P30 fuel tank removal ideas

[circleD]

I've read on hear about people "dropping there tanks" and I needed to drop mine to replace the sending unit and while its out why not clean, inspect, and replace 30 year old hoses right!
I was thinking about how to drop mine safely and making it easy to do by myself or with help and if you ask someone to help drop a 70 gallon tank from a RV you let them do the easy part of it because you'll need help with the install also, right?! I made a frame for my tank that was just a 1/2 inch wider and a few inches longer so I could put side "rails" and strong front and rear "bumpers" so when you get to pushing and pulling, the tank will have a nice solid bottom and things to stop it from sliding off while you're moving it around. On the bottom I made a guide for the floor jack (minus the removal cup piece) so it would stay centered while unloading it and when we put back on along with a stopping point so it would stop on center.
I didn't jack up the RV because the built in jacks where in the way and didn't provide much lift anyway. If extra clearance is needed I would use solid ramps to drive the rear tires on. Once the jack with the board on it was centered I lifted it till a little pressure was on the tank. Then I took off the 6 nuts that were 3/4 inch dia. off with an impact. The fuel, fill, and vent lines were taken off the day before and closed with a rag due to fumes. That speeds up the process so when your free help arrives also  W% . I cut all the lines and kinked backed the smaller ones since they were all going to be replaced. And thanks to other post on here I WILL ADD EXTRA LENGTH to all. The over flow hose didn't want to come out due to the bushing and hose seized together but a screw driver made it come loose by prying on it. Now we just lowered it and I had 2 more pieces of wood laid out like a track to slide it off of the jack and push it on the wooden track.
My measurements were off by 3/4'' on the high side to move it under the rear hitch and had to take it out on the passenger side instead. BUT we just grabbed the 2 pieces of "track" and moved were it needed to be then out it came.
Once it was clear from underneath I pumped out more fuel and we just picked up the tank with it still on the board and carried it to a place away from anything. I did tie it down to the board just as a precaution before we carried it just because. I did pull the sending unit with the rotted seal and it does not work but there's other post on how to solve it. I'm buying a new one period and hoses. It took about 20 minutes to drop the tank and remove once the connections were off. This is how I did it but I would like to see other ideas so maybe somebody can find an easier way for future DIYers. Pallet jacks with racing stripes don't count, sorry Stripe  :)rotflmao . One thing to look out for is make sure that if you make something to do this that there is clearance for your tools to get the nuts and bolts loose because I had to use an extension.

[Stripe]

Wow, looks like a cool DIY'er kit there.. I likey..

[legomybago]

Just looking at that tank hurts my wallet..............

[circleD]

What really hurts the wallet is trying to keep it just full enough to run but empty enough to drop easily. That means every time I run it or drive it that's at least 5-10 gallons i put in to make sure I get there and back  D:oH!

[pvoth1111]

I know my has a fitting to drain it if required....

[circleD]

I couldn't get mine out without damaging the fitting.  D:oH!

[cncsparky]

I like that!  Should've done the same but got in a hurry.  A real PITA any way around it.

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Ha ha!  Eat your hearts out fellow HR owners!  On our 89 Anniversary edition with the big storage compartments, you can access the top of the tank and replace everything without removing the tank.  Don't hate me, because I love you guys....lol!

Kev

[circleD]

Hey stranger!! Well I still have it easier than others. But you never know when you have to do it though. 

[circleD]

Here's the reason for removal and still another wrong part delivered but I am exchanging for a longer and trimmable one.

[M & J]

Looks like the makins of  a still to me.

[circleD]

If I don't get it put in soon it might be W%

[Stripe]

Looks like the makins of  a still to me.

Typical....

But yeah, let's make some SHINE!!

[circleD]

