3rd & 4th Generation (1992–1996 & 1997–2001)Toyota Camry Discussion for years: 1992-1996 & 1997-2001
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Where/how can I get the gas tank on my 1995 V6 replaced without spending $1200. to get it done ???
I'm at my wits end, this car is one of the best running vehicles I've ever owned, but the cost of ancillary issues is KILLING me.
The gas tank has a leak that can't be left, buying a new tank is $400.CAN, getting it installed is another $237., plus taxes, and that assumes that the lines will all be perfect and free of leaks. I'm sure they won't be, and I'm SURE they'll need to be replaced as well, which pushes the cost of this repair to $1000. OR MORE.
I just can't afford this, can anyone please tell me where I can :
A. Find a tank for less.
B. Get it and the lines replaced without paying more than I earn in a week to have it done.
I live in Kingston Ontario, and I'm willing to drive as much as 5 or 6 hours to get this done....
Please, any and all suggestions would be welcome....
I *can* do some work myself, brake rotors, rebuilding calipers, and replacing pads is within my capabilities, but I'm really, really bad with rusted out bolts/connectors, etc. They ALWAYS break on me, and I have no clue about what to do after that happens...
You should be able to find one @ http://www.car-part.com easily enough. Are you sure the actual tank is leaking? The more likely failure is in the filler neck, they rust out all the time.
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You should be able to find one @ http://www.car-part.com easily enough. Are you sure the actual tank is leaking? The more likely failure is in the filler neck, they rust out all the time.
Thank you so much for that link !
In all my looking for parts online, I've never hit on that site, I've still got to back it up with some calls, but IF the listings are current/correct, I will *hopefully* be collecting a sound used tank from a place within a half hour of me, for under $80.
Now to figure out what is the least expensive way to get it installed CORRECTLY.
The filler neck was actually already replaced, and the tank and/or lines were pointed out to me as being bad by a local mechanic I paid to look at it and tell me the bad news. Of course, not wanting to commit to a repair which could spiral out of control, the quote I got for it was very inclusive and prohibitively expensive...
Thanks for the helpful suggestion, but the price difference between a whole new(to me) tank and the sealer is only $6., and reading through the procedure for the sealer, simply replacing the tank with a sound one is less work.
I think the tank problem is solved, now how to get it installed, and likely new lines fabricated and installed for less than $600. ??
I don't feel capable of doing that, and I don't have the tools to fabricate new lines. I've checked the dealer cost on lines, and they are prohibitively expensive to purchase from the dealer at over $175. just for the set of three lines from the tank.
Making new lines from generic tubing and splicing into where the original lines are still sound is much, much less expensive material wise, but I have no tools, nor experience in doing something as involved as that....
Replacing all the fuel lines would seem like a last ditch effort after you were unable to find the source of the leak. Really the best way is to remove the existing tank and take a look at what's going on with it. If you find a rusted through area, then you know you need to replace the tank obviously. If you don't see anything obvious, then replacing the flexible lines and gaskets will more than likely fix your problem.
Disconnect fuel lines, inlet pipe and necessary brackets.
Remove fuel tank.
By far the hardest part is going to be removing the center exhaust pipe. The bolts that hold the straps up should come out after being soaked down with a good penetrating oil. Either way, without actually removing the tank you will never know where the leak is coming from. I personally would pull the tank before you go out and buy another one.
This thread shows a tank that has what looks like a fracture in the top of the tank. Is there a thread here that addresses directly how to remove the tank? I did a search but didn't find it (yet). Also, do the Gen3's have a drain plug in the tank? I'd look at mine but it's raining like mad out there.
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It looks fairly obviously to be leaking at the seam, here's a picture of what I saw:
It seems to be leaking from the seam of the tank itself and dripping down onto the lines below the seam...
I soaked the bolts that might have to come loose with penetrating oil while I was under there looking...
The lines that are in the plastic piece going from the back to the front do not appear to be leaking anything RIGHT NOW, but they are covered in rust scale, and I'm sure will leak if disturbed much. Is it possible to drop the tank without disturbing the lines which go from the tank to the front of the car ?
BTW: I had to replace the CAT, so the resonator pipe will come apart easily on one end at least...
keep following those wet areas to the top of where they start. the leak could be from the top and running down the side of the tank. when the bung for my vent broke, fuel leaked down across and almost to the other side of the tank.
Just to update. I've pulled out the back seat and removed the access cover to see the top of the tank where the lines attach to the sending unit. They are clean and free of corrosion there, and show no signs of leaks, AT ALL.
So, either the tank IS actually leaking at the seam like crazy, or the line is leaking somewhere between the sending unit and the sharp bend at the bottom where the gas drips off of it.
