First drive out with the Mrs

[Mike Brewer]

Right guys .Taxed my s2 350 .Filled up with petrol.Waiting for the wife .Strong smell of petrol.drips from drivers side near swirl pot..Drove home ..Then the car pushes out petrol from the rear overflow pipe....Stange .....I read back through some posts .As it's happened to other wedge owners .All seems ok now lol....Mike

[jmorgan]

I was at one club do where a 400 rolled up streaming petrol. Informed driver and he was not bothered, just filled up to the brim..... always does that.......


Personally scared the hell out of me


I make sure I know where the petrol is coming from. There are a lot of hot things in reach of the flashy bang stuff.


Edit. Swirl pot?

[Mike Brewer]

Thanks for the reply.I am not sure if the 350s2 has a swirl pot ...just dripping from the drivers side

[jmorgan]

OK, between the two tanks is a bit of plumbing, and there in sits the swirl pot. Large pipe across the top and a smaller one across the bottom with the swirl pot (from memory) in the middle. My leak as it happened was a split seal on the tank near the swirl pot but the brakes and zorst are in the area. The swirl pot can rust, the pipes can corrode etc.

The petrol comes out the two tanks and into a swirl pot, the that feeds the filter/pump for the system. It is not pressurised at this point.


Personally I have never got petrol to come out the overflow but I know it can happen and O thought these are awards the rear of the car and not the swirl pot area.


Edit.

From the swirl pot, the pipe comes down to the drivers side and you can see all the gear there sat on a plate on the outrigger. Filters are not unknown to leak.


Edit 2. Mirror can be very helpful to look up between the tanks at the swirl pot etc. But don't use a match for illumination.

Edited by jmorgan on Sunday 5th June 10:28

[Henry Harris]

I had a similar problem when I filled to the brim. Even after driving several miles home, the petrol was literally siphoning out of the filler cap. Ruined the paintwork though thankfully it dried and the paint sorted itself out.

Lesson is not to fill to the brim, obviously.

[mrzigazaga]

Thats nothing ...On a road trip to Belgium most of us over filled...I remember being worried about Chris in front of me with the Gredge diesel demon...(Sorry) dripping fuel from the overflow....We arrived at an ancient forest where there were hundreds of sightseers and day trippers...As we slowly drove the small winding road people were calling out something which i thought was aimed at Chris...I just put one hand up saying ..."Its okay...Its okay"....When we finally got to the top and stopped i said to Chris..."You still got petrol coming out mate"...Then someone said..."So have you Zig...."..."Oh fk".....It was pouring out the filler cap and overflow....We undid the fuel cap to release the pressure and "Oh fk it"...."Frank get away from me with that fking cigarette".........Oh dear i tell you that was scary!......Sorry Belgium for nearly burning down an ancient woodland...I think they renamed to the.."Fueljord's"...

[KKson]

If I brim my 350i on occasions it pours fuel out of the overflow. Scared the st out of me at Millbrook last year - belting around the bowl at 90+mph and massive smell of fuel all of a sudden. Slowed right down and pulled over and it was fuel surge due to the continual left hand turn on the banking. I never quite brim it these days and all good.

[Convert]

Did the same when I first got mine, brimmed up before Chatsworth meet (2007!). Parked on a slope, and fuel dribbled out.

[Number 7]

It happens if you overfill, combined with a left to right camber on a road, and the fact that the exhaust runs directoy underneath the N/S tank, warming and expanding the fuel in heavy traffic. Result is the fuel rises up the filler neck, and if you're lucky, just drain through the overflow on the N/S arch. If you're unlucky, it keeps rising and leaks from the filler cap as well.

[Yatesy350i]

I only put 30 quid in mine now at any time. I filled it up last year and had the same. Firing out of the filler cap and the near side rear overflow. I'll give that a miss in future. It's all you need for some kno&&er to drop a fag end out the window while your passing. That might be a bit too interesting!

[Solitude]

Henry Harris said:

I had a similar problem when I filled to the brim. Even after driving several miles home, the petrol was literally siphoning out of the filler cap. Ruined the paintwork though thankfully it dried and the paint sorted itself out.

Lesson is not to fill to the brim, obviously.

Yep

[marcus1875]

Yup. Me too in a 280.
Comes out the breather if too full on the bends. Nothing to worry now that i'm used to the fumes....oh and as Zig says...no smoking near the car, ever.
Marcus

[adam quantrill]

I brim mine but only if I'm driving at least 10 miles straight away. Otherwise don't do it.