on the drive home from work today, i thought i smelled gasoline, but dismissed it as the raider has always had the occasional unburnt gas smell. look under the truck after taking my stuuff out of the trunk, and there is a puddle of fuel under the skidplate. please help give me an idea what to look for. hven't done any serious trails lately, so it's not a new injury. could it be the pump, a drain plug, rust(it's a beach buggy)? please help as it's a daily driver and i need to get to work on it and i'm losing daylight. thanks in advance. ted.

From what I found in my manual there is a drain plug towards the back of the tank. There are also the fuel pipes towards the front but that may not be covered by the skid plate. I have a '90 V6 and will go check under the Monty to see if I can find any other problems to look for. My haynes manual gives a good diagram of the tank and all related parts. If it is a beach buggy and has had prolonged exposure to salt water that could also be a problem. You might want to check under there to see if there is any more rust and if so that could answer your question. If I find anything else I will post it. Good Luck!<P>Raphael

I've read about Raider/Montero gas tanks in salty areas rusting out on top of the tank. I guess the salt gets up there and doesn't get rinsed off frequently. If it turns out you need one, try to find a plastic tank (or run it into a pond once a month [img]images/icons/wink.gif" border="0[/img] ).

The fuel line output from the tank is connected to a "cap" that fits into the tank on the V-6 gen. 1...mine had NUMEROUS pinhole leaks that were spewing when I looked under the trap door in the floor [img]images/icons/mad.gif" border="0[/img] I had a new fuel pump and tank tank sent from Kansas for $250 (junkyard)...New York rust is not kind [img]images/icons/rolleyes.gif" border="0[/img]

I had the tank out of mine the spring before last. On top of the tank is a nightmare! All kinds of valves and hoses, etc. My tank was rusted through the bottom (probably helped by the numerous stumps it met [img]images/icons/grin.gif" border="0[/img] ). I removed it, brought it to a place with the RENU process (basically they coat it in resin and bake it), and its been fine ever since.<P>Couple of places to check: Drain plug, as mentioned. Also check the filler hose (maybe the rubber failed before the metal?), by using the squeeze test, as per rad hoses. Check the top of the tank without dropping it by taking off the access panel under the rear carpet. This will enable a reasonable look at the top of the tank without dropping the tank (also nice if you need a sending unit!).<P>Let us know if you need more details. (My tank, originally 75 liters, is down around 60 now, oops [img]images/icons/wink.gif" border="0[/img] )<P>PHIL

My gen 1 has a one-way valve thingy behind the rock shield around the fuel fill pipe/hose. I guess it burps the tank, I'm not sure. Just wanted you to be aware of it.<BR>-Geophie

Oh yeah...I forgot to mention that when working in salvage years ago, it happenned that the import fuel tanks corroded much sooner than the domestic vehicle fuel tanks. Some when parked for a long time rusted from the inside out. Since yours is a daily driver, I suspect you might have some pinhole leaks either in hoses or on the top of your tank. These tanks are no big deal to remove after draining, just mark your hoses.<BR>(one more thing, could your vent hose to the charcoal canister be clogged and causing this?) Luck be to ye.<BR>-Geophie

tahnks for all the help guys. the problem was the top of the tank, and more specifically the sending unit and its immediate surroundings. also the seem on the front about half way up is rusting apart. going to try to just replace the sending unit and gaskets, but am doubtful it will work. i have a feeling i will have to order a fuel cell, as many calls around have said that nobody makes replacement tanks fro the thing. even mitsu! would i be better off with a plastic cell, or does anyone know if a gen 2 tank is the same size, or close enough? again, thanks for all the help. ted.

Get a midwestern (not north midwestern- [img]images/icons/grin.gif" border="0[/img] ) tank from a locator salvage network...mine has been perfect for almost 3 years now ($200?) [img]images/icons/smile.gif" border="0[/img]