I'm giving in and taking it to a mechanic on Thursday. I've been PB Blaster'ing the bolts for the tank holders and any other component I think might have to come apart in the hopes of avoiding a lot of broken bolts. In the meantime, I'm looking at buying a different car. This gas leak issue on these cars is a NIGHTMARE.
if you buy the tank yourself and bring it to them to change it, you might save a lot of money. This is not a very complex job for a properly equipped shop with a lift and most shops would take it on, so you may want to shop around for labor prices first if you can.
If the fuel pump has never been changed in this car, it might be a good idea to change it too at this time if you can afford it. The fuel pump can be accessed by removing the rear seat in this year Camry, i think, but since the fuel tank is coming out anyway it is much easier to have them change it then.
I was pretty shocked at the labour costs I'd been quoted, because I too believed it to be a pretty simple thing to repair, the only thing that could conceivably consume a lot of time is if the fasteners are all rotted and need to be replaced. They look "ok" and I've been soaking them in PB Blaster penetrating oil. As long as there aren't 40 bolts to drill out and replace, I can't see how dropping and replacing the tank, and fabricating new lines could take more than about 2 or 3 hours for an experienced mechanic, but the labour quotes have been really intimidating, AND open ended...
It certainly *feels* like I've been getting "screw you, we don't really want the job" quotes.
The guy who's going to actually do it though, has revised his early, very negative assessment since we made arrangements to actually perform the work, I have *some* hope to get this completed without going bankrupt.
As for a tank, I hope I won't actually need one once the leak origin has been identified, but if I do end up needing one, I can get a used one for $75. or a new one from the US for about $150. plus shipping, which is still HUNDREDS less than I was initially quoted...
If the tank doesn't end up being the source of the leak, I'm not going to change the fuel pump because I don't want to mess around with something that is working perfectly so far. The car runs beautifully, if not for this damn gas leak, I'd be very pleased with it. Even WITH the damn gas leak, I'm already so spoiled by how perfectly this engine runs it'll be nearly impossible to go to different one in the future.
My thoughts is that your fuel pump is not the leak point. From the pics, it is the tank that has rusted through at the seam, so tank replacement is most logical. Epoxy is not the solution, as that will fail in one winter / summer cycle (material expansion/contraction) .
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My thoughts is that your fuel pump is not the leak point. From the pics, it is the tank that has rusted through at the seam, so tank replacement is most logical. Epoxy is not the solution, as that will fail in one winter / summer cycle (material expansion/contraction) .
That may be the only thing I'm CERTAIN of. It is NOT leaking at the fuel pump, nor at the point where the fuel lines attach to the sending unit. That area is absolutely dry, I popped the access cover and confirmed this. Also, the fuel pump functions flawlessly...
It certainly *appears* as if the seam is the leak, BUT, when I went to purchase a used tank that was *supposed* to be sound, its seams looked pretty much exactly like the seams in the tank currently installed. I don't know how much the guy at the wreckers knows about it, but he said the tanks are welded together at a point about a half an inch back from where it appears they are joined and that the rust wouldn't even be at a point where it would produce a hole that could even GET to the interior of the tank....
So, I'm back to not really knowing AT ALL where its leaking until its pulled down and the wetness can be traced to its definitive origin...
Which kind of leaves me in a pickle if it DOES turn out to be the tank...
Which is why I'm currently madly searching for another car entirely...
Have I pressure tested it ? No, I don't know how to do that, nor do I have tools to do it....Have I paid someone to do a pressure test ? No, repairing this problem as cheaply as possible doesn't really allow for paying a shop's $89./hour labour rate to do a test which can be avoided hopefully by looking for the origin of the leak when the repair is to be executed.
It might be something to do to better get an idea where the leak is before anything is taken apart, but its an added expense which doesn't really get the repair done.
I've responded to a couple of kijiji posters who are offering repair services at a discounted price, maybe there's hope of an economical repair being possible.
Just as an aside, I had a Subaru Legacy wagon with a similar issue, but with it, the brake lines were totally rotted away. The quotes I got for fabricating and installing new lines and rear brake linings, front pads and rotors ranged from $2400.(yes, someone really told me it would cost TWENTY FOUR HUNDRED DOLLARS) to a "low" of $700. from licensed shops. I bought all the material myself, linings, shoes, rotors and lines and connectors, and paid an experienced mechanic cash to do the work, final cost was $240. total.
So I know effecting repairs at reasonable costs is possible, but when its something so poorly defined as a leak, the uncertainty factor is the wildcard. Basically most shops "nowadays" want to throw parts at any issue and just charge, charge, charge, charge. This problem I have is simple to fix that way, but very, very, very expensive.
Defining the leak location economically is the first issue, then the repair's cost will be on top of that. Ideally I'd like to spend nothing on defining the location of the leak, which means its pretty much got to be a part of the repair process itself, which kind of eliminates secondary tests which will be additional costs in and of themselves....right ?
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1995 V6 Gas tank replacement ON A BUDGET ?
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