Coolant Reservoir removal MY02

I am trying to remove the coolant reservoir in my 02 3.6. Seen some of the threads describing removal for the 99 3.4s, and one thread discussing slight variations for the 3.6, but I'm stuck. https://rennlist.com/forums/graemlins/banghead.gif I have lowered the engine as far as I can and I still don't have enough room to pull out the tank. I have moved the tank about 3" towards the engine but cant move it down and out of the bracket that holds tank to the car. CR2 2010-10-02 208.jpg CR1 2010-10-02 207.jpg Anyone have any tips? Many thanks,

No worries, it just came out. I guess this is what delivering a breech baby must be like.

Glad u got it out.. I had to remove two gas lines if I remember..but be careful not to break the sensor on the bottom especially since it's the weekend and the p dealer is closed... Broke mine bu lucky it was a weekday and it cost less than $20.. Don't forget to burp ur system when ur done..

Quotes source post: 7942879

Nah, if the baby's breech we just cut it out. Takes less than an hour, skin to skin

Unfortunately, I need to do the same thing in my '99...

Doing the tank on a '99 is easy (you don't lower the motor). I did mine in about 45 minutes - would have been quicker if I didn't have a beer in my hand

Were there any tricks to doing your removal? All I've read is what a pain it is.

Quotes source post: 7943290

This is one repair job I would have gladly paid my indy to do. I now understant why others had to curse so much during the job. I did the same. Absolutely worth paying the extra 4/5 hours in labor or whatever they would have charged. Having said that, I put this down to experience and learning that will hopefully stand be in good stead for the next DIY job. Per above posts, my undersanding is that MY99 are easier given the smaller tank. But for my 02, I had to lower the engine (you may not have to do this for a 99) and, in the end, take a nut (or some kind of cap that screws onto the end of the fuel line) off one of a fuel line to get the old tank out and the new tank in. Took me the best part of the day, but would have been a LOT quicker if I had takend off the fuel line nut in the first place. Would not have been able to do it without all the tips and posts on rennlist and renntech. Thanks all

Yeah it's a pain in the 02+ cars. Hopefully you found out of the old threads where I posted about this.

Good Morning guys - I am looking to tackle this one today on my '04 996. One thing I am having a problem with is locating/removing the fuel lines. I only see one cap on the fuel rail at the rear of the engine. I removed it, but the fuel rail/line that it is attached to is firmly mounted, and I don't see any easy way to pull the rail itself. Is it just the cap that as to be removed? I have not lowered the engine on its mounts yet - maybe that's part of the problem? Any additional tips/advice would be greatly appreciated. Looks like getting this in and out is a lot tougher than I first thought. Rob

This may help but still looks like a PITA job. Turn the sound down to get rid of that **** music. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nT2A-G0uinE&feature=related

Quotes source post: 9989909

Don't look now, but you just turned into your father/grandfather/other old fart you swore you would never be...

In re. 996s especially, when replacing the coolant tank also replace the coolant level sensor (about $40 from dealership). So easy a cave man can do it...once the tank is removed. relinuca

Thanks HurdiGurdi - I watched that video, and it's great but it doesn't show anything about the fuel line itself. Appreciate you digging around for it though Will consider that sensor relinuca - good idea. Anyone else who has done this, or removed that driver side fuel line, I'd greatly appreciate some insight! Rob

I'm with Hurdi (I know right ?) that music is brutal....but it totally goes with the guy's pants. I didn't watch the vid all the way through...but that's not a 3.6 I don't think. When I did mine (twice now - in two different cars) it was pretty much necessary to lower the engine. I don't recall having to deal with any fuel lines...but that doesn't mean I didn't. My memory is like the music in the video...crap. There's no way to sugarcoat this job in a 3.6 litre car. It sucks. The tank will absolutely come out eventually, but you're working blind and it's pretty non-intuitive. I imagine if you do this for a living you would get a knack for it, and the tech I know says it can be done without lowering the engine but for a one-time DIY job....ugh. I replaced the cap the second time but never the sensor. The cap has gone through a number of revisions IIRC

the key is rotate the tank couter-clock for 90 degree so it will come out from the side. yes, it's better to disconnect the fuel line to make room.

I did my 2002 3 years ago. Ended up removing the top black braket to get it out. Painfull and slow.

Just as an update, I ended up sending her in to the mechanic. Could not for the life of me get the tank out even after lowering the engine a bit. I was worried about breaking something and ending up costing myself a lot more in the process. Less than 500.00 and I was on my way again.

I just did it on my '02, and I agree, it is a super royal PITA job. If I didn't have a lift and disconnected the motor mounts completely, I don't know how I would have done it. After reading this, I just realized that the brass cap at the end of the fuel rail, must be the one everyone is talking about. It never occurred to me to take that off, and that is by far the main impediment! I had undone the quick disconnect feed to the rail above the tank, but didn't understand why everyone bitched about that. It didn't help at all, but of course, that's not what everyone meant. I don't know what I was thinking. SO for future reference, you can just unscrew that brass one at the end of the fuel rail, which is towards the rear of the engine, closest to you?

Quotes source post: 10060976

I actually removed the brass cap, but the rail was still in the way - enough of an impediment that even with the rear mounts at the end of their stops, it was pretty much hopeless. Man - I love my car, but I have to wonder about the wisdom of a coolant tank that seems to blow up with regularity. My $25,000 VW diesel has a coolant tank that has had the lid off it once in 7 years of ownership. Hmmmm.