I am going to guess this is one of the straps that was holding your gas tank on, this needs to be fixed today. Avoid driving, get it towed to your local shop. If the other strap breaks your tank could drop, you will be the lead story on the 6 o’clock news.
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Can I buy the straps myself and fix them, or do I need to go to a mechanic?
Do you have a jack and jack stands where you can have the vehicle high enough to work under? Are you comfortable working around something that might catch fire ? What are you going to do if the part that the strap hooks to is damaged and it not confirmed that is a strap in the picture.
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If you can change your car’s oil & filter, replace your car’s water pump, alternator, change the fuel filter, stuff like that, then you should be able to fix the strap problem yourself. Since you are working near the gas tank, all the gasoline safety issues apply, especially the ones about doing this job away from buildings, and keeping a big fire extinguisher on hand. Might be a good idea to at least have a pro assess the situation, and recommend what parts need replacing.
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I dont have a jack, at least not here and my house is a hour away and it is also on a full tank of gas… which concerns me me the most if it is the strap…
Tow it to a shop and have them do the job for you.
Its also pitch black outside so i really cant tell.
I have never seen a gas tank hanging that low to the ground.
Tester
You may find that the bolts holding the straps difficult to remove, rusted in place. If the bolts can be removed easily it will be a 15 minute job for a technician but expect to pay for at least 1/2 hour of labor.
BTW frequently parking on grass or dirt will help your car rust faster because of the moisture from the ground.
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I have, on a lowered Honda. And it was so low that the guy was scraping the tank every time he went over a speed bump, which is what broke the strap.
Maybe that’s what’s going on here?
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Maybe?
But everybody I know who owns 2000 Neon is just trying to keep it on the road.
Not making a statement.
Tester
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This conversation reminds me of the time that a taxi dropped my off at my university residence. The taxi parked in from had lost it’s gas tank straps, so the guy supported the gas tank using yellow nylon rope.
Don’t be like the taxi driver. Get it fixed before you drive again. The first thing I did when I got up to my room was report the unsafe car to the police.
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Like usual, if you have to ask what it is, then you should have someone else repair it. It means you haven’t crawled under to take a look see to determine how bad and what is involved. I don’t know about the wisdom of bouncing it around on a tow, but I don’t think you’d want to be driving all over town getting the straps and parts, then home or where ever to work on it.
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Many years ago a group of us teenagers decided to build a dune buggy. We couldn’t agree where to place the gas tank, so when we took it for a drive the kids in the back seat had to hold the gas tank on their lap … lol … sometimes I wonder how I ever survived those teenage years.