Leaky fuel filler..
Leaky fuel filler..
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Discussion

mrzigazaga

Original Poster:

18,816 posts

195 months

Saturday 16th February 2013
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Hi Peeps..Yet again i found myself trying to combat the raw fuel smells coming from my filler neck..Today i managed to see a very small wet patch of fuel and it seems to be coming from the 2" tank filler collar..The problem being that the collar has a couple of small dents and imperfections around the outer edge..The only solution i can think of other than having the tank removed to be welded it is to sleeve it with a steel or alloy tube that is ID 51mm x 50mm L and then use something like EP41S master bond sealant/adhesive which can be used in fuel immersion applications..This would seal the gap between the two and result in a smooth round collar to which i could apply the fuel hose over...I have tried fuel resistant mastik but to no avail and numerous grades of fuel hose..Does anyone have any other ideas or can see any problem with what i intend to do...Thanks for any info...Cheers...Ziga
EP41S
http://www.masterbond.com/tds/ep41s-1

Jack Valiant

1,894 posts

266 months

Saturday 16th February 2013
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Hi Mark

Is this the sucker you need??

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ford-Capri-fuel-tank-fil...

Chris

mrzigazaga

Original Poster:

18,816 posts

195 months

Saturday 16th February 2013
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Thanks Chris...Its actually the collar on the tank..More like this..

Mr Tank

5,799 posts

305 months

Saturday 16th February 2013
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Mark

Best thing to do is remove the Tank and try and get it repaired or get a replacment. To keep trying to repair it in situ is wasting your time and fuel!

Andy

mrzigazaga

Original Poster:

18,816 posts

195 months

Saturday 16th February 2013
quotequote all
Mr Tank said:
Mark

Best thing to do is remove the Tank and try and get it repaired or get a replacment. To keep trying to repair it in situ is wasting your time and fuel!

Andy
Hi Andy...As much as i agree with you removing the drivers side fuel tank is not an easy task..Let alone the money involved in the labour and repair..Im not losing fuel as such merely the odd trickle..Its more of the fuel smell i want to cure..I will try the sleeve solution as for now as it is the cheaper option and might just work..If it doesnt then i will just have to put up with it until such time that i can get the tank removed and re-welded..Thanks...Ziga

keatsie

326 posts

194 months

Sunday 17th February 2013
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Zig,

As much as I agree with Tank, the best way is to remove the fuel tank and proper repair but... Money and time etc. Rather than a metal sleeve it may be quicker to run a bead of fuel resistant self amalgamating tape round the filer neck, this should take out he imperfections and improve the seal. Used this as a temp repair on my 7 some 6 years backand it's till holding...

J

mrzigazaga

Original Poster:

18,816 posts

195 months

Sunday 17th February 2013
quotequote all
Thanks John...I did think about using amalgamating tape as i do have some but wasnt sure if it was fuel resistant..I have done a search for such tape but have drawn a blank..Dont suppose you can remember where you got it from?..Or have any left...Cheers...Ziga

ChimpofDarkness

9,637 posts

209 months

Sunday 17th February 2013
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Below are some products that may help you Zig.

But you need to know they are all a bodge & I take no responsibly for proving you with these links.

Two things you really shouldn't fk about with are brakes & fuel leaks.

It's all well & good trying to save money, we've all done things on the cheap to get ourselves out of a fix, but on this occasion you really need listen to the advice and get the tank repaired professionally.

A car fire can be a truly horrific thing and life is very precious.

http://www.earls.co.uk/earls/accessories/tools/pip...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PRO-SEAL-Petrol-Tank-Rad...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ROCOL-FOLIAC-SUPER-RED-3...

Like I say, I take absolutely no responsibly for what you choose to do with these links.

