89 Civic leaks feul

[Moe Arif]

I am new to the forum, and need help. My 89 Honda Civic DX hatchback, is leaking fuel only when I fill up the tank to a capacity beyond 3/4 of the tank. This has been happening since past 1 1/2 months, and has been running without leaks, with feul tank fillups of approx 1/2 (50%) tank, everytime it is time to fill er up.

Took to the local shop for an estimate of $700, which I obviously dont have (to spend). So I continued with 1/2 tank fillups, but need to fix this. The shop diagnosed the problem as follows:
There is rust between where the fuel tank connects to the sending unit (which is at the top of the tank), from where the fuel is leaking, which explains why it leaked when the tank was full. They said they will have to change the fuel tank, sending unit, and probably the fuel pump (???).
.....Any cost effective suggestion will be appreciated.

[Kunundrum]

1. the Civic/CRX are nautorious for having the Filler neck rust out on them... I have to replace mine...

as for a cost effective solution... go get a gas tank from a Junk yard... probably no more than 100$

and get them to swap it in... or do it yourself.

and if you Fuel Pump is bad (not likely) get a Walbro unit from http://www.autoperformanceengineering.com/

[Moe Arif]

Kunundrum: Thanks.

I am novice when it comes to internals of the car, so forgive me for saying this: What is it exactly that I need?? Do I need a new fuel tank? Do I need a filler neck (assuming this is what sits in between the fuel tank and the fuel pump).

From the diagnostics they did, it seems that the mouth/opening of the fuel tank at the top, screws into the sending unit, which is where the rust is (at the junction).

BTW mine is a 89 Civic DX (not a CRX).

Any Help will be appreciated.

[EF You]

if you dont have the money to get it fixed at a shop, and cant find a good tank at a junkyard, get some JB weld putty. the putty kind isnt a liquid, so it wont leak into your tank. just clean the rusted area with a wire brush and smear some putty on it. it will hold until you can get another tank.

[Moe Arif]

Thanks incucivic. JB is the black and orange tube, to be mixed and applied, correct? Would that be OK for the fuel splash within the tank though ???

[Sparsky]

JB weld will hold as long as you let if fully dry before you put gas in it. Make sure you clean the rust areas off real good, and the area around it. Put some paint on it after it dries so the areas you cleaned off that don't have JB weld on it won't rust out.
I've patch my dad suburban fuel tank like that, been holding 5 years and still going.

[Moe Arif]

Thanks much Sparsky. With your Dad's example, I am confident now, to try it out.

[Sparsky]

JB Weld is some tough shit. If done properly it can be a real bitch to get it unstuck.

lol... Living in upstate NY, everything rusts.

May want to pick up a can of the rubberized undercoating and repaint the whole tank. just my .02
Make sure to cover up all the lines, wires, connectors.

[91civichatch2571]

where in upstate are you? im in rochester

[Sparsky]

My old man lives in Utica. I'm in San Antonio, Tx now.

[Moe Arif]

I am ready to repair the fuel tank now. Read the Haynes Repair Manual which says to disconnect :
(1) couple of hose pipes connecting to the fuel tank
(2) disconnect cables connecting to the sending unit.
Before lowering the tank down for the bracket that holds it to the body of the car.

Nothing else is mentioned in the repair manual, as far as disconnection goes, and I am a bit confused. The mechanic said that the leak is from the tank connection to the sending unit, because there is rust at the connection / junction. WHERE is this connection, as the repair manual does NOT mention anything.

HELP : Need to know what the mechanic is talking about, before I do this myself i.e. Use the JB wield to seal this leaky connection.

[turtlecrxsi]

Here is the Civic shop manual which is ten times better than the Haynes...http://www.crxpower.net/~silverkorn/...hop_Manual.pdf

Go to fuel/emissions and blow up the pic. It's not a very good rendering. I'm sure there is probably a better pic somewhere. BTW, the 88-91 Civic and CRX are very similar that is why they're referred to in the same discussion. GL

[Moe Arif]

Thanks turtlecrxsi - This manual is better than hayens, plus it is free. I read thru the Fuel Tank section, and being a novice guy when it comes to autos, please help me answer the followin:
(1) Step 3 says to remove the rear seat and disconnect the 3P connector. How easy is it to remove the rear seat (take it out all together?), and what does a 3P connector look like (There is no picture of this in the manual).
(2) Step 4 says to remove the two-way valve cover and fuel hose protector. Where can I access these two - Is it from the rear seat level after removing it, or is it from underneath the car where the fuel tank is.
(3) Step 5 say to disconnect the hoses - Where can I access these hoses from??
(4) Step 8 says to Remove the fuel tank - Is the sending unit and fuel pump integral part of the fuel tank??? If so, when I remove the tank, will I be also removeing the fuel pump and the sending unit attached to the tank???

[turtlecrxsi]

I have a crx so I know nothing of backseats. Sorry. But there are plenty of people on here that have done what you need to do. The backseat is pretty easy to remove supposedly once you locate the two hidden tabs or whatever. Search through a couple of pages of threads on here and you'll find out how to take it out. Everything should be more accessible once the backseat is out.

[Moe Arif]

ANYONE, Please HELP answer my questions before turtlecrxsi's latest comments. Thanks.