Okay, I need help. I have no idea what's going on.

Today, I attempted to install my replacement gas tank. Got everything situated and ready to go up into place. This is where the problem began:

The driver's side strap, the front ear tab (that gets a bolt through it) will not go up against the body of the car for the bolt to continue through the hole. I can't even get the tab close enough to run the bolt through it into the hole! This is the exact same problem I had when I first droppped my original tank a long time ago. During then, I couldn't get the rear bolts off, so only the front strap bolts came out and I lowered the tank a bit. Even when I put the tank back up, same exact problem. A gap to where the strap's ear tab would not go flush against the car, like factory spec.

The tank is pressed up against the spare tire wheel well (where the padding is located) as it should. The hoses for the fuel pickup are kept in the gap between the spare tire well and the body frame. The fuel filler neck is almost mated up flush against gas cap area.

What is the deal? I can't tell if something is in the way or if my tank is misaligned. I am honestly stuck and very angry over encountering the same problem and not knowing what's going on. Hayne's manual and FSM don't help at all. My rear bumper IS off for easier access to the rear bolts now.

So, I really need some help. Obviously my gas tank is still misaligned, otherwise the gas tank straps would go up in their place without a problem.

Anyone else encountered this problem? Anyone else know what to do, what to look for? I'm at my wit's end.

 

check the padding. sometimes it can fold over and/or bent.

 

if that doesnt help, loosen the front and rear bolt on that strap and show it who's boss

 

its a bitch to get the tank back in sometimes. just keep at it, you'll get it.
i think i've stuck a round screwdriver through both holes and lined it up before..?

 

Here's what I've found works easiest when I don't have extra hands.

Start the rear bolts and straps, run the bolts in about 3/8"
Set the tank on the straps, hook up the fuel lines and the filler lines. This will help hold the tank up
Each front strap should have a tab that snaps over the body bracket, holding both the strap and tank up.
Start the front strap bolts
At this point, make sure the fuel lines and filler neck hoses are lined up and the filler neck is bolted to the fender behind the fuel door.
Draw the 4 tank bolts up incrementally until tight.

If you cannot loosen the rear strap bolts, the tank and straps are damn near impossible to install.

 

Actually, I had to remove the rear bumper and cut out some of the metal around the holes that allowed access to the rear nuts for better access. So, the straps are completely off. Now, it's just trying to get the tank back on. The padding is not bent over, I used replacement sitcky-sided padding. Same goes for the straps, they have new padding on them.

Basically, everything's off. Straps, bolts, bumper, tank. I got all the fuel lines connected. I'm just having a hard-*** time trying to get that tank up there to where the straps will go flush against the bolt holes like factory. (I hate Mazda sometimes. Leave it to the factory to not make things simple.)

Trochoid, I can't even get the front straps to get on top of the snaps of the body bracket. Actually, the driver's side front does not have one. It just goes straight up with nothing to hold it up. The little tabs found on the rear tabs, do those settle on the top of the lip (of the tank) or settle under the bottom of the lip?

So, eveything is out of the way, ready to be installed. Can't be installed because if I stick the front tabs on first, the rear ones won't want to cooperated. Vice versa for the rear. Is the tank just extremely weird in being put back in the right place? Like, if you're off by a mere centimeter, it won't allow those straps to flush up right?

I don't know how else to explain it. Everything is OFF. The rear bolts are OFF, not on. Only thing that I used in the first place to get it up there was my foot, hand, and the jack. Damn, I just don't know anymore.

Basically, you can put that tank up into place (or, so it seems) with your bare hands and hold it up there, but once it's time to put the straps up there, one end or the other WILL NOT go flush against the body. I hope that paints a better picture. And, I'm tired, I've been working on the damn thing all day. I can't think right.

 

can you thread the screws in just enough to hold it? like 3 turns? will that get all the straps on? if you can, just tighten them one turn each, then move to another screw, one turn, another screw, one turn, etc until it is done.

 

where in VA are you?

 

I don't remember if the tabs go above or below the flange on the tank. And you're correct, only the passenger side has the clip to hold the strap up, I wasn't sure. The things that will fight you from getting the tank in place are the fuel lines, the rubber accordian filler neck, the overflow hose, the body plug that the last 2 hoses go through and the tank padding. If any of these are out of place, the fight is on.

Also check the bottom of the tank and make sure it isn't bulging out. The best advice I can give at this point is to check all of the above and start the rear bolts with as few threads as possible. Also make sure you haven't reversed the straps.

 

Trochoid - I'll check the body plug. I'll also keep an eye out for the fuel lines to see if they're being binded. I fighted with the straps until I made sure the right ones were in the right place. This what I get for not paying attention but I am pretty damn sure I got the right straps in the right place. My friend said when the weather is good he'll give me a hand next time. Maybe having a second set of hands will help me in pushing the tank up in place to see.

Jeezus - I'm all the way at the top of VA. And, there's no way that all the bolts for the straps can be done at the same time when the tank won't go up all the way. The bolts are not long enough to allow the entire tank to be suspended. They're only long enough for the tank to be secured flush against the car's body. I wish they were longer but they're not.

I'll give it a shot within the next day or so.

 

aw man, I was gonna say I could swing by and help, but I dont think i could do all that in one day haha.

 

Make sure the Filler Neck in in place first.
I used a jack with a wood block on top to hold everything up while I did mine.

I had to swap mine out about 6 months ago.

But..When in doubt...

Hardware Store....

....Longer bolts....

 

i did as directfeak, wood on end of jack. it helped out a lot. i had to drop m y tank in the SA quite a few times...total biotch to get the bolts started sometimes. you just have to keep working with it. make sure you have the lines on the correct side and turned the correct way.

 

I do ensure that the filler neck is all the way through the hole in the fender. Even still, the damn straps won't align. Maybe I need to go to Japan and beat a Mazda factory technician senseless for his magic wand that got the tank in there in the first place.

And, when I took the fuel lines off the pickup, I completely forgot to label the hoses. However, I noticed how each fuel line was different in size for the different sized lines on the pickup, so I got them all back into place.