Fix it properly mate yes

mrzigazaga

Original Poster:

18,816 posts

195 months

Sunday 17th February 2013
quotequote all
Cheers Dave...Well in the time i have had the wedge i have had fuel pouring out an inch away from a hot exhaust...I have had a 2" puddle of fuel sitting just behind the drivers seat...I have lost £40 worth of fuel driving 12 miles..= 1.74 mpg..eek..SO..Yes i heed the warnings...Luckily though at the moment it is more fumes than leaks..I do have some pro-seal putty and was thinking if i could get a small section of steel or alloy tubing that fits very tightly over the existing collar then i can use an epoxy fuel resistant resin to seal the overlap..Not the face..Yes it is a temporary fix and if it was easy to remove the tank then it would be done ASAP..Its major surgery for minor work..In fact i could even just get a pipe cutter and cut the offending piece off as its on the first 1" of the collar...Cheers...Ziga

ChimpofDarkness

9,637 posts

209 months

Sunday 17th February 2013
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When I was a lad playing with cars for a living we had an old jag XJ6 in the workshop that had been misfueld with diesel.

I was given the job of draining out the tank which was mostly petrol as the owner had realised what he'd done very quickly after squeezing the diesel pump.

I ended up with a big drip tray of highly volatile fuel on the workshop floor.

When one of the old mechanics I worked with passed with a lit fag I thought it made sense to bring his attention to this tray of petrol.

He looked at me (the young apprentice) in disgust, then took his lit cigarette & plunged it into the tray of fuel.

I just stood there in shock & disbelief at what I'd just seen, but all that happened was he put his fag out.

He looked at me and said:

"boy, you've got a lot to learn, dont try & tell me what to fking do"

The point he was trying to make, was that it's incredibly hard to set fire to petrol.

It's the vapour you've got to watch.

If you're getting petrol smells, then you've got petrol vapour.

And petrol vapour is a thousand times easier to ignite than liquid fuel.

So a petrol smell is actually a thousand times more dangerous than a petrol leak.


Mr Tank

5,799 posts

305 months

Sunday 17th February 2013
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Mark

Look mate ever since you have had this car and been on the forum, you have always had a problem with your fuel system.

Despite regular cheap attempts as trying to fix it you have failed.

Also have you still got the faulty accumulator etc?

Yes you have had fuel leaking near the hot exhaust and other areas, you have been lucky so far not to have had a more serious problem.

But one day you will not be so lucky.

I advisied you as a few other did, along time ago to sort it out.
All the attempts you have done to fix it and the cost have not solved it. If you had taken the advice given you would have in the long run saved money and had a safe car (Fuel wise.)

Do the sensable thing mate and get the whole fuel system sorted properly now, especally if you are going to have the supercharger fitted as you don't want to do all that work and then the system fails and you end up with a a smoldering heap of fibreglass.

Andy

Edited by Mr Tank on Sunday 17th February 11:21

Transmitter Man

4,253 posts

254 months

Sunday 17th February 2013
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Mark,

Find a replacement tank.

Check it for leaks.

Then, swap over tanks.

In and out in a day.

A good used tank is surely only a few sobs.

Phil
420 SEAc

MarkS1966

330 posts

173 months

Sunday 17th February 2013
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Mr Tank said:
Mark

Look mate ever since you have had this car and been on the forum, you have always had a problem with your fuel system.

Despite regular cheap attempts as trying to fix it you have failed.

I advised you as a few other did, along time ago to sort it out.

Do the sensible thing mate and get the whole fuel system sorted properly now, especally if you are going to have the supercharger fitted as you don't want to do all that work and then the system fails and you end up with a a smouldering heap of fibreglass.

Andy
Come on now Mark,
Time to bite the bullet and get it sorted out properly!
Hoses, adaptations, time and effort, you've almost certainly spent more than it would have cost to get it sorted out in the first instance.
Given the SG of petrol, you'll almost certainly always smell petrol if there's any kind of leak, the vapour will always rise to the highest point.
We don't want to see Delilah going up in a puff of smoke and heaven forbid this occurs when you're in her yikes
When it's all done properly, you'll then have the ability to drive with out a care in the world, plus we'll all sleep easier knowing that Ziga's not going to dissapear! thumbup
Can't have that mate, where else would we get our "Zoogle" results from hehe

Danny Hoffman

1,617 posts

292 months

Sunday 17th February 2013
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Talking of leaky fuel tank repairs I heard a story at another make car club meet when someone had a split in their tank during the London to Peking rally somewhere in India.

