Saurian
New member
This could easily be viewed as one of those "why the hell didn't you fix it sooner" things, I acknowledge this, but we're not gonna go there, because I am the resident handyman for nearly all of freaking Metro Detroit, and worked a full time job; my time is limited, and this isn't even my Jeep...
Anyway...
Subject Vehicle: 1986 AMC/Jeep Grand Wagoneer, 360 V8 (half the parts of which will not be correct if you go to any major name auto store)...
Work Order: Among other things, locate source of scent of fuel, repair fuel gauge at earliest convenience...
One of those not too dire, I'm gonna get to it things... All of it adds up with the problems I found today... The Jeep has been wildly overconsuming fuel as of late, to the point that my brother ran out of gas in the driveway (took 4 people standing out in the cold, and me hopped up on Flexerol to figure that one out)... How this happened, I was not sure, because he faithfully fills that thing every 100 miles due to the malfunctioning fuel gauge. Besides that, even though it starts right up like a dream, recently it has been losing it's pickup, and stalling out every now and again for no apparant reason... The plot thickens... On his day off, my brother and his buddy Chris (reference MJ Christmas Party) decide to track down the source of fuel leak. Determination, it's at the top of the tank, and it's GUSHING fuel...
Obviously, it has gotten worse... So, this morning, I feel around, hoping to locate by touch a ruptured line, or a nice patch of rust or something... Nothing. Ok, Kyle, start it up and let's see this thing leak... It starts right up (love that thing), it runs, he revs, it runs, and all of a sudden, we have the Regular Unleaded Rapids splashing down the driveway... OK, definately a leak at the top of the tank... Hmm... Remove skidplate around tank, and I will be able to better inspect... Previous owner of Jeep apparantly had the same thoughts on original bolts as we all have, and put in his own, unfortunately, somehow meshing the fuel tank and the fuel skidplate into the same bolts... Ok, so much the better, the tank is moving gently down, it can't drop all the way because to do so, you have to remove the rear driveshaft (it has to come over and down at the same time to come off)... I shall have access to see what there is to see...
And then the fuel line slips off and falls to the ground... With the metal flare which it would clamp to still in it, or at least, I assume the collection of rust-flakes pressed into the end of the rubber line to be the remains of said flare... Well damn, one of two things has happened... Either a metal line has ruptured
, or the metal flare off the tank has rusted through
...
Hmm... No way to tell, that darned tank won't come down anymore, and I can't make out anything by touch for some reason, it all feels like a blob... And then I notice this little hatch. Pay attention to this part, if you take anything home from this... My first mistake was letting him read from the Haynes manual while I wrenched... What the heck is this thing, a cut out circle with screws coming off it, this is an access hole DIRECTLY above where I need to be! Oh, that's what this is, he says...
HUH?!? "Fuel sending unit access hole", he says... WHAT?!? Well look at that, you pop the rear seat up, you fold the original shag carpeting
back, and there's a very nice little access hatch to get to the fuel sender... Interesting... This is my first experience with a mechanical fuel pump... But what I found, wow. Looks like there was a bit of a rusty leak problem before... And the fix involved either bathtub sealant or roofing caulk, something of that nature, all over the top of the sending unit. Not even JB weld. Not even duct tape. The sending unit itself is grounded to the fuel line... Hmm... The fuel line that goes into a RUBBER line... Amazing that. Bad ground usually makes a gauge peg, in my experience. Kyle's always driving with a perpetually full tank. And we've found the broken point of the fuel system. 2 problems fixed in one!!! Now I just need a new sending unit.
Here's a fun little game. Go to Murrays... Or NAPA, or AutoZone, or any of the big name chains, and here's what you say... I need a fuel sending unit for an '86 Jeep Grand Wagoneer... 360 V8, yep... Yeah, it's original. Oh yeah, woodgrain and everything... Thing's a freaking tank... Uh huh, starts right up... Then you wait while they type... And they say "This part is not available? Jeez, we can't even order this..."
Last resort is the junkyard... Still have a couple other tricks up my sleeve first, though...
Anyway, the moral of the story is, there is a little access hatch under the rear seat to access the fuel sending unit on the grand waggy. This is also the point where fuel is taken from, and redeposited into the tank through the fuel system.
stupid access hatch
Anyway...
Subject Vehicle: 1986 AMC/Jeep Grand Wagoneer, 360 V8 (half the parts of which will not be correct if you go to any major name auto store)...
Work Order: Among other things, locate source of scent of fuel, repair fuel gauge at earliest convenience...
One of those not too dire, I'm gonna get to it things... All of it adds up with the problems I found today... The Jeep has been wildly overconsuming fuel as of late, to the point that my brother ran out of gas in the driveway (took 4 people standing out in the cold, and me hopped up on Flexerol to figure that one out)... How this happened, I was not sure, because he faithfully fills that thing every 100 miles due to the malfunctioning fuel gauge. Besides that, even though it starts right up like a dream, recently it has been losing it's pickup, and stalling out every now and again for no apparant reason... The plot thickens... On his day off, my brother and his buddy Chris (reference MJ Christmas Party) decide to track down the source of fuel leak. Determination, it's at the top of the tank, and it's GUSHING fuel...
Obviously, it has gotten worse... So, this morning, I feel around, hoping to locate by touch a ruptured line, or a nice patch of rust or something... Nothing. Ok, Kyle, start it up and let's see this thing leak... It starts right up (love that thing), it runs, he revs, it runs, and all of a sudden, we have the Regular Unleaded Rapids splashing down the driveway... OK, definately a leak at the top of the tank... Hmm... Remove skidplate around tank, and I will be able to better inspect... Previous owner of Jeep apparantly had the same thoughts on original bolts as we all have, and put in his own, unfortunately, somehow meshing the fuel tank and the fuel skidplate into the same bolts... Ok, so much the better, the tank is moving gently down, it can't drop all the way because to do so, you have to remove the rear driveshaft (it has to come over and down at the same time to come off)... I shall have access to see what there is to see...
And then the fuel line slips off and falls to the ground... With the metal flare which it would clamp to still in it, or at least, I assume the collection of rust-flakes pressed into the end of the rubber line to be the remains of said flare... Well damn, one of two things has happened... Either a metal line has ruptured
Hmm... No way to tell, that darned tank won't come down anymore, and I can't make out anything by touch for some reason, it all feels like a blob... And then I notice this little hatch. Pay attention to this part, if you take anything home from this... My first mistake was letting him read from the Haynes manual while I wrenched... What the heck is this thing, a cut out circle with screws coming off it, this is an access hole DIRECTLY above where I need to be! Oh, that's what this is, he says...
HUH?!? "Fuel sending unit access hole", he says... WHAT?!? Well look at that, you pop the rear seat up, you fold the original shag carpeting
Here's a fun little game. Go to Murrays... Or NAPA, or AutoZone, or any of the big name chains, and here's what you say... I need a fuel sending unit for an '86 Jeep Grand Wagoneer... 360 V8, yep... Yeah, it's original. Oh yeah, woodgrain and everything... Thing's a freaking tank... Uh huh, starts right up... Then you wait while they type... And they say "This part is not available? Jeez, we can't even order this..."
Last resort is the junkyard... Still have a couple other tricks up my sleeve first, though...
Anyway, the moral of the story is, there is a little access hatch under the rear seat to access the fuel sending unit on the grand waggy. This is also the point where fuel is taken from, and redeposited into the tank through the fuel system.
stupid access hatch
