I have a 1989 blazer just bought a week ago and filled up for first time and is leaking fuel. I need advice and the INS and outs of removing the gas tank n replacing it. Any advice n help would be appreciated.

 

its a full size right?

you got 2 ways.

you can cut an access panel in your floor pan. that way you can remove the wires from the sending unit and the fuel lines.

then undo both straps and use a jack to slowly drop the tank

or you can undo both straps. slowly let tank down. until you get enough room to undo fuel lines and sending unit harness. chances of breaking a fuel line are higher this way.

also if you live in an area where you get rust. replace the straps and the anti-squeak pads

 

If its anything like a 94 Jimmy, then your going to need a 3/4 socket and 3/4 wrench and spray them down with WD-40 or something to break up the rust. If it still has the plastic shield on it, then you will need a 13mm socket to take off the 9 bolts that hold that on. Then tackle the strap bolts, thats where you need the 3/4 wrenches.

Besure to do it with little any fuel in the tank. Makes it a lot lighter and easier to handle.

 

Garage says 'S10 Blazer' so it's not a full size.

There really isn't much to dropping the tank on the earlier 1st gens. The only bad part is the rusted fasteners. Penetrating oil days/weeks in advance will help in that regard. Then just be slow when you drop the tank.

 

Worst part for me was the gas and vent lines going into the top of the tank. Rusted solid. cut them off and bought a new sending unit that includes the new lines. The tank had rusted through by the lip where the top and bottom are put together. Dirt gets trapped between the tank and a frame cross brace and holds a moisture there. My tank straps, that are more like braces than straps were impossible to remove. I managed to get the rear bolts out and rotate the straps far enough out of the way to drop the tank. Don't forget to disconnect the fill tube hose. Also you will find a wire that bolts to the frame, it is the ground for the sending unit and your fuel gauge won't work without it. This was all on a 93 not sure that yours will be exactly the same.

 

I had problems with this as well when I had to clean my tank out, mainly with reaching the lines to reconnect them once the tank is reinstalled. It helped a hell of a lot that my truck's got a 3" body lift on it and that I had help to hold the tank up while trying to reinstall the straps.

On the plus side, I removed about a cup of dirt from the final half gallon of fuel, and my truck doesn't act like an old Buick with a vapor lock problem anymore whenever you ask it to go around corners on low fuel.

Sometimes taking the rear bumper off helps with accessibility. Or if you have a bolt-on hitch like I put on my truck, take that off. Bumper's easier (at least in my case, since it was bent and I had to hammer the hell out of the hitch to get it on).

 

Yeah I had twisted off the fittings on my sending unit. New sender was slightly shorter connections which made hooking it all back up again a real nightmare... But I got it. If you go look in my build thread, I have photos for you to look at.

 

It really helps if you have help to hold the gas tank while you're doing the connections. I don't know about doing it without a body lift, though. It could very well be majorly annoying. Good luck, though.

 

Just reember to take off the left rear tire other thanwhat these othe guys are telling you. You can also pop theclamps for the fuel lines for some more flexibility.

 

Problem:
The rubber hose that connects the tank to the fuel filler neck in held in place by two hose clamps. on my truck the clamp at the tank was situated so that the clamp nut was only accessible from above. I tried and tried there was less than 2 inches above the frame and the bed of my truck. My hand would only fit in that space without a tool in my hand. no mater what tool i tried to undue the clamp I was unable to turn the nut.

Solution:
I asked my wife Julia, who by the way has the most beautiful soft and perfect hands. Honey would you be willing to get grease and filth from around my gas tank on your hand and help me fix my truck. With out hesitation she said yes. she changed her clothes crawled under my truck and struggled to turn the open end wrench about a 1/16 of a turn at a time until it was free.

Moral of this story is that some times you need a hand (or a smaller one) that forums and tool can not provide only true love can get your truck fixed.