Removing your fuel tank from your van and replacing the sender unit.

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This article is not about solving a particular problem but about how to remove the fuel tank and what the pinch points maybe.

We haven't just removed the tank for the sake of this blog. We had fitted a

 diesel heater and needed to add a supply pipe.

This is possibly one of the simplest straight forward jobs you can do yourself

on this van. The tools for the job are simple as well, multi tipped screw driver

to include star bits. because this is manly a van of French manufacture the

bolts holding the tank in place are 16mm, four axle stands to do it safely, a 3

ton trolley jack preferred and a special tool to remove the fuel gauge housing.

Before we go on you should use safety glasses preferably ones that are full enclosed to prevent any fuel getting in your eyes or some form of glasses that

will deflect any droplet that springs off the pipes you release. If you get thesmallest of droplets in your eyes you will know it with a vengeance. This is

Experience talking. Please note the warning.

 

One of the most obvious pinch points is the amount of fuel in the tank. Liquids

are surprisingly heavy and unpredictably when they get moved. Once moving

they can build up a force that cannot be stopped causing untold damage to the

wiring and fuel lines connected to the tank. If you are laying on the floor with

it on a jack the chances are you will not be able to prevent it slipping off. It is a good idea if you have someone else about to give a hand. The emptier the tank the better.

 

If you are thinking of siphoning the fuel off think again as there is an anti

syphon device fitted. We did go this route because the gauge was showing two

bars on the segmented digital dash or about a quarter on analogue fuel gauge.

This amounts to 30+ liters in our case which is quit a weight for one person to lift, let alone control laying on the floor.

 

OK the first job is to release the filler neck and breather pipe from the tank.

There maybe a protecting plate fitted if not it means the tank has been off

before. If it has there will be an unscrew-able hose clip fitted making the job easier as it has replaced the tamper proof clip that will need cutting or breaking off.

 

Next the breather pipe, to release this you apply pressure ether side to the

buttons and it will slide off. Practice was different for us it would not move no

matter what we did so in the end we unscrewed the fill neck from the body

held in place with three star screws then fiddled the neck out. We were able

once the tank was out to remove the breather even then it fort us. The fill neck was put back in place before the tank was refitted.

 

The four 16mm bolts holding the tank in place were all released. These bolts

have thread lock on them so may take some effort to undo. Depending on

whether or not you have enough height once you have the axle stands in place

it is a good idea to place on the ground under the tank a sheet of ply, carpet

cloth etc. to protect the tank if you have to slide the tank out without the jack.

No point gouging the tank that may produce leaks at a later date.

 

 

We place a board on the trolley jack to help spread the load and protect the

tank. With it in place and jacked up we took the bolts out completely. Lowering

the tank very slowly as we still had 30 liters of fuel in it. Even so it nearly

pulled itself of the jack.

With the tank down you need to release the fuel flow and return pipes. The

pipes run along the top of the tank in groves that hold them in place along with

the wiring loom. These need to be gentle prized out. Once out remove the

pipes from the pump sensor unit this is quite simple they are squeeze together clips. Place both pipes in a container to catch the diesel that will leak out or

Plug the ends. Then unclip the wiring block connector.

 

With everything removed, pull the tank from under the van for the next set of

fun and games. If the top of the tank is caked in mud we suggest you clean it

off to stop the fuel being contaminated with it. We made the special tool needed to remove the locking ring holding the pump sensor unite in place.

 

Before you remove the lock ring look for an arrow and mark its position on the

top of the tank. If there is no mark then make your own. This is important

when tightening so you do not over stress the threads. Also make a note of the direction the pipe connections are pointing.

 

When placing the removal tool it should sit on the little step at the top of the

ring. With the home made tool wind in the outer nuts in until it grips and then

use the inner ones to lock it into place. Put a bar of a reasonable length between the upright metal and apply pressure slowly anti clock wise. It will be stiff to turn for a number of turns. The reason is that the unit is sprung loaded.

