My teenage stepdaughter has a 1994 4-door Explorer with about 150k miles. The other day I noticed a gasoline smell around the car. After her next fill up, gas was dripping from the bottom of the tank. The tanks on these cars are plastic, which I suppose makes sense. What I found after tearing the tank out does not make sense. The fuel pump/sender assembly, retainer ring, and the steel part of the tank that holds the retainer were just about completely flaked away from corrosion. This is on a car just barely 10 years old, mind you. It looks like these steel parts are made from an inferior grade of material and not adequately plated, painted, or otherwise protected. The construction of the tank allows water (and salt) to pool on top of the tank and remain in contact with the metal parts. Now the really aggravating part - cost to repair! I looked online and found some really irate people who have been SOAKED $1200 + to fix this situation at Ford Dealers! This is highway robbery, especially when you consider Ford's culpability in causing the problem in the first place. A replacement gas tank alone is $487!!! This is a plastic blow molded tank - cost to manufacture HAS to be less than $50! I was relatively fortunate, I found a good tank at a local wrecking yard for $50. The pump/sender was $120 at the local jobber. The only part that I had to get from the dealer was the retaining ring, which set me back $12. So for $182 (and three nights on my back in the driveway) the car is fixed. This is a job that should never have been needed. Think hard before you shop for a Ford Exploder.
That's why they only put a 3 yr/36,000 mile warranty on the vehicle. None of these new cars are made to last a long time, it's called job security.
I had the fuel pump replaced on my 94. The sending unit & fuel pump is all one unit. I always smell gas when I get out. What the hell is it? I couldn't quite follow your explanation. Where am I smelling it from? I don't see any gas leaking from under the truck ever, but I always smell gas. With 173,000 miles, I'm not gonna be able to claim any hardship. It already cost me about $300 to have the pump replaced. It was bad and would intermittently die, until finally it died for good.
Unfortunately, cars these days are not designed to last..... .....they're designed to self-destruct and fall apart just about at the 6-7 year mark so you go to the dealer and buy another for $30,000+ ou: Salt ?? you mean they should consider winter road salting when designing materials ??:spank:
Sounds like price overrun to me. $50 for the tank manufacture. $120 for storage at the various warehouses. $180 for the dealer to pick it up and give it to you. $120 for the pension plan of people that worked ont he tanks predecessor. Welcome to the new economy... where the goal is to come up with the best scam rather than provide the best known product.
