Unfortunately my gas tank is leaking and I wanted to know is there a specific gas tank to get ? Or are they all pretty much the same? It’s a 2008 p71 with flex Fuel option also how diffcukt is it to do I wonder how much it will cost just for the labor as I need a new gas tank

 

Labor will depend on a specific shop.You will have to call around for a quote.Of all repairs, I hate working on gas tanks and fuel pumps the most. The tank will have to be siphoned of all gas before starting. Common sense will prevail here. This is not the time to take on a couple drags of a cigarette..It can be a physically demanding job laying on your back with a jacked up rear end to r&r a tank.It involves emptying the tank, loosening and removing the tak strap bolts, removing the tank spout, disconnecting the wiring off the fuel pump and fuel gauge sender and dropping the tank.Once it's dropped, you can either transfer the pump/sender onto the new tank or just replace those with OEM parts.Myself, If I were installing a new tank, I would figure on replacing the fuel pump and fuel filter.

Although I do not like their fuel pumps, I have had good results with Spectra tanks.The ones I used remained rust free even after several harsh winters.

 

After replacing many exhaust systems and fuel tanks I found painting them with several coats of spray paint from spray cans , any color they were not fussy, saved me a lot of replacing due to rust..
For exhaust use hi temp paint.
If all parts are well coated they will last a long time ,years.! To prevent rust from the inside , you might a couple of times a year add a container of isopropyl alcohol , never methanol, to move any moisture out of the gas tank.

 

I wouldn't paint exhausts or fuel tanks. Most exhaust pipes and mufflers are either aluminized or galvonized and paint will not stick very well without scuffing down the surface thus destroying what the manufacturer designed into the product.. Mufflers often rust out from the inside so painting is ineffective.. Painting mufflers could void a lifetime warranty. Same applies to fuel tanks and painting them could also void any warranty. Buy quality parts that are designed to resist corrosion.

 

Having replaced many exhaust systems that were not coated with anything but a part # painting regular cold drawn steel does prevent rust from taking out an entire exhaust system. Usually, one little leak and the entire system needs to be replaced. Fuel tanks lose their protective coating and they rust from the outside too. When folks have their new vehicle undercoated they also undercoat the fuel tank because they know what can happen when the vehicle is driven on salted roads in the winter.

Mufflers many times have a drain hole that is located at the bottom end so condensate can leak out. Most mufflers will come apart right along the seam due to external rust.
What I suggested is based on factual experience and found to provide good long lasting results.

 

Factual? Hardly. Cheap parts rust quickly. It will most likely void any manufacturer's warranty and the paint won't hold up over time.

If you used quality parts in the first place, you would not have try painting, trying to extend its life.

I get many years of service without applying paint.

 

New vehicles were supposed to have galvanized lower parts to stand up to rust initiated by road chemicals.
I would think they went to plastic for weight advantage plus the galvanized coating didn't prove out to be that good.

A little FYI, folks that reside near or on dirt roads get a double whammy, in the winter they get salt spray and salt dust up where washing can't get to it , plus in the summer the towns apply calcium chloride in dirt roads to keep dust down , and the calcium is more corrosive than winter salt brine.

Received some of my experience from that too.