Hello all. My 98 honda accord is leaking gas. My dad and I raised up to look where the leak was coming from it's so hard to tell. He seems to think it's the gas tank. After just a few hours in the garage there was a puddle the size of a boot on the floor as well as a strong gas smell. We looked and looked but couldn't see any leaks anywhere. His thought was maybe it's leaking above the gas tank or it is the gas tank.

I have no idea how to even remove the gas tank. It looks like the whole exhaust and gas lines have to come out to take out the tank.
Is this worth fixing or should I just buy a new car? He seems to think I should trade it in and get something else. It runs well and gets great gas mileage although it has 180k miles on it now.
There are no engine codes when we scanned it.
Any ideas?

 

You are going to have to make the call.....sell or fix.

Are you doing the work or paying someone? There are manuals you can get,range from free to ~$22 that will give you the steps on how to drop the tank. Then there will be the "parts" needed to solve the issue.

Just me but I'll guess the car is paid for. So even if you pay someone $600~$800 to fix it for you (guessing). Is that worth it vs a newer car payment?

 

My dad would be doing all the work. He is a retired auto mechanic. The car is so rusty underneath that most likely not just the tank would need to be replaced. He seems to think it's not worth it considering the car is maybe worth 1500 bucks.

The whole tank is built into the rear end of the car. It's about 4 hours book time and he doesn't have a hoist. Because the car sits so low this will be tough to do in the garage even with it jacked up.
1. Disconnect battery, release fuel pump pressure, drain tank etc...
2. Support car on jackstands or lift.
3. Disconnect exhaust at rear Catalytic Converter.
4. Disconnect rear suspension. (I think just removing shocks at top or bottom will work)
5. Disconnect rear brake lines.
6. Disconnect tank filler neck and fuel hoses.
6. Support tank and remove/lower rear-sub frame. Tank is strapped to subframe
8. Unstrap tank from subframe after lowering

 

Take a look to rule out corroded fuel lines instead of the tank itself. The steel tubes running under the left-side of the floor pan can corrode & get spongy. The fuel sorta oozes out rather than squirting from any particular place.

Still a big-ish job because of the way the fuel lines squirm through between the steering rack & firewall, but maybe you don't have to drop the fuel tank.

 

That is a good thought too. When we jacked the car up the dripping of gas seemed to come from the gas tank, however it's very tough to pinpoint with how tank is built into the rear end of the car. He has all the tools to do the job, but the problem lies in it being tough to do with no hoist. He is also worried about having to do all the gas lines too with how rusty they are as well. Most likely most the bolts would need to be torched to be removed as most of the bolt heads are completely corroded.

 

Use of a torch near a fuel leak is a recipe for disaster. Even a grinder will be risky unless a heavy stream of air to blow fumes away is provided.

good luck

 

That is something I do worry about because the gas is all over the tank and drips all over the undercarriage. There isn't a single bolt underneath that isn't completely rusted out. I am definitely looking for a new vehicle and I certainly don't want this vehicle catching fire.

 

Do your self a favor and pop the lid in the trunk where you can see the top of the fuel pump and be sure the fuel line is ok.

Pretty sure, been a while, the rubber hose from the pump to the primary fuel filter (by the drivers rear tire) is one piece.

Now if the tank has a hole in it.....well that is a different story.

 

The fuel pump was bone dry and nothing appeared to be leaking at the top. It only seems to leak a lot of gas if the tank is above 3/4 full. He is almost certain it's the gas tank at least that's where the dripping seems to come from.

 

The line from the tank to the right rear is one piece. Use a LED light and a extension mirror and see if the fitting where the flexible line bolts to the tank is leaking. There is a section of metal line at the fitting that starts the run over the top of the tank and if it is leaking further down the line.