The new for me Outback has a leak on the top of the gas tank. I've already replaced the leaking fill pipe thinking that was the problem but when the tank was filled yesterday I found there must be a leak on the top of the tank also. Does anyone have a name of a vendor for a replacement tank or should I pay the dealerships price? Now for the big one. What is involved in replacing the tank? This is not looking like a driveway project without a lift.

 

Any help is much appreciated,

 

Mark

I realize that you aren't that close to me, but I have a tank and I may even be able to help you install it. I have access to a lift on weekends. It isn't a difficult job, but now real easy either.

Did you checked the connections at the fuel pump on top of the tank?

 

It might be as simple as a loose/cracked hose connection there.

I want to pull the plugs for the pump and senders on Saturday morning but I can't hope for much. We found it was leaking when filling the tank at a gas station with the engine off.

 

I have an uncle in Richmond Virginia...... HMMM

Let me know if it is something you want to do.

Could be a split in the vapor vent that runs along side the fill pipe. That shouldn't be too hard to check out, you can see most of that stuff through the wheel well. Lowering the tank isn't that hard, but you will want to have it empty or close to empty before you start. Otherwise you'll end up taking three baths that day. One in the morning, one in gas, and one long one with a tub of Gojo trying to get the gas smell off when you're done.

anything is possible. I'll know more in the morning when I pull the plugs for the pump. I just got done looking for them and they are just about in the right place where I see gas running down the side of the tank. As long as work does not call I should have an answer then, hopefully.....

Take up the carpet in behind the back seat. You will find two access panels so you can look at the sending units and the hose connections. You don't need to drop the tank to get a look at that stuff. If you are confused give me a call 804-393-0516

 

Mike

i could be very wrong but, if you have gas running down the side of the tank, it isn't a hole on top. a hole on top would only leak when the tank is 100% full. but i guess it could be close to the top.

 

does it leak when ever you put gas in it? only when you fill it all the way up? or whenever you run the car?

 

you have been dealing with this way longer than we have so you know way more than we do, but it would be nice to eliminate some stuff before you pull the tank.

I pulled the plugs on top this morning, dry as a bone. I then jacked up the car as high as I could, pulled the right rear wheel and poured some gas into the tank to see what happened. As soon As I put fuel down the neck gas started to come down the side near the connection at the tank filler connection. As tight as it is in there I can't tell if it is the clamp that

is not tight enough or the seam on the tank leaking. I'm starting to lean toward the seam. Before I poured gas into the tank this morning I noticed the guage was down and no gas leaking anymore. Also if I put the car on a front down incline the leak stops. No matter what I have to at least lower the tank to get a better look. I'll drive it around for a few days and use up some of the gas to make it lighter. A friend has taken pity on me and will let me use his lift after hours.

 

more at that time, Mark

Any progress? I've got the very same issue on my 1996. I sold the car and was being a good guy filling up the tank for the new owner and "voila", gas leak exactly where yours is. See, no good deed goes unpunished.

Thanks,

Max

No progress yet. I'm still driving around to empty the tank and looking for a replacement tank just in case. So far the only place I have found here is going right to the dealership and order through them. All the local salvage yards say their tanks are rusted through or they drilled holes in them to empty them.

You aren't that far away from me and I will let you have the tank for 100.00 and we can install it right here and you can drive it back home. A new tank is around 400.00 and you still have to get the tank off of yours and reinstall the new one. Even if odd bits break. I have them on my donor car and we can replace anything that is rusted out. I can have mine out so that we don't waste time when yu get here and even if you had to stay over it is a great deal cheaper than what you are looking at right now.

Mike, I will give you a call on Sunday. Post if this is OK with you.

 

Thanks, Mark

Call Sunday 804-393-0516

call after 12 okay? thanks

Mike,

As you can guess phone call did not happen yesterday. Give another time to call. I'll explain then.

 

Mark

you can call anytime today if you want tomorrow is good too

new update on the gas tank. It turns out that my car is an early 96 car, the build date is 9/95. From what I am learning is that a tank from a 95 or up to build date of 12/95 will fit this car. After 1/96 the tank is different. What is different no one seems to know exactly, most say it is an emmisions thing. Can any one say what the difference is? I'd like to buy Mike's tank from his 97, but can I put that in and change the emmisions BS to make it work in my early car?

The local dealership can have the correct tank to me in less than a week, but the $400.00 tag is about what I paid for the car in the first place.

 

Just posting this to maybe help someone else out later on a search.

 

Thanks, Mark

I just found out this weekend that the tank I have won't work. Some idiot put a hole in it that I didn't see until I dropped the tank.

 

Sorry for the trouble.

 

Mike

Mike, thanks for the help on the phone the other day. I will keep looking around and got 2 more yards to check at just this afternoon.

 

Thanks again, Mark

My friend with the lift suggested a way of figureing out where the leak is. We are going to use his emmisions smoke machine and pump some smoke into the tank and see where it comes out. Next weeks project......

Just an update on this problem. I finnally got the car at a shop to replace the tank and just as we are going to the shop one of the rear brake lines blows. Right above the tank. So 2 projects are going on at the same time now. After the tank was removed we found the leak. A small crack in the bottom of the filler pipe on the tank. I was lucky enough to find a replacement tank at a local salvage yard for $80.00. The car it came out of had 69K on the odometer and the tank looks like new. The brake lines were replaced with copper coated lines and brass fittings.

I can't wait to get this bill.......

So, should I take my 99OBW to 'your' shop for the same tank swap?

You could, this was his second that he has done. Due's Automotive 610-588-6194. Mind you it was not cheap, course he redid all the rear brake lines and part of the exhaust at the same time. One bolt was a SOB that took almost an hour and a half to get out and that bolt had to come out to get the tank down. With all the extra work he did while he was in there it was a day and a half job. The other shop I use is Weddes Auto near Bath PA 610-837-6411. He does a ton of Subaru work and has probably 20 Soobs for sale at any time. I just could not get the car there with the blown brake line. His estimate was $300.00 to replace the tank with one that I bought.