How to remove and repair the fuel tank of a Gazelle car

The fuel tank is removed for preventative flushing or to eliminate leaks. In addition, it is sometimes necessary to remove the fuel tank to gain access to other parts when repairing or replacing them.

The fuel tank does not require regular special maintenance in operation, but periodically (about once every 2-3 years) it is recommended to remove it from the car, drain the sediment and wash it with clean gasoline.

Recommendations:

For preventive purposes, to reduce the intensity of sludge formation, it is recommended to fill the tank with gasoline through a fine brass mesh that retains water.
In winter, as well as when storing a car for a long time, it is recommended to keep the tank as full as possible, so that when the ambient temperature changes, condensation or frost does not form on its walls, which turns into water during a thaw.

Removing the tank of a GAZ-2705 truck

To remove the tank of a truck you need to do the following. Disconnect the wire from the negative terminal of the battery.

Disconnecting the wire from the negative battery terminal — **Fig. 1** — Disconnecting the battery terminal

Drain the gasoline from the tank by unscrewing the drain plug from the bottom.

Unscrewing the drain plug of the fuel tank — **Fig. 2** — Draining gasoline from the tank

Unscrew the two nuts securing the fuel tank filler pipe to the rear wall of the cabin.

Unscrewing the nuts securing the filler pipe to the rear wall of the cabin — **Fig. 3** — Unscrewing the filler pipe nuts

Disconnect the wires from the fuel level sensor by unscrewing two nuts 1. Disconnect fuel supply lines 2 and fuel drain lines 3 from intake pipe 4. Unscrew the two nuts 5 and remove the fuel tank 6, sliding it towards you. If you need to remove clamps 7, remove the lock washer and remove the clamp fastening pin from the bracket.

Removing the tank of a GAZ-2705 van

To remove the fuel tank of a van, perform steps 1 and 2, and then carry out the following operations.

**Fig. 4** — Removing the rear passenger seats

Remove the rear passenger seats.

Folding up the edge of the floor mat — **Fig. 5** — Folding up the floor mat

Fold up the edge of the floor mat.

Unscrewing the bolts securing the plywood covering to the floor — **Fig. 6** — Unscrewing the plywood covering bolts

Use a 10mm wrench to unscrew the two bolts securing the plywood covering to the floor.

Removing part of the plywood floor covering — **Fig. 7** — Removing the plywood covering

Remove part of the plywood floor covering.

Unscrewing the seat beam mounting bolts — **Fig. 8** — Unscrewing the seat beam bolts

Use a 12mm wrench to unscrew the two seat beam mounting bolts.

Moving and removing the seat beam — **Fig. 9** — Removing the seat beam

Move the beam and remove it.

Unscrewing the screws securing the floor hatch — **Fig. 10** — Unscrewing the floor hatch screws

Use a slotted screwdriver to unscrew the eight screws securing the floor hatch.

Removing the hatch along with the gasket — **Fig. 11** — Removing the hatch

Remove the hatch along with the gasket.

Disconnecting the wires from the fuel level sensor — **Fig. 12** — Disconnecting the sensor wires

Disconnect the wires from the fuel level sensor.

**Fig. 13** — Disconnecting the fuel supply line

Disconnect the fuel supply line.

**Fig. 14** — Disconnecting the fuel drain line

Disconnect the fuel drain line.

For cars with injection engines:

**Fig. 15** — Disconnecting the wiring harness connector

Disconnect the wiring harness block.

**Fig. 16** — Disconnecting hoses from the fuel pump module

Disconnect the pressure and drain hoses from the fuel pump module.

Opening the filler hatch and removing the filler neck screws — **Fig. 17** — Removing the filler neck screws

Open the filler hatch cover and remove the two screws securing the filler neck to the body.

Removing the mounting plate of the filler neck — **Fig. 18** — Removing the mounting plate

Remove the mounting plate.

Unscrewing the nuts of the tank mounting clamps — **Fig. 19** — Unscrewing the clamp nuts

Holding the tank, use a 17mm head to unscrew the nuts securing the tank mounting clamps.

Removing the clamp hooks from the frame side member holes — **Fig. 20** — Removing the clamp hooks

Remove the hooks of the clamps from the holes in the frame side members.

Carefully remove the fuel tank, taking care not to catch the filler neck on body parts. Install the tank in reverse order, not forgetting to place gaskets under the clamps.

Fuel tank repair

Disconnecting hoses and removing the filler pipe — **Fig. 22** — Disconnecting hoses

Loosen clamp 1 and disconnect hose 2 from the fitting on the fuel tank. Loosen the clamp 4 and remove the filling pipe 3 with hose 2. Unscrew the six fastening screws and lift up the fuel intake pipe 5. Unscrew the six fastening screws and lift up the fuel level sensor 6.

Removing the strainer and spring from the fuel intake pipe — **Fig. 23** — Removing the strainer

Take out pin 1 and remove strainer 2 and spring 3 from the fuel intake pipe.

Flushing and leak testing:

Rinse the fuel tank thoroughly with gasoline. Then rinse and steam the fuel tank with a stream of hot water to remove gasoline vapors.
To check the tightness using the pressure test method, connect a compressed air supply hose to one of the openings of the fuel tank and plug all other openings. Immerse the tank in a bath of water and apply compressed air at a pressure of 0.2 atm. In areas of leakage, air bubbles will escape.
Detected leaks near a metal tank can be soldered with soft solder. The plastic tank needs to be replaced.
You can only solder a thoroughly washed and steamed tank that does not contain gasoline vapors, in order to eliminate the possibility of fire.

Wash the mesh filter of the intake tube thoroughly; if cleaning is impossible, replace the filter. Inspect the fill pipe and air pipe hoses. If the hoses are cracked or the rubber has lost elasticity, replace them. Inspect the tank mounting clamps. Cracks and significant corrosion on clamps are unacceptable — defective clamps must be replaced.

Assemble the fuel tank in the reverse order of disassembly.