UPDATE!!
After nearly two years of ownership the daily/tow car has finally let me down just last week. Not the end of the world but a potentially expensive fault.... the fuel pump pick up/sender pipes had corroded through and began to give a small drip of fuel, after investigating and trying to patch up what was there it turned from bad to worse and I had a massive leak so I had to repair it.
I contacted Mitsubishi who wanted £550 for the part alone :dizzy: and £880 to fit so I had to hatch a plan after coming up with blanks when looking for a 2nd hand good condition part. I soon figured out that the diesel version used the same pick up (externally anyway) and I thought I could graft on the exterior (to the tank) pipework so that I would end up with one good one from the two. Anyway I went ahead and ordered that as it was only £75.
The part arrived and I thought I was onto a winner, just expecting too cut of the old pipes and have the new braised on... well that didn't happen.....
I set about removing the tank and despite two rounded nuts it was easy for what is now a 18 year old car, I was quite impressed. With the tank out I removed the pick up and was to be proven wrong and the design didn't quite match up like I thought... anyway i'll explain as I go.
I had to do something with what I had so I sourced some fuel hose that suited the feed and return pipe diameters and decided to ni**er rig what I had as I need the car going for the weekend and Mitsubishi wasn't getting any of my hard earned. I started by hacking off the exterior lines with a hack saw.
I then cut the pipes internally to the sender.
Pulled out the old faithful cone drill and set to remove what was left.
I was left two holes in the sender cover which I could now pass the fuel hose through after I had bored them to the right size where the hose was tight enough for a seal but loose enough to pass through.
I had to bend the return line slightly to allow the fitment of the fuel hose and jubilee clamp.
I then fitted the fuel hose and clamped it on. And volià I have a working pick up assembly... not pretty but at the cost of £9.78 I couldn't care haha.
I then refitted everything into the tank and tomorrow I will install the tank and for her up once again... I hope!!
So after 2 years of ownership, it's been a great daily giving no bother at all and has flown through both MOT's, however with an ever closing house purchase I will be parting ways shortly to make way for a new daily I picked up recently for less than the cost of 90% of 172's. A fully loaded 2.0 tdi S-line Avant with the multitronic box, paddle shift, sat nav, Bose sound system, genuine tow bar etc etc.... I'm really happy I found this one. So if anybody is looking for a new tow car/off roader than just get in contact, Its had all the main serviceable items seen to in my ownership and had circa 3k spent on others prior to me getting it. All around a great car really, I am doing a lot more miles than I did when I bought it so needs must I guess.