I started this thread to show my way of getting the tank out but I ran into some "ALOT" of other things while putting it back in. So if someone can think of a better title to help others and move threads please have at it so people can learn from it.
While I had out the tank I painted it with some Rustoleum paint and its not the best even after I prepped the surface but hopefully I'll never see it again. Below are some pics of a 1984 HR Imperial 33 70 gallon tank and a CARBED 454 and all the fuel fittings are painted RED even the genny one. The fuel sending unit is by itself in the rear and there is a grounding wire bracket that is near the return line. I even left a note and date on top of the tank for the next person  .
Once I got all the gas out I used my inspection camera to look through the sending unit hole and the 5/8 vent hole on the side to look for any debris or cracked welds. I couldn't get to the front due to the baffles and everything was clean and intact. I put in the new sending unit after calibrating it and using a meter, hooking it to the rv and using the factory gauge, then do it all multiple times so I don't have to see it again. When I took out the tank I cut all of the lines for the fuel and 5/8 vent at the filler neck but did take off the filler neck in one piece. With the tank still out I used all new fuel lines, 5/8 vent line that I hooked to the factory piece I left in place because YOU CAN NOT ACCESS THE 5/8 VENT HOSE WITH THE TANK UP SO YOU HAVE TO DO IT WHILE IT'S DOWN ON THE GROUND THEN FEED IT UP THROUGH THE FRAME (in pics), put on a new lower filler neck, and new wires for the sending unit.
When it was time to raise it up, some of the threads got buggered up because my helper didn't listen when I said keep it level and straight because the holes in the brackets are so tight with the rods and bolts. When the tank was down I cleaned the threads on all the bolts with a wire brush and thought I was good to go but that little bit of gunk made it hard to get the nuts started really good. BUT!! We were tired and at the finish line so with the nuts only on there with a turn or two we just used the impact and made them go  D:oH! which 5 out 6 were OK. Then I torqued 2 of the rods and they got messed up, then one of the bolts had metal shavings coming off of it and we figured that should hold it and forget about it. The next day I went to Lowes and bought 1/2" rod, 3/4'' nuts, and 1.5" bolts costing $7.50 then using some scraping metal out of my pile to make new mounts to do it right. My brother wasn't happy about taking it down so he spend an hour trying to tap the bolts and couldn't so I fabricated and he started to get everything ready. With new and clean threads to work with it was easier.
Some quick TIPS for this kind of tank and RV style
1. When you CUT any line to take out the tank it makes things easier but watch out for fluids in the lines.
2. On THIS DESIGN since the 5/8 vent hose goes through the frame and the nipple on the tank sticks OUT 1" and the tank itself is exactly the same width to fit in between the frame rails. So you need to tilt the tank while on the wood and jack to get it over the bottom frame lip then straighten back up. We tried to do this and it wouldn't come out without some force and the tank is thin aluminum so we took the hanging rods on the DS OFF by unbolting them from the frame and had plenty of room.
3. The vent line getting bunched up was the hardest thing and the rubber grommet (30 years old) was rotten so I took it out and made grommet with some old fuel line and lined the hole with that.
4. When the tank is out you can either clean the bolt threads really good and the nuts or go ahead and make new ones for 30 plus more years of service and easy install.
5. Watch the extra long fuel lines and make sure they don't get crimped.
6. When we got all 6 bolts started we then took the jack and wood out and used 3 scissor jacks by placing them on the straps and a 2x4 then slowly started pushing up and even and tightening as we went. Since we were on a slight hill we had to push the tank forward a little then snug it down.
Here are some other small bits from another post with the stripped bolts
http://www.classicwinnebagos.com/forum/index.php/topic,9997.0.html

[M & J]

Nice write up D.

[Stripe]

Indeed..

[Tim Traveler]

Hi D:

I just went through the same job here myself, and I'm glad it's over!  Don't know about yours, but mine had a ton (give or take) of sprayed-on insulation.  There was so much of the insulation sprayed on the tank and frame nearby that when I tried to lower the 2 floor jacks on either end (yes, there was plywood between the jacks and the tank!) the insulation was actually holding the tank up to the frame!  The outboard side was coming down okay, but the inboard side was staying right there; I had to cut the insulation away with a keyhole saw the whole length of the tank to get it down. 

I also noticed that the insulation was actually holding a lot of dirt and moisture against the tank, and was on its way to rusting the tank out in a couple spots.  I filled at least 2 or 3 large trash bags with that crap!  I replaced all of the mounting bolts and nuts (if I recall correctly, they are 1/2" diameter x 2", I think) 

I had driven the r/f tire up on some of those Lynx Levelers, (they're like over-size orange Legos) and also jacked up the rear of the frame, just enough for the tank to clear the body coming out.  Once I got the tank out, I put it on 2 of those flat furniture carts from Harbor Freight - they worked really well to move it around.  I then slid it into my carport and worked on it in there. 