Pull the unit up slowly as there is a float attached to a long wire bar. This tells the dashboard how much fuel is in the tank.

 It is a little tricky getting it out you will need to lean the unit over at an angle. Keeping an eye on the O ring sitting at the top of the thread.

 

We did our modification and emptied the tank of most of its fuel to make the

replacement a lot simpler. It is also an opportunity to see if the fuel is

contaminated and removed. Before doing up the lock ring check the O ring is

properly in place if not it will leak. It is important that the hose connections are

kept pointing the right way and keep checking as the top of the unit will keep

moving until the lock ring becomes tight.

 

 

The empty tank makes its replacement a lot simpler. It is a case of retracing

your steps to get it back in place. Once all secure replace the fuel. Before you

start the engine use the priming bulb to charge the line removing the air.

If you are doing this for the first time allow a day, two days from start to finish.

The amount of time really depends on your circumstances. We did it over two

days as we had to make the special tool and really not in a hurry.

 

 

Pictures in order of apperance: 

1. Mounting place for filler pipe.

2. Breather pipe push fit connection.

3. Anti syphon trap.

4. Clip on to og fuel tank.

5. Connections on top of sender unit.

6. Plate of steel to make special tool.

7. Special tool put together.

8. Ridge on sender unit scuring ring.

9. placement of special tool.

10. Sender unit will need to be lent over to one side to take into account float and arm.

11. New fuel pipe for Wallas XC Duo cab heater.

12. New pick up pipe in place in sender unit.

13. O ring seal on fuel tank check not damaged.

14. Cover that protects fuel primeing bulb.

15. Primeing bulb.

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How to deal with a flat battery

A flat battery has implications way beyond not being able to start your vehicle now a days and it always happens at the most inconvenient of times. Then the panic sets in because you have read somewhere that you cannot jump start it or believe that is the case because it states something in the handbook about going back to the main agent to get it looked at. The answer to that is you can. We have jumped it with no adverse effects having used a quick start charger for twenty seconds.

Battery under floor on passengers' side (N.S)

Just recently we have had to jump start it again only I think it is time for a new battery. Which in itself means a bit of mucking about with a second battery if you have one just so you can remove the terminals without losing the data from the van's memory. Who said progress was a good thing!

 You can purchase data savers that attach to the battery leads or plug into the cigarette lighter. They are basic power packs which maintain a current to the digital systems in the van. What happens is the ECU loses the information stored in it. Which includes Idling, operating values and fault codes.

What are the most common causes of a flat battery technically known as discharged:

• Alternator not charging at the correct output or faulty voltage regulator. In this case the alternator fails to meet the needs of the demands asked of battery. Causing a loss of charge over an extended period.
• Short-circuit causing a continual demand on the battery over and above what is expected. At one time the most common cause of this was a badly fitted radio.
• Alternator belt, (Auxiliary drivebelt) slipping due to stretching or damage ready to break. This is indicated by a squeal when you start the engine. At one time you could adjust the belt but these days it means replacement.
• Battery connection/s loose and or corroded. This includes any earth straps. If it is a blue colour on the battery terminals it can be removed with boiling water and then a smear of petroleum jelly to stop it returning, (be careful not to short the battery when doing this).
• Battery defective, This is when one of the cells becomes weak draining the charge from the remaining good cells. This shows it's self when there is a cold snap and is the most common cause of not being able to start your vehicle on a cold and frosty morning.

You should check all the above before making the decision to replace the battery. Sometimes it can be a combination of alternator and battery. It can also be the starter motor, but the symptoms are slightly different. Do not confuse one with the other.