The locals willingly offered to weld up the split and after removing it from the car (a blower Bentley) - to ensure there were no explosions topped the tank up till it was completely full.

The owner was cowering behind a rock apparently



Edited by Danny Hoffman on Sunday 17th February 13:55

bobs280i

290 posts

170 months

Sunday 17th February 2013
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Ziga i have the similar problem ,a leak between the 2 tanks and praying its just the rubber hose that joins them , its the passenger side , drivers side tank in GB ,only leaks when tank is full but drips right on exhaust censoredcensoredweepingcensored , anyway this picture is a reminder why i have to sort it out ,

MarkS1966

330 posts

173 months

Sunday 17th February 2013
quotequote all
Danny Hoffman said:
Talking of leaky fuel tank repairs I heard a story at another make car club meet when someone had a split in their tank during the London to Peking rally somewhere in India.

The locals willing offered to weld up the split and after removing it from the car (a blower Bentley) - to ensure there were no explosions topped the tank up till it was completely full.

The owner was cowering behind a rock apparently
Wow!
I definitely wouldn't want to be anywhere near that scratchchin
Given that fuel auto-ignites at about 280 degrees C
A match flame is around 600 - 800 degrees C
But an Oxy-acetylene flame can reach temps of 3200 degrees C
Even brazing reaches temperatures of around 450 degrees C

Instant Boom! hehe

I wonder what they topped up the tank with confused

mrzigazaga

Original Poster:

18,816 posts

195 months

Sunday 17th February 2013
quotequote all
Hi Peeps..Thanks for the concern..When i first got delilah she wasnt leaking fuel but the O/S tank was rusty..In fact full of rust which had also contaminated the whole system..I was lucky to find someone who had a nearly new tank which was sent down to the ford garage who was doing the work..However someone at the garage must of dropped the tank and put a dent in the edge of the collar as i have pics somewhere that show it in perfect condition before it was sent..Yes it has leaked ever since and i have spent a fortune in hose which could of been spent removing the tank and getting it repaired..Unfortunately there was other issues such as a corroded fuel metering head that was sticking due to the rust and the rotted mesh inside..This clogged up the WUR and the injectors..This was all after the tank had been replaced and a new pump and filter were fitted..Yes the accumulator had failed as well but has been taken out of the equation for now..I obviously still had starting issues as any fuel leak will allow fuel pressure to drop..However yesterday after cleaning the pipe and filing the edge as much as i could get to i decided to actually shorten the length of fuel hose covering the collar as i had a feeling that the clips were flaring out the edge of the hose and causing a problem..The breather from the neck to atmosphere was full of fuel which didnt help..Today i went to see ralph as the sun was shining and stopped at a garage to put fuel in..Im happy to say that the smell has totally gone from inside the car and there is NO smell coming from the collar now..There is a smell on the other side of the car where the breather to atmosphere is but that will smell as its a vent..Sooooo...Fingers crossed it's sorted at last..I will keep an eye on it and it will be on the to do list but for now i will leave it alone as it is not leaking fumes...Delilah also starts better now which indicates no leak..Cheers...Ziga


keatsie

326 posts

194 months

Sunday 17th February 2013
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Fingers crossed Mark..

Danny Hoffman

1,617 posts

292 months

Sunday 17th February 2013
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[/quote]
I wonder what they topped up the tank with confused

[/quote]

Petrol, they reckoned as long as there was no air in there, there was no risk

Mr Tank

5,799 posts

305 months

Sunday 17th February 2013
quotequote all
Mark

So you think you have fixed.

Well let's hope so!

But I will not hold my breath and I am making a bet with myself that you will be on here with a problem with the fuel system again before the fest. It's a bet I want to lose, but I doubt it!

Andy

Edited by Mr Tank on Sunday 17th February 22:04