Porsche Enthusiasts Club Forum

I am hoping there is a straightforward fix fir this

I am recommissioning my 944 turbo after 4 years off the road.

I decided to remove the fuel tank strainer to inspect it in case it was badly clogged.

However the fuel tank strainer seized to the metal sleeve in the aperture of the tank and when I started to lean on it to get it moving the whole lot rotated and came out of the tank.

After a short period working out what to do next I eventually managed to separate the sleeve from the strainer by clamping the strainer in a vice and using an extension bar on a socket and almost all my strength to get it moving.



The problem I now have is the sleeve is magically too big for the aperture in the fuel tank and no amount of persuasion will get it back in.

I was hoping I could reseat the sleeve and bond it back in the tank and run up the fuel tank strainer after putting some copper grease on it. However it looks like there is no way the sleeve will go back in the aperture where it came out and I am totally stumped.

Any guidance appreciated

I hope I don't need to put in a new fuel tank which would be a total PITA...

Thanks in advance

David

Ps I'll post pics once I work out how to do it

The first pic is the aperture at the bottom of the fuel tank where the sleeve should sit in side

The second pic shows the sleeve separated from the strainer.

Hi David

The fuel tank is one of the few items that I've not touched on my car (yet) so haven't seen these pieces close up. First question is are you sure that you haven't made the sleeve slightly oval when holding it in the vice? the oval wouldn't have to be much to make it impossible to fit back into a round hole. Next thought is was there any form of sealant around the sleeve to seal it? if not I wonder if it was a press fit to ensure that it not only didn't leak but also could withstand any possible pressure buildup within the tank. One way of getting something to fit that is a little on the large size is to stick it in the freezer for a few hours, the length of time will depend on the item itself but it should shrink a very small amount which may just be enough?

good luck

Pete

Hi Pete

Thanks for the reply.

Before I realised that the sleeve had come out with the strainer I tried to insert the whole assembly into the hole in the fuel tank but there was no way it was going in. It was equally too big all the way round. It was only when I looked inside the hole and saw the diamond impression marks (from the outside of the sleeve) and no threads that I twigged that the sleeve must have come out seized to the strainer. It was after that I used the vice to get a grip of the sleeve t enable me to turn the strainer and separate the two.

The only explanation I can come up with is that this was a compression fit and as the sleeve was out for a while the plastic has shrunk a little. I managed to get a pic with the sleeve over the hole -it is still perfectly round but what is astonishing is you can see the plastic rim clearly INSIDE the metal sleeve.

I did think about the freezer trick. I will try that today and see how I get on. Really pissed off with it as the rest of the work I was doing to replace the fuel pump with an uprated one as well as fuel lines was going very smoothly and this was supposed to be easy preventative maintenance!

Wow, that is some difference, much more I suspect than a press fit even if it is plastic. Two more thoughts, perhaps the two are united via heating up the plastic and freezing the sleeve, The plastic would certainly expand much more than the sleeve can contract. The other thought, is by chance the sleeve a one use only item, is it designed to expand when tightened? perhaps a way to answer this is if the thread on the strainer is tapered?
Just throwing ideas out there, a call to an OPC may help if you can find anyone who knows what they're talking about, I doubt if many techs these days would know the answer for our cars.

Pete

Hi Pete

I think that the sleeve was probably moulded into the plastic when the tank was manufactured as the knurling marks on the sleeve can be seen inside the hole and I think the issue is that there is a lip of plastic that goes over the edge of the sleeve that is causing the issue.

So the plan is to freeze the sleeve and try that fit - if that doesn't work I will gently warm up the plastic with a hairdryer, freeze the sleeve again and try it again and last resort remove the lip with a Stanley knife and try that. Although I might get it back in there could be a wee weep of petrol if not sealing correctly so I will seal the edge with some araldite that is petrol resistant.

Any more ideas welcome!

DC

I would bite the bullet and get another tank, I would take a guess that it will never be 100% safe

I would not risk anything with fuel

May have to be a used item - new tank is NLA on Rose Passion

I did say another, not new

Apologies for delay in replying - work gets in the way

I spoke to George Morrison Porsche a good indy in Glasgow

He advised gently warming the aperture to make it more malleable and using CT1 sealant which is a specialist flexible sealant that is not affected by petrol and to bond wood to plastic. It is used by the building trade so is readily available

I will try that and post results

DC