Your tank is a little different from mine - the sender looks the same, but mine is more in the center.  There's a baffle about 1/3 of the way from the rear and a line picks up fumes from there and it goes to that little vapor canister up front.  From what I can tell, mine is a 60 gallon, so maybe that's why it's different from yours. 

Mine also has a 1/4" line that comes out from the sender and goes to the rear of the coach - I believe it's for a generator.  My coach didn't come with a generator and the line dead ends 2' or so ahead of the rear bumper.  I replaced that line 6' or 8' back so I can access it later for a generator if needed. 

Sorry if this is a little word-y; I wrote a bit about this job in another post; it was about vapor locking and fuel pumps, etc.  I also apologize for not having any pictures of the job - it rained a lot, which delayed me quite a bit, it was quite hot and humid, and I did this whole thing alone - it never crossed my mind to get the camera!   

[circleD]

Its great to hear about other peoples details because I didn't have any foam except right above the tank and you're right. Even though the foam wasn't adhered to the tank we had all straps loose and had to give it a good kick to make it loose. I thought the foam was to keep the noise down in the bedroom while traveling but I think it was a cushion for the tank  i??  I got lucky and was able to slide the tank on the plywood under the hitch.
The only reason I took pics was to remind myself for future issues or if I sell it then I can prove that I actually did the work.

[HandyDan]

CircleD, you did a terrific job illustrating how to get the gas tank out.  I have finally convinced myself that now is the time to do the same.  However, considering my age and abilities, I thought it might be prudent to see if our local RV repair place might do the job for me.  But, alas, they said that is one of the jobs they don't do and didn't have any suggestions of whom I might seek help from.  Soooooo, I guess I am going to attempt to do the job myself.  However, is there any possibility that I can just unscrew the nuts and lower the tank enough to get to the sending unit without completely dropping the tank?  The sending unit is the main reason for doing all this, but I would like to change out all the rubber lines while I'm at it.  I've already done the main line, but I can't reach the other two.  I, also, have that mysterious ground wire hanging down from behind the rear axle that I can't figure out what it connects to.  Perhaps it goes to the top of the fuel tank.  Do you know where your fuel tank is grounded to the chassis?
Dan

[circleD]

Where the 3 RED fuel nipples are you'll see some wire coiled up there. I put new wire on and made it longer because (they) connected the ground wire to the frame just between the tank and frame rails. You can ground it where ever you want. When I was lowering mine I cut mine once I could see it. The bolt was rusted so bad I couldn't loosen it anyway.
I will tell you and everyone the one thing to remember,
PLEASE TAKE THE TIME AND LOWER THE TANK ALL THE WAY AND CLEAN EVERY SINGLE THING YOU CAN REACH WITH BRUSHES AND PUT SOME FRESH PAINT UNDER THERE ALONG WITH NEW WIRES AND CLEAN CONNECTIONS.
You don't want to have to get back under there for anything. So if there are wires you want to replace or add that run down the frame rail this is a good time. It took me a total of 5-7 hours to drain, drop, replace, clean, install. But it actually took me a month or so due to wrong parts delivered and I cleaned everything for several days along with painting. If you try to drain the tank using the plug on bottom you have a few tries before it strips. If you pump it out you need to remove the filler neck to access the gas. A transmission jack or adapter may have helped but I gave as much detail in earlier part of this thread. The plywood on the bottom is key to moving the tank without damage. Let me know if you have any questions at all.

[GONMAD]

I'd like to add that it's a good idea to test the ohmage of the sending unit BEFORE you re-install the whole mess. Otherwise you might have to take everything back out & do it over again due to a defective part (like mine). My sending unit used to read full to 1/2 tank to empty, now it reads 1/2 to 1/4 to empty. It REALLY SUCKS running out of fuel unexpectedly when you just installed it without pre testing it for 'sweep' & accuracy. I hope this is a help, just because it's new doesn't mean not defective out of the box. GONMAD 

[circleD]

That's correct. I forgot to mention that I checked the sending unit, unit gasket, unit screws, hose connections, and every detail so many times I drove my brother crazy when he was helping me  . I have OCD really bad.

[Schmitti]

This work I've also finally behind me and therefore knows what you had for a work with it - but it's worth it in any case 
Looks very good and I hope you have the next 30years calm 

Thomas

[Pogo397]

Where did you get the new sending unit.

[circleD]

Advance auto parts. Made sure the ohms matched and the arm was the same length. As long as the bolt pattern.