Hi
Couple of questions about a Rover 25/Streetwise petrol tank.
Mine isn’t leaking yet but it is seriously rusty and is probably only a matter of time before it is.
So its time to refurbish or replace it.
So is the tank just a simple single skin steel tank?
Any anyone know the availability of a petrol tank for a 2005 Rover 25 Streetwise 1.4 16v or if all 25 tanks are the same.
Thanks Keith
25 Fuel Tank
Re: 25 Fuel Tank
Yes, it is a single skin, but it is reasonably thick metal. The most frequent point of failure seems to be at the seam around the middle where the two pressed halves are joined, but even so, it doesn't seem to be a particularly common failure.
I removed and replaced a tank on a ZR a couple of years ago for the same reason as you; it was starting to look very crusty with rust (I had a new one already which I had bought off ebay several years ago). However, the one that I took off actually seemed to be fairly solid still underneath the rust, and there was no sign of internal rust at all, so I think it is probable that your tank will prove to be similarly solid when you take it off and you will probably find that a thorough session of rust removal on the exterior ( I would recommend a thorough wire brush and then use of something such as Bilt Hamber De-ox Gel to dissolve the remaining rust) followed by treating it with mild phosphoric acid (PhosClean B from Rustbuster is what I used) will give a clean surface with a mildly rust resistant phosphate coating on which to apply a good layer of paint.
Rustbuster do actually sell a kit of products especially for refurbishing fuel tanks for a bit over £60: https://www.rust.co.uk/product/tank-renew-kit/ although I have no experience of it to be able to give any advice as to its effectiveness.
Up to about 2002/3 the factory fit fuel tanks had the bottom half coated with underseal/seam sealant, so it may be worth doing yours once the paint has dried.
Or you could go to one of the specialist fuel tank refurbishers and have them sort it out. The Fuel Tank Re-Nu process which is available through several franchised agents seems to be a well thought of solution to getting a tank refurbished: https://www.northernradiators.co.uk/fuel-tank-renu
You will almost certainly need new tank strap hook bolts as the threads are almost certain to be rusted up. You may be able to get them to turn by using plenty of penetrant (such as Plus-Gas) and soaking them for a long time, but it will probably be simpler just to cut the bolts and replace them with new ones. Although the genuine MGR bolts on their own are no longer listed as available by Motaclan, they appear to still be available from Rimmer Bros under the part number WFW10002 (bolt only) and WFW10002K (which comes with the necessary nuts and washers, and is only 5 pence more expensive than buying the bolt on iots own!). Although listed as for the 400/45/ZS, the hook bolts are actually the same as for the 200/25/ZR. and the 25/ZR parts listing only offers the complete tank strap and hook bolt as a complete assembly for around four and half times the price of the bolt kit!.
New genuine MG Rover fuel tanks for the R3 200/25/Streetwise/ZR have been 'No longer Available' from XPart/Motaclan for some years now. Whilst the tanks are all the same basic shape and layout for all versions of the R3, there are minor differences between those for the R3 200 and the 25/ZR, although they are perfectly interchangeable in practise. There are slightly more important differences between tanks for petrol engined cars and those for diesel models - in particular the diesel version has a 'swirl pot' fixed to the bottom where the fuel pump intake sits, and if you try to fit a petrol fuel pump assembly it will foul on this and will not be able to tighten down on the seal around the hole in the top of the tank.
There was a supply of aftermarket/pattern part tanks available for the diesels a couple of years ago, but I am not sure if any are still available anywhere. For some reason, whoever produced them never made a petrol version, so you are faced with sourcing a good second hand tank, or refurbishing your existing one.
