Hi all. Im new here. Finally found a great deal on a 90 legacy wagon Ive sought after. Its so clean inside except rip on driver seat. Anyway i was so happy and then i filled it up with gas the first time and got home and its leaking all over!! Based on what I'm reading I think it may be rusted at the seam or have a hole somewhere that I cant see.  If i have to take it out to fix Id rather get a new one but I cant seem to find any online. Anyone know where I can get one. Or if it can be welded to fix?. 

just for an extra option i know there is places that if u take it out they can put a lining on the inside like a kinda plastic liner that will seal it internally.

yeah, you probably will not find a replacement tank for a 30yr old car that is not in the "classic collector" realm.

Depending on where the leak is, and how bad it is.. getting it lined is probably your best option.

That said, it will not be an easy task to get that tank out of the car.

It goes almost without saying, that the car should not be driven (nor even the engine started).

There's a real risk of fire or explosion with a leaking gas-tank.

have you checked to see if it is the filler tube?

there is a "protective" shield that traps dirt and then rusts out the filler tube.

I also had one of those little in line discs leak (I think they are some sort of pressure regulator)

You can reline the tank. Friend owns a couple of 1968 Subaru 360s. Remove tank and roll a bunch of pebbles inside to clear off obvious rust. I think he braised holes and then swirled the plastic inside. Let me know if it comes to that and I'll get more specifics.

Where is the car from?  If AZ I doubt it rusted out.  Filler tube most likely.  

Also check the fuel pump.  Someone may have done a poor job of replacing the gasket on top of the tank.

Or fuel line up there.

On our 95 Legacy one of the three metal pipes that run up and across the top of the fuel tank began leaking. I replaced them with fuel injection rubber hoses. I did them one at a time so I didn't get them mixed up. Supply, Return and Vapor. It was a little tricky, but I did it without dropping the tank.

Thank you all for the information. Let me also add that It stopped leaking (it was a heavy drip at first) And it doesnt leak at all when started. My mechanic ( who I cant afford to pay to fix it right now) said its probably not the fuel pump. The car came from Minnesota originally and I dont know how long its been in AZ  I bought it at a tow yard so no way to know. Is the fuel pump under the back seat? i tried to find it

If you "filled" the gas tank and the leak started right afterwards, it does point to the filler tube. You can look in from the rear wheel well and note wetness on the outer surface after filling. On my 91 Loyale, I removed the "protective" or rather destructive cover getting rid of the trapped dirt and sealed the pinholes with some caulk designed for that purpose. Sold the car a few months later and it was still holding.

Hope that this is your issue as the solution beats dropping the tank.

Edited April 28, 20205 yr by brus brother

Until you are able to make repairs and assuming it is a leaking filler neck tube, try only filling the tank halfway. 

Actually that might also be diagnostic of a filler tube leak...

4 hours ago, Chrystine said:

Is the fuel pump under the back seat? i tried to find it

Open the right rear door and lower the backs of the rear seat. Lift up the rear carpet and you will see an oval cover. The fuel pump is under that access cover inside the tank.

AWD (all wheel drive) vehicles will have a round cover on the drivers side that is for a second float assembly in the tank for the fuel gauge. The fuel tank is called a saddle tank because the bottom is raised up in the center for the driveshaft going to the rear differential. They use a jet pump to siphon gas from the drivers side over to the passenger side where the fuel pump is.

 

thank you all again for the great info. I foun the fuel pump  probably hadnt been touched in 30 years..lol  i looked at the filler tube. of course its covered with grease and gunk but i couldnt see any holes or cracks. My guess is its leaking right where it connects to the tank. And it dont look easy to get off. But soon as I get the funds im gonna try and replace it.

The big rubber tube that connects the filler tube to the tank is about a 1/4" thick hose.  Not that it couldn't fail but it's not likely.

I"d gas it up to just under full.  Then take a 5 gallon gas tank and with the car jacked up, fill the tank.  It will give you a good view of tank and filler tube.

Easy enough.

All that gunk built up on the metal filler tube , clean that off , your leak is there. It won’t be a large hole but probably an area that appears to weep. Maybe also a hole has developed. But in general that crap atop the bend in the pipe has caused the rot. 
 

30 years , you said it all. No thin wall metal tube is going to survive that long if neglected as it was. 
 

Probably 5% of subaru owners properly wash their car 100% 

Most everyone misses spots like that. And the plastic shield is the accomplice. 
 

Good luck.

Edited April 30, 20205 yr by moosens

Lots of good  info in this post as well.