Fuel Tank Replacement

[ron k]

Hi,

Has anyone done a fuel tank replacement on the M5? I need to replace mine and am considering doing it myself as I was quoted about $700.00 labor to have it done. Any advice if I do decide to tackle this?

Thanks,

Ron

[Steve Haygood]

not too bad...if the tank is empty

[Ed]

Do it yourself. I think a new tank is still $300 or less and the job will take you 2 or 3 hours. If you are buying a new one, look into the higher capacity tank (70L vs. the typical 63L). The Parts Pimp can help you find what you need.


http://www.teamdfl.com/bmw/e28/fuel/fuel_tank.html

[m535is]

Ed, I thought you could only put the 70 L tank in if you remove the bumper shock mount in the right rear. I thought that the larger tank would hit it. I might be mistaken, but that was my recollection because all the US cars seem to have the 63 L tank.

[Ed]

Ed, I thought you could only put the 70 L tank in if you remove the bumper shock mount in the right rear. I thought that the larger tank would hit it. I might be mistaken, but that was my recollection because all the US cars seem to have the 63 L tank.

I don't have a clue about the bumper shock interference. If so, that blows. I hate stopping for gas every 375 miles and would love to throw a 22 gal (83 L) fuel cell in all my cars

[m535is]

375 miles??? I can't get even close to that. What do you have, a gas saving tornado, hahahah. I am lucky if I get 300 miles out of a tank in the 5. That could be the leak straight out of the headers or the face that I have a 3.73 gear and I drive at 80 on the highway. I am pretty certain that you can't fit the 70 L tank without removing the bumper shock mount. Which for me isn't something I am going to worry about the next time I need to replace the tank because I will be more than happy to do that since I have Euro bumpers. But I also think that you have to run a different transfer pump. At least from what I remember the PN is different between the two pumps.

[Ed]

375 miles??? I can't get even close to that. What do you have, a gas saving tornado, hahahah. I am lucky if I get 300 miles out of a tank in the 5. That could be the leak straight out of the headers or the face that I have a 3.73 gear and I drive at 80 on the highway. I am pretty certain that you can't fit the 70 L tank without removing the bumper shock mount. Which for me isn't something I am going to worry about the next time I need to replace the tank because I will be more than happy to do that since I have Euro bumpers. But I also think that you have to run a different transfer pump. At least from what I remember the PN is different between the two pumps.

I'm eta powered now. 375 miles between stops leaves me a decent reserve with the stock tank but I want to go from NJ to Chicago without stopping. I wonder if one of those 100 L Porsche endurance racing cells will fit in the trunk.

[m535is]

If I remember correctly Alpina used to offer a touring tank for the back of the e28. I don't know much about it, but I would be pretty sure that would help you get a lot more miles.

[stuartinmn]

I've gone 375 miles on a tank with my M535i w/the 70 liter gas tank, but that was on a long, straight, flat highway trip with the cruise control on all the way, and that was as far as I dared to go without running dry.

Doesn't Duke have one of those auxiliary gas tanks in his car? I think I remember seeing it on his cardomain page.