will have to give the unit a twist so that you can get the float out. Go slow, you will see what I am talking about.

Once removed you can look down into the tank with a flash light and see how full it is. This is where you can use that siphon if it has a good bit of fuel in it. Siphon the fuel into the empty fuel cans that you have.

Once you can’t siphon any more, look under the D Model. Here you should find two brass plugs. The one on the passenger side has a 21mm head and the one on the drivers side has a 12mm head.

Remember, they’re BRASS…

Remember, I said brass. They are soft and prone to rounding off so make sure you use a six point socket on them. Get a couple of large oil drain pans and put them under these drain plugs. Find some suitable rubber gloves for your hands and carefully start to remove the 12 mm one that is on the drivers side. Let it drain out and when it pretty much slows down to a trickle, come over to the passenger side.

Now this one has a very shallow head on it, so take care with that six point socket so that you stay square on the head and don’t round it off. Remove the plug and try not to let gas run up your arm to your arm pit, cause it’s not much fun. Finish draining the tank and put the fuel into the proper gas cans, seal them up, and store them in the proper manner.

Next time we will be removing the D Model Gas tank from the car so stay tuned…

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