Petrol smell - just filled up

[db]

Right - everything smells of petrol. Well not everything - specifically inside the boot quite badly. Outside of filler cap doesn't smell. Can't feel any petrol in boot or anywhere else. Under the back it's a bit oily and smells a lot of petrol. There's no drip on the garage floor. Engine bay doesn't smell of petrol. Whilst driving I can smell petrol.

 

Noticeably worse just after filling up, and with heavy cornering etc. After 20 miles or so from a full tank it's lessened considerably.

 

Fuel consumption normal (in fact a little better than normal, hovering at around 300 miles a tank)

 

Perhaps leakage from filling working its way out? Perhaps a seal high up in the system? How do I check without taking everything apart? Any thoughts?

 

My ... Preciousss!

[Nick Green]

Try looking for leaks around the filler neck. You might have to remove a piece of ally in the boot to see this.

 

The fuel could be pooling on top of the tank, under the boot floor...

[Dickie Normuss]

I'd also check the sender gasket, that was what was the issue with mine

 

VX HPC - Loud and proud here

Watch out, whatever hits the fan will not be distributed evenly

[db]

How do I access the filler neck to take a look? I have a big bit of plastic in the boot with no obvious way of removing it...

 

My ... Preciousss!

[mav]

Plastic?

 

There is a cover over the neck which is Aluminium and is held in by 2 self tappers at the base. Remove the self tappers and the cover will lift out.

 

If the neck aint leaking then remove the carpet and undo the 3 slef tappers holding the hinycomb flor down and lift it up to see if it is leaking formt he sender gasket.

 

More details on sender gasket failures here

[db]

Right I've read all that thread. As usual I now have a deep knowledge of the problem, and not the first clue of how to fix it, as I wouldn't know a rivnut if it had an R on its pyjamas.

 

 

 

My ... Preciousss!

[Stationary M25 Traveller]

Mav's last post is pure Allo Allo !! 😬

 

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[Onion Boy]

Had a similar problem recently. Followed all the advice on BT as above, looking at filler neck, sender unit on top of tank and breathers.

 

Spent a few hours taking it to bits and putting it back together again, looked fine and leak proof, but drive around a bit and still leaking, particularly down the inside of the aluminium boot skin.

 

By elimination turned out to be the filler cap leaking, not at all obvious as it appeared tight to inspection, but one new filler cap and the problem has gone away.

 

So if all the breathers coming off the filler neck and the sender on the top of the tank look ok might just be the same problem, fuel down the inside of the boot skin is the give away, but you can only see this properly with the filler neck cover and carpet removed.

 

Good luck.

 

Nigel.

 

 

 

nigel

[mav]

No spirited driving round left handers was there DB, immediately after filling up?

 

SM25T -

[Onion Boy]

*arrowup*Ah the dreaded breather problem. Belated thanks to Mav et al for previous advice received.

 

db

AS a numpty with a similar fuel smell problem to db i received lots of wise advice about how to fit a breather system to prevent fuel getting out on sharp left hand turns, (the filler is on the right so the fuel heads that way on cornering.) Much to my on getting the car up on a ramp and working it out properly i did in fact have a proper breathing system fitted heading to a charcoal filter at the front right of the chassis and apparently magically disappearing the excess fumes back into the inlet manifold.

 

Hope your problem turns out to be something simple like mine did.

 

nigel

 

 

[Onion Boy]

oooh, i've just become an acolyte.

 

note to self - MUST get out more.

[mattobrien]

my money is on the sender gasket - I'm on my fourth in two and a half years. Easy to replace and cheap too. Possibly a good first check / fix / elimination.

 

If you are unsure how to do it, order a gasket and bring it to the 50th (if you are coming) someone, I am sure will help out

[db]

Unfortunately not coming to 50th as apparently not allowed to go driving on spritied left-handers.

 

Mav - Don took her for a few laps of the hill route. I'm not sure about the fueltank, but he's shaved the bottom of my rear towing lashing eye down a few mil. Spirited? I'll say.

 

My ... Preciousss!

[db]

Note - the smell is from inside the boot, not the filler cap - does that make a difference?

 

My ... Preciousss!

