Howdy all, I just finished pulling the RH gas tank out of my 1977 XJ6 due to leaking. The bottom of the tank has some rust through and I was hoping to get some advice on what makes more sense.
1) Repair the tank and reinstall with the existing internal fuel pump and sending unit.
2) Repair the tank, replace the pump and sending unit.
3) Replace the tank with one that uses an external fuel pump.
It looks like finding a tank that uses the internal pump is going to be rather difficult, is it more problematic? If I replace the tank with one that uses an external pump where is the new pump usually mounted?
Garett, It sounds like you have been bitten by the Jaguar bug and you are joining the rest of us in an attempt to bring your '77 Jag up to speed. Congratulations!! What you need to do with the petrol tank is determine, first off -- how bad the leak on the tank actually is. If it is a pin-hole or two than you can easily repair the tank and it will last for years. If you are talking a split seam or a damaged weld than the problems are a bit more intense. In any case, I have found that keeping the original configuration is usually the best way to go. On my 1967, I had a similar problem with my RH tank (it always seems to be the RH side for some reason!!). I had a couple of pin-hole leaks as well as a TON of flaking rust inside the tank to say nothing of a plugged line that drafted the petrol from the bottom of the tank to the external pump. I took my tank to a local radiator shop and had it "Boiled" What this means is that they immerse the tank in a vat of phosphoric acid and it essentially eats up most of the rust. Once this was done, I was able to see the exact extent of the damage. Since the holes were only pin-hole and the over-all integrity of the tank was fine, I coated the inside of the tank with a tank sealant coating made by POR-15.
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This coating is designed to deal with tanks in the condition you describe. I also coated the outside of the tank as well with this sealant just to make sure I had covered all the bases. I then painted the outside of the tank with an epoxy based paint. My '67 already has an external pumps so I did not face the pump problem you have. My only thought is that it sounds as if your problems are more with the tank than the pump/sending unit. Once you repair the tank, you would most likely be better off with the same pump/sender configuration. After all, the original worked pretty well for 25-28 years. If you replace them and they work for another 25 years -- how can you complain? I understand that the cut-over switch is the major problem on the XJ6 although I have no idea if yours was built that way. I believe the later models used two tanks, but one pump so you may be OK. I like the idea of two separate pumps in that if one decides to go on strike, you always have a back-up.
Webserve
"boat73" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com...
Webserve, Yes I do truly have the bug. I am trying to find someplace to boil the tank but as yet have had no luck. Do you remember what it cost you to have it done? I only ask because I found a used tank that after shipping will be around $100.00 and am wondering if I will save much by boiling. A machanic I know agrees with you on the pump, if it aint broke don't fix it. Thanks for the advice, see you on the road.
Garett, Every auto RADIATOR shop will have a tank to "boil" a petrol tank. They just won't understand the term "boil". Find a local radiator shop and tell them you want them to submerge the tank in acid the same way they do radiators to clean out the rust. It will clean everything else off the tank as well so you will know with what you are dealing. My guys did it for $25USD.
The problem with buying a "used" tank for $100USD is that it may be just as bad as what you have now!! Find out what you are dealing with in the tank you have now. It may be in pretty decent shape -- comparatively.
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