I removed and replaced a tank on a ZR a couple of years ago for the same reason as you; it was starting to look very crusty with rust (I had a new one already which I had bought off ebay several years ago). However, the one that I took off actually seemed to be fairly solid still underneath the rust, and there was no sign of internal rust at all, so I think it is probable that your tank will prove to be similarly solid when you take it off and you will probably find that a thorough session of rust removal on the exterior ( I would recommend a thorough wire brush and then use of something such as Bilt Hamber De-ox Gel to dissolve the remaining rust) followed by treating it with mild phosphoric acid (PhosClean B from Rustbuster is what I used) will give a clean surface with a mildly rust resistant phosphate coating on which to apply a good layer of paint.
Rustbuster do actually sell a kit of products especially for refurbishing fuel tanks for a bit over £60: https://www.rust.co.uk/product/tank-renew-kit/ although I have no experience of it to be able to give any advice as to its effectiveness.
Up to about 2002/3 the factory fit fuel tanks had the bottom half coated with underseal/seam sealant, so it may be worth doing yours once the paint has dried.
Or you could go to one of the specialist fuel tank refurbishers and have them sort it out. The Fuel Tank Re-Nu process which is available through several franchised agents seems to be a well thought of solution to getting a tank refurbished: https://www.northernradiators.co.uk/fuel-tank-renu
You will almost certainly need new tank strap hook bolts as the threads are almost certain to be rusted up. You may be able to get them to turn by using plenty of penetrant (such as Plus-Gas) and soaking them for a long time, but it will probably be simpler just to cut the bolts and replace them with new ones. Although the genuine MGR bolts on their own are no longer listed as available by Motaclan, they appear to still be available from Rimmer Bros under the part number WFW10002 (bolt only) and WFW10002K (which comes with the necessary nuts and washers, and is only 5 pence more expensive than buying the bolt on iots own!). Although listed as for the 400/45/ZS, the hook bolts are actually the same as for the 200/25/ZR. and the 25/ZR parts listing only offers the complete tank strap and hook bolt as a complete assembly for around four and half times the price of the bolt kit!.
New genuine MG Rover fuel tanks for the R3 200/25/Streetwise/ZR have been 'No longer Available' from XPart/Motaclan for some years now. Whilst the tanks are all the same basic shape and layout for all versions of the R3, there are minor differences between those for the R3 200 and the 25/ZR, although they are perfectly interchangeable in practise. There are slightly more important differences between tanks for petrol engined cars and those for diesel models - in particular the diesel version has a 'swirl pot' fixed to the bottom where the fuel pump intake sits, and if you try to fit a petrol fuel pump assembly it will foul on this and will not be able to tighten down on the seal around the hole in the top of the tank.
There was a supply of aftermarket/pattern part tanks available for the diesels a couple of years ago, but I am not sure if any are still available anywhere. For some reason, whoever produced them never made a petrol version, so you are faced with sourcing a good second hand tank, or refurbishing your existing one.
Re: 25 Fuel Tank
Cheers for that, great great detail.
Looked at Rimmers and others to see what if anything was available and as you say seemingly nothing tank wise though as you say they have various parts. I can get a diesel tank, so its good to know problems with using those on a petrol.
Found a couple of SH ones but £353 on Ebay seemed a little expensive, although there is one in Lithuania for about £25 the shipping is steep at £140 and I don’t know what import duties are, if anything on SH parts, also its for a 1.6 petrol and I wasn’t sure if there were any differences in the tanks on diff engines.
So it looks like a task for the summer, drop the tank and clean it up as best I can cuz it sure isn’t getting any better by itself.
Cheers
Looked at Rimmers and others to see what if anything was available and as you say seemingly nothing tank wise though as you say they have various parts. I can get a diesel tank, so its good to know problems with using those on a petrol.
Found a couple of SH ones but £353 on Ebay seemed a little expensive, although there is one in Lithuania for about £25 the shipping is steep at £140 and I don’t know what import duties are, if anything on SH parts, also its for a 1.6 petrol and I wasn’t sure if there were any differences in the tanks on diff engines.
So it looks like a task for the summer, drop the tank and clean it up as best I can cuz it sure isn’t getting any better by itself.
Cheers