Changing the battery

What follows is for the 1.9 diesel engine model:

A simple way round this is if you have access to a spare car battery. You can make up a set of fly leads that you can attach to the battery terminals. If you have one of the older Vivaros you may find as we did that there are two redundant threaded posts on the cable termination attached to the battery. (The posts take a ten millimetre nut.) If that is the case, you can use two yellow loop connections at one end of the fly leads and proper battery clamps on the other. If you use this method, make sure that the connections are tight. If left loose they will make and break losing the data. You also need to be careful not to touch the live to the earth or the body work. A way round this is to put the live connection in a thick plastic bag to stop this happening accidentally. 

Tools / Kit:

Spare battery, two 10 mm nuts plus washers. Fly leads to connect between batteries, 13 mm socket for battery clamp, 10 mm ring and C spanner for battery terminals, 12” socket extension, ratchet, T30 Torx for bolts holding floor plate covering battery.

Procedure:

1. Open passenger door and remove the floor covering. Do not leave the keys in the ignition as the central locking may actuate locking you out.
2. There will be a black plate with four T30 bolts. You only need to loosen them so the plate can slide sideways toward the off side (drivers side).
3. With the battery exposed remove the battery clamp, it is held with a 13mm bolt to the front and base of the battery.
4. Firmly attach fly leads one at a time. Starting with the spare posts on the vans battery. Then to the spare, do not do it the other way round as you may get a shock or make it spark by shorting it out.
5. Now loosen the battery clamps and remove. Place the positive battery cable in the plastic bag.
6. Push the cables out of the way and remove the old battery.
7. Put new battery in place.
8. Replace the battery cables and tighten.
9. Remove the fly leads.
10. Replace battery clamp.
11. Check that it starts and runs as it should.
12. Box it up.

Things do not always go this smoothly. If for some reason you didn't save the data. The memory can be reprogrammed. If it has lost this information you may experience surging, hesitation, erratic idle and inferior performance.

The following sequence will re-equip the ECU with the information it needs to run properly:

• Start the engine and keep it as close to idle speed as possible until it reaches normal operating temperature.
• Then run it for approximately two minutes at 1200 rpm.
• Drive the vehicle in varying road conditions for five miles or for as long as it takes for the ECU to relearn.

A couple of notes:

If the alarm and immobilizer are on or off when you disconnected the battery, they will return to that state when the battery is re-connected. If you have an OE radio the code will need resetting which you hope you have not lost!

The job is quite easy to do it is all the mucking about that makes it sound more difficult than it is. If you are doing this for the first time, there is no rush. The only reason we site the Vauxhall version is because it is the make, we work on.

Finally

Was it the right decision to change the battery? in this case it was. The main reason for us is the van is not used on a daily basis. A weak battery can go on for months before it shows there is a problem. The first sign is a cold snap. The second is you have to jump start it again the following day in which case change the battery. You cannot keep jumping it as it will damage the digital systems and that is one big bill you do not need.  

Plastic repair!

There are only so many jobs that you can do for yourself when it comes to working on your van. I, like the rest of you, have to use other service providers for certain jobs. The main one being tyres, it is far better to let them do the job - seeing as they have all the kit!

OK! with that in mind we had a couple of tyres that needed to be replaced because they had worn out. So, took the van in to get them replaced.

A couple of days later I noticed something was flapping about under the van, which was strange, so I decided to have a look, jacked the front up and discovered what looked like a mud flap/ deflector at the back of the wheel arch which was not broken before the new tyres were fitted. I do not like complaining or pointing the finger at other trade professionals because I have been on the end of “It was OK until you worked on it” situation. In this case however I'm going to complain. Why? Because they had also drilled the wheel nuts on so tightly, I had to use a meter long handle on my breaker bar with socket to move it! They should know better! They don't know it, but we now use another tyre fitter for all our work.

 The upside of this is that our good friends at Plasweld were able to weld the broken plastic back together. Which saved us having to track down an expensive replacement. They are wizards with anything plastic whether motor related or not.

To show our appreciation I'm going to point you in their direction of Plasweld - I know the web site shows a lot of motor bike work but do not let that put you off. The same materials are used by both car and bike etc.