Hi all,

I've had an evap code for awhile, did the dumb guy thing of throwing parts at it (charcoal canister, shut off valve/two-way valve), code didn't go away and smell of fuel soon became even stronger. Then one day I fill up my tank, and at the point it would usually click off, it just kept filling and I saw a spreading pool of gas on the ground under my car. YIKES. I checked the fuel filler neck but it wasn't that. It's an 02 Accord. I'm going to drop the rear subframe/suspension myself to drop the tank. It may be the tank itself or it may be the hard lines rusted out, but only way I'm going to figure it out is to drop everything and look.

My question: I've seen people drop the subframe with the suspension attached (by dropping the struts), but could you instead detach the control arms/sway bar links etc from the subframe, then drop only the subframe, leaving the struts/hubs in place? The only reason I'd consider doing it this way is I'll be doing it alone, with floor jacks/stands, and it seems it'll be a lot lighter and easier for one person to handle if it's just the subframe coming down (and then the tank). Any thoughts are appreciated!

 

 

Excellent, thanks!

 

That was...not easy! I could've used a second set of hands, but anyway, it's out.

The gas tank wasn't what I expected. No obvious rust, no obvious hole or visible leaking. But the seal/gasket around the sending unit is very dry and crumbly. Could that be why fuel overflowed onto the ground when I filled up? Also the area around and under the rubber hose coming from the fuel filler neck was coated in gunk. Obviously *something* is leaking around there, but there's no oil source or any other fluids I can think of. Tomorrow I'll remove the tank completely from the subframe, drain it and give it a good pressure wash. A replacement Spectra tank is $133. I'm thinking it's probably worth it even if I can't find a leak. I'll also replace the filler rubber hose and, obviously, the gasket/seal around the sending unit. Anything else I should be doing?

 

Whoo boy. I'm an idiot. Or more specifically, me from two years ago was an idiot.

What happened? I swapped the fuel pump out two years ago, and the gasket stuck on the old one without me realizing it. So, yeah, there was no gasket on the fuel pump. Pretty much explains the fumes and gas smell, and the overflowing tank.

I figured this out when the new tank arrived, and I went to swap in my fuel pump. I removed it from the old tank, and...what? No gasket?

I had kept the original pump, so dug it up and, sure enough, the gasket was still attached to it.

Now, before you think "This moron drove around for two years with basically a wide open fuel tank" - the car hasn't been on the road. I took on a different project as a rolling restoration, and let the registration lapse on my Accord while I worked on and drove the other car. I waited for warm weather this spring to dig back into the Accord, starting last week.

So I could've fixed this problem in 10 minutes with a $5 gasket, but instead I dropped the entire exhaust and rear subframe, then bought a new tank, filler hose, and gaskets. Still, I'm glad I did. The new parts give peace of mind, and it gave me the chance to clean and inspect every fuel line and fitting. I also wire-wheeled the surface rust off my exhaust and painted it with high-heat ceramic paint, and did the same with my brake calipers. I now also have a better idea of how my own car works.

Here's the subframe dropped with the old tank


Here's the new tank, painted with rust inhibitor, with new filler hose and gaskets

For a little insurance, I coated the gaskets liberally with Permatex Fuel Resistant Gasket Sealer

Here's the original fuel pump, showing the gasket still connected. In my defense, I was brand new to working on my own cars back then. I'd like to think I wouldn't make a mistake this mind-bogglingly dumb today. But who knows!

Not sure why my pics are so huge? Is there a way to change the default size setting?

 

Dont feel bad..i have a whole list of dumb stuff ive done on my car..just locked the keys in it running..went and grabbed the second alarm fob hoping the battery was good...nope..paid $55 to get it opened..didnt even check the spare key on the same key ring as the alarm fob..

 

Your pics look good as they are. It's nice to get a detailed look at the part being photographed.

 

Thought I was done with the mistakes, but I had to lower the subframe again (not drop it completely tho) because I had forgotten to connect the small breather hose running from the one-way valve to the charcoal cannister. Dropped the four subframe bolts but kept the struts connected, and it gave me just enough room to get my hands in there and make the connection. Just need to replace the exhaust and bleed the brakes, and I'm all done. Too stormy today tho.

For anyone doing this job alone, as I did - it's a balancing act. You'll need at least two jacks, and three is better, but two simple spare-tire scissor jacks are fine as long as you have one meaty one. You'll want the smaller ones to keep the assembly level while you're raising it. Dropping is easy, as gravity is on your side and you don't need precision; but when you go to put it all back together, the key is getting the struts re-attached to the knuckle. You'll have to wiggle and shake things a bit, as the angles will probably not match up exactly right. This is where the small jacks will help, as they can help you tilt the subframe from front to back to match the angle of the strut. Once the subframe is suspended by the struts, it's pretty easy to get the fuel lines etc all reconnected, and slowly lift/guide the assembly into place for the four bolts.

 

Making dumb mistakes leads to become better at this.

Glad to see its all good in the end.

 

Thank you so much for a great thread with pics!

I hope you have it fixed. If I lived near you/could have gotten to you, I would have loved to have helped.

 

Thanks all. It's fixed, just have to bleed the brakes, but we've had two straight days of thunderstorms and I have to work tomorrow, so won't get to it until Monday. I'll update with gas mileage etc after I've driven for awhile to make sure it's all good.

 

That's great news. Where are you located? What state?

 

I'm in Raleigh

 

You first posted about this in April of 2017. Had I known where you were I might have thought to offer to come help. At that time I could have. I'd have been that "second set of hands you needed." It would have been fun and allowed me some experience on this issue. Heck, together we might have been able to figure it out without replacing the tank!

 

Yeah it's been a problem for a long time, I didn't realize two years!

 

Well we are not professional mechanics, we don't do this often, we don't (usually) have a lift, and doing anything the first time is hard.

I have a big job coming up with the complete replacement of all brake and fuel lines. I will begin jacking up my '02 Accord this week, blocking it up on wood blocks, and starting this job. I plan to use copper-nickel lines the whole way. If anyone wants to help, I would welcome it and can help with lunch/beer.

 

Well I bled the brakes, and YIKES. This is not Pepsi. This is my improvised one-person bleeder, and this is what it collected when I flushed/bled the rear brakes.



With the brakes filled with beautiful clear brake fluid, and bled, and everything buttoned back up, I put in six gallons of gas and set the trip odometer, so I'll get a decent idea of mileage. I drove for awhile, all felt good and normal, then peeked underneath while it idled - no fuel smell, no drips or leaks.