Pulled my tank and the plastic baffle inside is loose. Slides around. A piece is broken off, must be the peice that holds it in place. I can get it back on to the fill tube but it just falls right back off if I move it. Can I rip this whole thing out of there?

It might be easier to find another tank.

Yes easier to get another tank.
It will be hard to break it up enough to get it out of the tank.
Check some the post in the last few weeks. (fuel sender) Without the baffle the fuel sloshes around violently.
I posted that I had in a pinch taken 4 hose clamps. Working one handed in the tank, put the baffle in position, and put clamps in front and rear of the baffle on the vent and fill tubes. Very difficult and for short term. The baffle will still set off the bottom around a 1/2 inch and clamps have to be just right to get it not to move.

[This message has been edited by cmechmann (edited 12-25-2013).]

I dont see any tanks for sale. I night try toh hose clamp method.

OK be forewarned it is a pain.
Make sure all the fuel is out and cleaned.
Get a phone that you can put in the tank and take a few pics with to get an idea how everything is layed out. you will have to work your wrist around the back of the baffle.
Make sure the bottom of the baffle is still complete. On mine the piece in the front that is around an inch and a 1/4 wide that goes from the bottom to the top had broken just above the bottom. The rest was intact and not brittle. If the bottom is breaking up it is most likely going to break up more when fuel pushes it around. It wasn't designed to be held at the tubes.
OK with that said.
You will be able to move the baffle around back/forth till you find a good spot where it is the most stable. Mine ended up just about 3/4 of an inch back from the original spot. This was kind of important. It helps keep the baffle from popping up from the fuel pushing on the back of it. Too much away from the original position, the float work work right. However without the front piece, it does not sit all the way flat. I can't use the last 1/2 gallon of fuel. The fuel pump's sump sits off the bottom a little. The sending unit assembly MUST be in good shape. Any bent, broken, rusted out parts of it will give up because it to will now be helping to keep the baffle down.
Move the baffle back forward off the tubes. If pieces are breaking off, it is just going to break up more and not stay in place even with the clamps. Mine was still in decent shape except for the front(stand).
You don't want the clamps to be too big. No more than 1/2 inch of the clamps sticking out of the worm gear.
Put a clamp on the vent and fill tube. Tighten just enough that you can still move them on the tubes but not loose enough that they spin when you put a nut driver on them. Push them back enough to put the baffle back where you had it at stable. Put the nut driver in the back of the tank where you can still reach it. Then put the baffle back.
Now the fun. With out moving the baffle, reach around it, slide the clamps back towards the baffle. You want the worn gear nuts facing the direction that you have your hand in on the bottom of the tubes. Still without moving the baffle grab the nut driver and tighten the clamps up. Pull your hand and the nut driver out. Put the phone back in, take a pic to see if things still look right. If not do it again. If OK push back on the baffle to make sure it does not move back.
Put the other 2 clamps in front of the baffle on the tubes. With the worm gear nuts the same way as the rear clamps. Make sure the baffle does not move.
Fuel will still be able to get under the baffle bottom and eventually loosen stuff up. To try to lesson this. The sending unit assembly needs to keep the bottom down. There are plastic tabs in the sump screen to keep it from closing flat. Those, the rubber insulator on the bottom of the pump, the hose or anti cavatation/pulse assembly and down tube have to be in good shape. It will make sense when you look at it. The clamps keep it from moving front to back. The sending unit assembly keeps it from moving up.

quote Originally posted by Merlinhaggard: I dont see any tanks for sale. I night try toh hose clamp method.

Go to the Mall and ask for a tank. Fiero nuts save everything, but they can't post it for sale all the time.

cmechmann

I tried your method and got it settled. Thanks a lot for the diescription. The ahrdest part was getting the vent tube to line up.. Good to go.. You saved me some $$. If you ever need anything let me know.

What about the 13 gal aluminum tanks. Are they still being sold?

I haven't seen them myself. I've seen some ads in the past. They are nice to have the extra fuel. You would need to mod you venting some.
By what I have read way back and more recently here that they do make it harder to work with due to them being much tighter against the other things next to the tank(heater tubes).

There i a guy in the mall that has an 88 tank. List a WTB tank and he should respond. He wanted 120 for it.

Putting the 88 tank in is a chore. The biggest problem is that the straps from an early Fiero are not long enough to surround the new tank. Also you will need to take a body hammer and slowly tap in the flange that runs horizontally around the 88 tank just for some extra clearance as it is a bit wider. Use some strap material and make new strap extensions before you put the tank in. I have a tank from an 86 Fiero that is in good shape - just a small bit of surface rust on the inside near the top but will wipe away with a rag and I don't think the plastic baffles are broken. You can have it for $50 plus shipping if you are interested. It looks like new on the outside - still gray and not even dirty. (The car was garaged for 24 years!) contact me if you decide you want it. It is in Long Beach, California.