Hi John,
The car has since Sunday run better than it has in a VERY VERY long time. The weather here is up at the 100 mark and I've had no problems at all and I've pushed it a lot harder than normal trying to get it to fail.

I'm not sure what model or year car you have but changing the tank is really an easy job. On my '89 sedan with every thing ready to go in, it took less than an hour to do it. That hour only includes the dropping of the old tank and reinstalling of the new tank. I spent a couple of hours doing prep work on the new tank, cleaning it inside and out checking the pump and changing the filter sock.

Before you go to all that work pull the service cover over the lines located it the trunk. Then remove the sending unit/pump from the tank and check it out. It's an easy job and may save you a lot of work. I could shine a light down in the tank and see the rust all over everything and built up down in the area where the pump and strainer sits. The car I own had sat for 4 years with less than a quarter of a tank of fuel in it before I bought it, your's may not be that bad. It is normal for the sending unit and metal lines to have some build-up on them. That build-up is not all rust it can contain additives and other things that have been leached out of the gas/vapor over the years.

The '89 I have has 5 bolts that hold the tank on, two on either side and one straight up from the filler plug in the rear end.

Heres a quick rundown on how to change it.
1. Back the car up on ramps.
2. remove the vent hose on the filler neck
3. remove the rubber around the filler neck
4. remove the service cover over the fuel lines and intank pump.
5. unplug the wires for the sending unit/pump and remove the fuel lines. The lines can be a bit tricky to get off but just take your time and work them off a little at a time.
6. remove the two passenger side bolts under the car and the one in the middle.
7. put your knees up to hold that side of the tank and remove the two bolts on the drivers side of the car.
8. slowly work the filler neck out as you lower the tank from the drivers side (leave the filler neck attached to the tank).

Thats it. reinstall in reverse order.

You could leave the lines attached and remove them once you lower the tank but with a little gas left in the tank it gets heavy really quickly so I don't want to do anything but drop the tank and get out from under the car.

It took me longer to type this than it would have taken me to actually have done the work.

Just remember that gas weighs about 8 pounds to a gallon so the less gas in the tank the better. I have never done it with more than half a tank of fuel left in the tank ......... but I'm a pretty big boy :-)

Good luck,
Tony
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Tony Turner 89 Volvo 240DL 257K, 92 Jeep Cherokee 250K, 93 Jeep Grand Cherokee 215K, 1980 Mercedes 240D 360K