[mattobrien]

sender gasket

 

To change it;

Remove the petrol filler neck cover - inside the boot

take up the boot carpet (if you have one)

Unscrew the ali honeycomb base and work up into position so you can access the top of the petrol tank

and hey presto you can see the sender unit / gasket - unscrew and replace

Don't over tighten the sender unit when you screw it back up otherwise you will distort the gasket and it will perish more quickly.

 

Gasket available to purchase for £3.35 here

[I.Mupferit]

As my thread linked to by Mav, make certain you seal the screws with a fuel resistant, non-setting sealer such as Blue Hylomar. There isn't much problem with the later gaskets themselves (avoid the earlier cork jobbies) provided you don't overtighten the screws.

 

On my car and many others, judging from all the emails I received at the time, it is the screws into open Rivnuts that are the problem. Seal them properly and you shouldn't have any more problems from that area.

 

Brent

 

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R 417.39 😬

[Billyboy]

Exact same problem here and fixed just like he says..................and it works! the blue hylomar is ideal as it is petrol resistant / proof and put a little on the threads as the bolts go in and IMHO get a new rubber gasket and before you start the job as it is also most likely a bit perished.............and dont be tempted to over tighten as you will squish the rubber from between the mating surfaces ❗

[db]

I've had a peek and a think and I can feel a call to that nice Mr Whiting coming on. The Delbert school of mechanical engineering...

 

My ... Preciousss!

[Keith Henson]

Hi All, missed your thread before - see mine this morning!

 

Exactly the same problem!

 

Excuse my ignorance but this Blue Hylomar stuff - do you just get it at Halfords and would it do to slap around the gasket to stop it leaking long enough to get to Dartford If it's a good idea to put it on the bolts beforeputting on hte new gasket had better get some!

 

Keith

 

C4TTT

[I.Mupferit]

You can get it in Halfords and if the gasket itself is leaking, it might be a good 'get you home' solution to smear it on both faces of the gasket as well as the screws. You haven't over tightened the screws have you?

 

Brent

 

2.3 DURATEC SV Reassuringly Expensive

R 417.39 😬

[Keith Henson]

Yeah maybe .... but ...

 

I recently replaced the fuel tank but didn't have a erplacement gasket. The old one actually looked fine so I re-used it (I know, how numpty do you get?)

 

Anyway, I suspect that it is a combination of old gasket, which when tightnend split and has got worse over time.

 

I shall see what I can do to get a temp fix working.

 

Keith

 

C4TTT

[I.Mupferit]

Have you presently got a cork gasket? These were changed some time ago to a thicker rubber gasket which does a much better job of sealing the flange and is the one to go for.

 

Brent

 

2.3 DURATEC SV Reassuringly Expensive

R 417.39 😬

[Keith Henson]

No Just been out to measure it etc.

 

Its 4mm thick rubber gasket & on close inspection is split around the plate which has the sender in. So in essense, the "ring" of rubber outside the plate & screws is now coming away from the rest of the gasket.

 

Perhaps overtightened rather than perished then! But it is definately leaking through the seal as when I "shook" the car petrol is coming out & pooling around the sender plate. .

 

Am off to the local parts shops to see what I can do.

 

At worst I will have to divert into Dartford to collect a new one tomorrow on the way to Norwich.

 

Thanks for all the comments & assistance.

 

Keith

 

 

 

 

 

C4TTT

[I.Mupferit]

Not wishing to be the harbinger of doom here but it sounds as though you may have distorted the flange mating faces by overtightening the screws. ☹️

 

They need to be just nipped up to prevent this from happening.

 

Brent

 

2.3 DURATEC SV Reassuringly Expensive

R 417.39 😬

[k80rum]

I recently found a leak from my pump gasket in the tank, following a refitting (and subsequent refilling of it 🙆🏻).

 

When I took the tank out and removed the pump to check it I noticed considerable distortion of the mating faces around the screws and rivnuts, presumably during assembly. I think in my case, reattaching the fuel line, or a nudge during the refitting was enough to cause a leak.

 

Anyway, the point of my post was just to say, that I used a block of wood and a nylon hammer to flatten out the mating surfaces properly, used some fuel-resistant gasket stuff from my local motor manufacturers and then was circumspect about how tight I did the screws up and it seemed to work well - if you take the sender out and the surfaces don't look flat, It might be worth seeing if you can straighten them a little.

 

Best of luck

 

Darren E

 

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