Hi everybody, I posted last week about my 1800 losing power when the tank was half-full. I was hoping it was just the primary filter. After a lot of swearing, I managed to get the brass plug out of the bottom of the tank. It was stuck in their very good and there was no Teflon tape, and a few other mechanics had tried to get it out with a 3/8 bit, so it didn’t want to go without a fight. It turns out there wasn’t a primary filter in there at all, and the problem was the pick up tube.

I was hoping this wasn’t the case, because the gas tank appears to be glued in from the top with plumbers putty or something like it, and there is a ton of old undercoating on the bottom. I’m guessing the tank is going to have to come out so that I can get the pick up tube replaced. Do any of you have experience getting a gas tank out that appears to be glued in?

I got the gas tank out without too much trouble, even though there was a ton of adhesive and undercoating. My brother had a great idea - put a bunch of dry ice pellets along the edge of the tank. After a few minutes, I got under the car on my back, put my hands and knees on the tank, and gave it a shove. It popped right out!

If you have a floor jack you can take a length of wood like a 2x6 that spans the entire bottom of the tank, place it between the jack pad and the tank, and use the jack to lift up on the tank. You still might have to do some prying around the flange with a flat screwdriver or putty knife.
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Current rides: 2005 Volvo S80 2.5T, 2003 Volvo V70 2.4NA, 1973 Volvo 1800ES (getting ever closer to road worthiness)

I've removed tanks from 544's & 122's but not my 1800 (yet). They have a gray putty around the flange (I think it comes on a roll like tape). It usually lets go without much of a struggle, especially if it's old & brittle. Just start prying gently at one corner, after all the screws have been removed.
I removed the plug from my 164 today after I modified a square punch to fit it.

Hello Fran,

The gas tank isn't glued in, but there is sealant under the flange and it's not going to come out easily, especially if it's never been removed before.

There are 10 Phillips head sheet metal screws holding the gas tank. Use a pick to remove the debris that gets into the "+" in the head of the screw or you risk stripping the screw.

I use the "floor jack" method to release the gas tank, but be careful as it isn't hard to dent the tank. Use something wider than a 2" x 4". I slowly lift on the right edge of the tank.

FYI, to remove the tank, you will have to remove the fitting on the back of the tank for the return line 1st.

IIRC, IPD has some sealant, but I prefer to use some strip caulking I buy from Lowe's.
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Eric
Hi Performance Automotive Service (formerly OVO or Old Volvos Only)
Torrance, CA 90502
hiperformanceautoservice.com or oldvolvosonly.com

Thanks for the detailed response! I'm going to try this out, but I'll hold off on the jack at first - I don't want to dent the tank. I also had someone tell me that they've used dry ice to cool the adhesive / undertoating and then tapped it with a hammer to break the bond, which sounded smarter than using a head gun on a gas tank...