Reinstalling the Gas Tank in the Citroen D Model…
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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