Fuel tank sheild totally rusted out

davemsc

Member
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mazda protege5
Hey all....

So still checking out the P5 I just picked up. THere is a MASSIVE hole rusted through the fuel tank shield.

I am in Canada so this car will see salt. Should I be concerned about the actual fuel tank being exposed? What kind of metal are our fuel tanks made of? Will it rust?

What are the thoughts of replacing the shield?

Thanks all
Dave
 
Hey all....

So still checking out the P5 I just picked up. THere is a MASSIVE hole rusted through the fuel tank shield.

I am in Canada so this car will see salt. Should I be concerned about the actual fuel tank being exposed? What kind of metal are our fuel tanks made of? Will it rust?

What are the thoughts of replacing the shield?

Thanks all
Dave

No opinions? Just worried it is a safety issue. Not sure if it absolutely needed on the p5.
Thanks
 
I had the same issue and replaced my shield,... it was right around $100 and a pain to install,...

It's the same bolts that hold the tank up that hold the shield. I broke two bolts and had to drill and tap two new holes.

I did manage to squeeze the shield in without dropping the entire tank,...

Mine was rusted into two pieces and was flopping around.

I don't know how much of a safety issue it is but I wasn't comfortable with it the way it was,... and yea they are metal and will rust.
 
I had the same issue and replaced my shield,... it was right around $100 and a pain to install,...

It's the same bolts that hold the tank up that hold the shield. I broke two bolts and had to drill and tap two new holes.

I did manage to squeeze the shield in without dropping the entire tank,...

Mine was rusted into two pieces and was flopping around.

I don't know how much of a safety issue it is but I wasn't comfortable with it the way it was,... and yea they are metal and will rust.


Hmmm..so does anyone know if not having the fuel tank shield is a safety issue? I just don't want the heat of the exhaust to be a danger to the fuel tank obviously lol.

You say the fuel tank is metal. I've also read it's plastic. I haven't taken a real good look yet. Are you sure it's metal?

Thanks,
Dave
 
From what I saw it appears to be a metal tank coated in some sort of plastic, but the metal is exposed at the seams and bolt holes and rusts from there.
I was worried about too much heat hitting the tank,... I don't know how critical that is ???

Here's a link to someone who changed out his tank,...

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123833387-How-to-Replace-Protege5-Fuel-Tank


Here's a link to my How-To for changing the fuel filter.

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/show...ge-Your-Fuel-Filter-(lots-of-pics)&highlight=
 
THere is a MASSIVE hole rusted through the fuel tank shield.

What about just patching in a piece of sheet metal ????

Mine was in two pieces and rusted straight across above the exhaust,... that's why I was concerned about heat,...
 
The original tank in my '03 was definitely steel. I suspect the shield is there to reduce the chances of road debris puncturing the tank. Heat from the exhaust is going to transfer through the shield to the tank anyways. As PCB said, the shield and the tank use the same bolts. I was able to remove the shield to diagnose a leaky tank without dropping the tank by doing one or two bolts at a time and I drove it sans shield for a couple of weeks while I waited for a new tank. It might be easier if you can pop-rivet a patch on there and then coat the whole thing with a rust preventative.
 
The original tank in my '03 was definitely steel. I suspect the shield is there to reduce the chances of road debris puncturing the tank. Heat from the exhaust is going to transfer through the shield to the tank anyways. As PCB said, the shield and the tank use the same bolts. I was able to remove the shield to diagnose a leaky tank without dropping the tank by doing one or two bolts at a time and I drove it sans shield for a couple of weeks while I waited for a new tank. It might be easier if you can pop-rivet a patch on there and then coat the whole thing with a rust preventative.

If the fuel tank was leading I would be able to smell it wouldn't i?
 
Yeah, my car stunk up the whole garage. The fuel would drip onto the shield and create a little puddle which gave it a lot of surface area from which to evaporate. As far as I know, I'm the only one who has had to replace a leaky tank.
 
just replaced my fuel tank this week, mine was $220 for the part but upon installation, I noticed the fuel pump was the reason why it was leaking.
 
Contact a Mazda dealer and ask the repair shop if it is a safety issue, and see what they say.

I contacted one in Toronto, and they said to just rip it off. They do not replace the heat shields because it's too much work and too risky to damage the exhaust, as it has to be taken apart to replace the shield. He told me it's not a safety issue and you can use the car without the heat shield.

I only contacted 1 dealer. Maybe others might want to make $ and say it has to be replaced. Who knows.
 
Contact a Mazda dealer and ask the repair shop if it is a safety issue, and see what they say.

I contacted one in Toronto, and they said to just rip it off. They do not replace the heat shields because it's too much work and too risky to damage the exhaust, as it has to be taken apart to replace the shield. He told me it's not a safety issue and you can use the car without the heat shield.

I only contacted 1 dealer. Maybe others might want to make $ and say it has to be replaced. Who knows.

good to know. thanks!
 
As far as I know, I'm the only one who has had to replace a leaky tank.

You are not alone. Mine has set a longtime due to rust issues. I just pulled it in the garage to start replacing parts that have rusted through. Other than the fuel tank rusted through I also have a rear lateral arm that also rusted through.

@davemsc
Personally I would get under it and inspect the rust on the tank itself. Remove the rusted heat shield and if the tank itself has very much rust I would say to go ahead and replace the tank. Paint t he new tank before you install it and don't worry much about replacing the shield.
 
It's too bad about the rust issues these cars have. I enjoy the handling and the vehicle meets my needs for hauling my bikes, kayaks and snowboards on the roof rack along with a hatch full of gear. All the maintenance is up to date and the interior is nearly perfect but the body is looking pretty rough. I've been thinking about replacing it with something similar but the Subaru Outback is ugly, the Jetta Wagon isn't reliable and the new Honda FIT has a lot of bugs.
 
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