Fuel tank leak on '04 Eddie Bauer

[CountrySplatt]

Hi All,

I am checking to see if anyone else has noticed this issue and whether it is fairly easy to fix. I have a 2004 Expedition Eddie Bauer with the 5.4L. Recently, I went to fill up the tank and while connecting a trailer after fill-up, I had to leave it on an incline pointed downhill. It wasn't very steep, but it started pouring gas from the front of the gas tank onto the ground. When I got it on level pavement, it stopped leaking. The next day, while driving, the CEL came on and it failed for the fuel pressure being off. The CEL makes sense if the seal on the front of the tank is dry-rotted or not longer making a good seal. I am just hoping to accomplish this repair myself, versus taking it to a shop to drop the tank and replace the seals...since the last price I hear on something similar was well north of $2000.

Anyone else seen this, or been able to repair it with floor jacks and time?

 

[MattP1976]

My 04 XLT is doing the same thing. I attempted a repair with JB Weld's Water Weld product. It still seems to be leaking vapor although the actual fuel leak appears to be fixed. I've searched for replacement tanks with no luck. They don't make them. I'm thinking it's a known problem but we are out of luck. I was thinking about maybe retrofitting a newer Expedition tank that doesn't leak around the vent fittings.

 

[CountrySplatt]

Hi Matt, it sounds like yours is actually a worse issue than mine. Mine appears to be the seal around the fuel pump, and potentially one of the hoses. Sadly, I have to run it almost out of gas and take the tank down to make sure. Local repair facility wants $700-$1000 to drop the tank and replace all the seals, hoses, and fuel pump. I may go that route to get all of the pieces replaced versus hoping the rest of the 16 year old hoses will last another 16 years. LOL

 

[Simbadoggymom]

Same truck, same hill issue, had my fuel pump done ( it went) last summer, they said nothing about the smell and or the error. It was a friends shop and I think they assumed pump was the whole issue. ($750 late ) same problem! Gas cap alert ( is new ) keep resetting it also. It I park w full tank it leaks onto exhaust. I smelt near wheel well... any luck w yours? Something easy?

 

[CountrySplatt]

sadly, my issue was much worse than expected. They pulled the tank to check the seals, pump, and hoses...found that the tank itself had cracked where the seals of the pump touch. That was causing the gas cap light to come on because it wasn't maintaining pressure in the tank. I ended up having to replace the tank as well as all of the hoses and fuel pump. I would take it back to the shop and let them know the issue is not resolved and see if they will make it right. Labor is the big cost here, since adding a new fuel tank to my repair only added $150 because they had to use a used tank, but it is WAY more work than I had imagined, and requires pulled the driver's side rear suspension completely loose to get enough room to see. Thankfully, the shop I went to is owned by my neighbor's son, and we get along really well.

...oh and be warned, evidently, the Gen 2 had more than one fuel tank available, and they are not the same size/dimensions. It took the mechanic three tries to find one that fit from the local salvage yard. I will say that the truck drives well and I am seeing a small improvement in fuel efficiency, not much, but it isn't like they get GOOD mpg anyways. HAHAHA

 

[TomB985]

Same truck, same hill issue, had my fuel pump done ( it went) last summer, they said nothing about the smell and or the error. It was a friends shop and I think they assumed pump was the whole issue. ($750 late ) same problem! Gas cap alert ( is new ) keep resetting it also. It I park w full tank it leaks onto exhaust. I smelt near wheel well... any luck w yours? Something easy?

Sounds like the tank left come down, but some repair estimates in this thread don't make much sense to me. This job is a 2.8 hour job on the labor guide, and does not require removing the rear suspension. The driveshaft has to be removed in the sway bar, but not a very complicated job for an experienced technician. Or an amateur in your garage with the proper tools and motivation.

I've attached the relevant pages from the factory workshop manual, is the job I would do myself. Fuel tanks can be a hassle if full, but manageable with good ventilation and a jack.

 

[texasscot]

Thanks for the useful post TomB985.
I have just dropped and replaced my fuel tank. I had a front of tank leak with a gas smell for some time. Finally dropping the tank was prompted by an increasingly frequent stall which was becoming hazardous. I put it down to a failing fuel pump. So I dropped the tank, with 17 gallons of fuel in it (avoid this if at all possible) using a transmission jack and plywood fixed to it. I didn’t realize there’s really no easy way of getting fuel out of this tank without removing the fuel pump and syphoning it out of the hole. Anyways, the pump filter/sock had rotted off so I changed the pump and also the inline filter, and epoxied the crack in the front plastic-welded fitting on the top of the tank and put it back up. Good news is that it still works, bad news is I still have the random and increasingly frequent stall. I’m now going to pull the fuse box and change the R303 relay...
For others info I’m attaching a few photos in case they are useful. The pin in one photo is to show the crack that is the source of the leak. Getting the fuel filler hose off the tank needed a Dremel to cut the hose clamp (fun times) and getting it off and on was really tough. Removing and replacing the vent hose above the tank is awkward as there’s little play but the clamp was clocked such that I could get a 7mm ratchet on to it easily. Overall I wouldn’t class this as an easy job compared to most others I’ve done on this vehicle and it has some inherent dangers of course lol.

 

[CountrySplatt]

@texasscot That is Extremely helpful! Thank you!! Even after the replacement and a new pump, mine is still leaking. With your pictures, I feel much better about understanding what to do to "fix" it myself this time instead of paying another mechanic to do it wrong.

 

[texasscot]

Thanks @CountrySplatt.
Two more photos that may not have relevance to your situation but they show the special tools I used to carefully remove the pump retaining ring (piece of 2*4 and club hammer) and the deteriorated pump filter.

 

[Mota32gd]

I have 04 Eddie Bauer with similar problem. When I topped off tank at gas station I looked down to a puddle of gas. YIKES. Fix or repair daily.