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DB18 petrol tank removal

Mark Bullen
Posts: 219
Joined: Mon Feb 15, 2016 1:07 pm
Location: Wiltshire

DB18 petrol tank removal

Post by Mark Bullen »

Having a petrol gauge that shows permanently full, some helpful advice from a DLOC member and running out of fuel I have decided i really must investigate. First check was if there was power to the sender and I've got 4.7v between feed and earth which seems low?
Trying to remove the sender and 2 screws are completely covered by the boot floor so it's looks like I'll need to lower the tank. I can see 3 fixings. 2 which are to the front of the car (the tank is resting on these) and 1 on a rear cross member from which the tank is hanging.
Please could anyone with experience of removing sender/tank please give me some advice. Thanks in advance. Mark

Salmons
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Posts: 438
Joined: Thu Feb 11, 2016 7:56 am
Location: Sherringham

Re: DB18 petrol tank removal

Post by Salmons »

I restored a DB18 in 1995 and I clearly remember having to raise car up, remove bolts and lower the petrol tank.
You need to remove the short tube from the filler cap first.

Dennis

Db n j
Wise Man
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Posts: 917
Joined: Sun Mar 13, 2016 8:55 am
Location: uk shropshire

Re: DB18 petrol tank removal

Post by Db n j »

Just a thought - I thought there was a hole in the boot floor to allow the sender to be removed ? how far out is your hole ?

If its a small amount away, is it worth making the hole a little bigger - much easier than removing the tank..


However, my experience with our DB18 Empress was that the tank was a very tight fit between the chassis rails, and was a b****r
to get out, and even more difficult to get back. (on the other hand you could clean and seal the tank whilst its out). And our car didnt have an exhaust at the time.


I see that David Beales advertises replacement sender units which is handy.

good luck

NickDeAth
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Posts: 471
Joined: Mon Feb 15, 2016 8:41 pm
Location: South Essex

Re: DB18 petrol tank removal

Post by NickDeAth »

When I took the tank out of my Consort I found it necessary to shorten the filler neck on the tank to allow the remainder of the ne ck to come down between the chassis rails. I just used a longer piece of rubber connecting pipe when I put the tank back.

Nick.
"Nick - do you think you will ever put that old car back together again?"

Marcel Renshaw
Man of Many Parts
Man of Many Parts
Posts: 673
Joined: Fri Feb 12, 2016 8:44 pm
Location: Derbyshire

Re: DB18 petrol tank removal

Post by Marcel Renshaw »

When I removed the tank from my Consort many years ago I found that by making one of the brackets 1/4" narrower by means of an angle grinder the tank came out easily.
The tank would have been fitted before the body and only intended to be removed in an upwards direction.

Sydsmith
Extremely Wise Man
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Joined: Sun Feb 14, 2016 11:15 pm
Location: Aberystwyth Wales

Re: DB18 petrol tank removal

Post by Sydsmith »

With respect, are we not jumping the gun here? The fault may not be with the sender but something else.

It is easy to check gauge and lead running to the sender and you may have a fault there.

At the risk of teaching granny to suck eggs, first switch on the ignition and check the voltage on both posts on the gauge, if it is reading full, the one post should read 12 volts and the other zero or near zero.

If that is the case identify the tank sender lead and the 12 volt feed to the gauge and disconnect the tank sender feed. If you cannot tell which is which, remove one of the leads from the gauge and check for 12 volts on the lead or on the other post, if you have removed the 12 volt feed from the gauge, refit it and remove the other lead. With the sender lead removed the gauge should then read empty, if not the gauge is faulty. (you should get 12 volts on one post and zero on the other)

If it does read empty you now need to check if you have a short to earth in the tank sender lead on it's way to the tank, or if the sender is faulty. That is easy if you can get at the tank sender connection and remove it. With the gauge connected both posts and the ignition on with the sender lead removed at the tank end, the gauge should read empty. If that is the case the sender is faulty. (If you earth the sender lead at the tank end somewhere convenient the gauge should read full.)

If you can't get at the tank sender connection on the tank, it might seem a bit drastic, but if you were to cut the sender lead as close as possible to the sender, where you can put a connector, the gauge should then read empty, if not it has a short somewhere in between and that will prove the lead.

Don't bother trying to measure any voltages or resistances except the 12 volt feed to the gauge, depending an the meter you are using you will get all sorts of odd readings.

Hope that helps. Syd

grahamemmett
Chief Geek
Chief Geek
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Joined: Mon Feb 08, 2016 8:12 pm
Location: Northwich, Cheshire
Contact:

Re: DB18 petrol tank removal

Post by grahamemmett »

My 1949 DB18 has a removable panel accessed from the spare wheel bay to get to the sender.
Graham Emmett ¦ DLOC Chairman ¦ chair@dloc.co.uk ¦ 07967 109160
Northwich, Cheshire
DB18 1949 LCV522 (Yes that one with the P100s)

Johnsson
Posts: 55
Joined: Fri Feb 12, 2016 11:23 pm
Location: Brisbane, Australia

Re: DB18 petrol tank removal

Post by Johnsson »

I can easily get at mine by removing the floor between the boot and the spare tyre compartment.

Trevor

Mark Bullen
Posts: 219
Joined: Mon Feb 15, 2016 1:07 pm
Location: Wiltshire

Re: DB18 petrol tank removal

Post by Mark Bullen »

Thanks everybody for your inputs. The access is very tight even with boot floor and access panel removed. I am reluctant to cut anything although it looks like like the cut out in the floor is not quite aligned with the tank, about an inch out. The tank is relatively new in stainless so hopefully doesn't need sealing.
I'm going to do the gauge checks first as suggested by Syd and I have a low profile ratchet arriving which should help access the 2 screws should I need to remove the sender, along with a wooden wedge to lift the boot floor.
Funny thing is the David Beales sender popped up in my email the other day.
Thanks once again, update after investigation.

NickDeAth
Helpful Person
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Posts: 471
Joined: Mon Feb 15, 2016 8:41 pm
Location: South Essex

Re: DB18 petrol tank removal

Post by NickDeAth »

Further to me cutting a bit off the neck, I didn't have too many choices at the time. Lock up garage, no power and hand tools only.

Nick
"Nick - do you think you will ever put that old car back together again?"

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