88 Pickup Fuel Filler Neck Leaks...Can I Patch It?

dbsoundman · Feb 4th, 2013, 11:23 AM

Had a bit of a

moment at the gas station the other day, filling up my 88 pickup I noticed gas dribbling out where the filler neck meets the tank. Apparently there's a leak there, I was wondering if I could patch it somehow, or if I really needed to replace it. If so, do I have to drop the tank or can I get it out without doing so? I'm hoping I can avoid that since it's pretty open down there...

Oh, and I did search the forum, but I didn't see any pickup-specific posts so I decided to make a new one.

Thanks!

SPEEDO · Feb 4th, 2013, 05:20 PM

myself, I would drop it and weld it up, I really do not know of anything to patch it up with, never looked

**smj999smj** · Feb 4th, 2013, 06:29 PM

Are you sure it's the tank that's leaking and not the neck itself nor the hoses that connect the filler neck to the tank? If it is the tank and it's not much more than a pinhole, there is a product you can purchase at most part stores that you can use for patching gas tanks. It's like a puddy.

dbsoundman · Feb 4th, 2013, 06:48 PM

I think it's the hose somewhere, but I can't tell where until it's leaking...may have to wait until I get a chance to lift the back end up and get some better light in there. Can I replace that fuel hose without doing anything else super drastic?

**smj999smj** · Feb 4th, 2013, 07:22 PM

There are two hoses on the filler neck: the filler neck hose and the smaller, vent hose. The vent hose is the easier of the two and can be done with just removing the two clamps and changing the hose; you might need to remove the left, rear wheel to access where the hose attaches to the tank. The filler neck hose, itself, "may" require unbolting the filler neck tube to replace the hose. It all depends on how much room you have. There may also be a shield you need to get out of the way. Here's a diagram:

http://www.nissanpartszone.com/Page_...mponentsNo=172

dbsoundman · Feb 5th, 2013, 07:10 PM

OK, I actually filled up the tank all the way today, and I managed to not leak any fuel! So, it seems the leak is in the filler neck, and depending on how the gas nozzle is aimed, it may or may not leak. I looked on the underside and it looked like the leak is closer to the top of the filler tube near where the nozzle goes in, is this just a fuel hose or is it an actual part?

**smj999smj** · Feb 5th, 2013, 11:19 PM

If it's up near the top, you likely need the filler neck tube. Considering the age, you may want to replace the hoses while your at it.

yellowrosefarm · Feb 6th, 2013, 07:34 PM

There is metal neck up where you put the gas nozzle that is about 6" long. Then, a hose connects that to the nipple on top of the gas tank. If yours still has the plastic shield over the neck you will not be able to see where the hose slips over the neck at the top. The shield is held on by 2 or 3 phillips head machine screws that most likely will be rusted so bad as to require breaking them. When I did this repair on my 88, I took the hoses loose from the tank and took the 3 screws out that hold the neck to the bed wall pocket and removed the whole shebang. The filler neck hose can be had from NAPA, cut from bulk hose as can the vent hose. I think it's 1 3/4 and 1/2 but measure to be sure as my memory system is.......... well ..............52 years old. Once you have the neck out it's a lot easier to replace the hoses or fix a hole in the metal neck. Mine was 2 bad hoses.

dbsoundman · Feb 7th, 2013, 12:05 PM

Thanks! Is it possible to remove the plastic shield and assess the situation, then drive to the parts store with that shield off?

yellowrosefarm · Feb 7th, 2013, 04:34 PM

If you can get the screws out. I couldn't without grinding the heads off. What you probably could do is take out the screws holding the metal neck to the truck bed and pull the assembly toward the wheel enough to see what is going on back there. I forget sometimes that not everyone has 5 vehicles for 2 people.