has anyone done it on a 411/412.. i mean properly, the whole thing, ie the front suspension off and tank out from underneath the car?
I am at a point now where i am... well sort of there... but i have now got to figure out how to get the tank out completely. i have removed the T shaped bar, and the anti sway bar, but i did not remove the shocks and left them on the car. the wishbones are still attached to the bottom of the shocks/ball joints...
the part i do not know how to proceed with is the actual steering arms that cross underneath the car
if you look at the below pictures i have scanned from my workshop manual you will see i have pointed to ward these ball joints... i need to either get one off or both to be able to move them aside to let the tank drop out... or have i missed something??
this is the complete diagram... please can you help out...
d,t forget the bolt and clip ,,in the front trunk ,, just in the midle of the car onder the hood spring joint ,,plus the électrick wire for the sender and the filler hose ,,
Let me know how it turns out. I have tried my best to avoid removing the tank out of my 411 for cleaning but it looks like I do not have much choice. Any tips from your experience would be appreciated.
Its actually not that hard. I have done it. Bear in mind that you will need to get all new 12mm and or 14mm hoses and clamps for the vent system near the gas filler. You may also want to think about the fact that if your gas filler hose has never been moved and is hard as a rock, you may need to replace that as well.
If you have not restored the front end...(struts ball joints etc.) now is the time to do it as that all comes loose.
I found it easiest to mark and unbolt the steering column joint, then simply unbolt the idler arm bracket and steering box. Put the whole front end off the ground securely by about 2 feet.
The clip in the upper center as Albert mentioned, the gas filler hose, popp off the three plates up above and cut the vent lines loose, pull wire to sender unit.
Pull large not off of bottom of tank and remove the the fuel pipes so you don't damage them.
Remove wheels. Remove and cap brake lines.
Remove the three bolts that attache the struts to the ball joints.
PUT THE THREE BOLTS BACK IN TO HOLD THE KNUCKLES TO THE BALL JOINTS. Use a piece of wire to hold each rotor and knuckle up straight so that it does not pull the ball joint so hard.
Leave the upper strut mounts in place and let the struts hang if you want...or you can remove them to get them out of your way.
Get a 1/2 sheet of plywood and your trolley floor jack. Attache a rope to the end of the plywood sheet so its easier to pull the whole thing out from under the car. Put the jack under the subframe and just put pressure on it.
At this point you can mark the position of the subframe and remove the three large 19mm bolts.
The whole subframe with control arms ball joints and rotors ...as well as tie rods, center link, dampner, steering box and idler bracket will drop out in one piece.
I used 1 gallon plastic paint buckets to support the drooping control arms. You could use bricks or blocks too.
Mind the brake lines on each side by the steering box and idler bracket.
Just pull the whole plywood sheet forward and get it out of the way with the suspension on it. Now you are looking up at the fuel tank...and its four holding nuts. Its pretty light...maybe 20 lbs. Cut all teh fuel and vent lines loose and drop it out.
Ray
DO NOT take the pitman arm loose from the steering box. Its a lot harder than you think unless you have a press.
If you remove the wheels...and look carefully...there are three rubber plugs inside each wheel arch. Under those plugs are three 17mm bolts. The right one holds the idler bracket and the left one holds the steering box.
You need to center the steering wheel and lock it. Then very carefully mark teh rubber four bolt donut disc that connects teh steering column to the steering box......IMPORTANT.....
make CAREFUL note...of exactly how the ground wire is attached, which side of the disc its attached to....which way the bolts go....exactly which and what kind of washers are on each side and under each bolt. If you mess this up....eiether horn will never turn off...or the horn won't work at all.
When you get the idler bracket and steering box unbolted....all of the ball joint and linkages will come out together without having to take anything loose.
At this point since its out...I would clean, adjust and regrease the steering box as well. Ray
