Petrol fumes when the tank is full

[tomperkins]

Hi guys,

I've recently bought a Caterham and I'm absolutely loving it.

One small issue is that when I fill up with petrol I get of petrol fumes coming into the cabin. It's actually so bad that it gives me a headache.

There's no signs of any fuel leaking and it's only there until I use some fuel up, at which point it goes away.

Anyone experienced similar or know of a fix?

Thanks in advance,

Tom

[k20erham]

Hi ive got a JPE saddle tank, and these are well known for the fuel sender gaskets to go hard then it leaks fuel when above then just fumes when below, if you have a pump in tank those gaskets leak too, not enough to drip but still bad, they are rubber and go hard,plus the screws have little gasket/washers on them, they leak too, if that it any help.

[sfaulds]

Check the filler neck (rubber hose under the ali cover in the boot) for perishing. It's a Rover part, and there was a period where they were prone to falling apart.

[tomperkins]

sfaulds said:

Check the filler neck (rubber hose under the ali cover in the boot) for perishing. It's a Rover part, and there was a period where they were prone to falling apart.

Thanks sfaulds, but mines had the alloy filler cap added which appears to have a couple of modified metal pipes that lead from the filler cap to the tank. Does that make sense?

[tomperkins]

k20erham said:

Hi ive got a JPE saddle tank, and these are well known for the fuel sender gaskets to go hard then it leaks fuel when above then just fumes when below, if you have a pump in tank those gaskets leak too, not enough to drip but still bad, they are rubber and go hard,plus the screws have little gasket/washers on them, they leak too, if that it any help.

Thanks K20erham, sounds like it may be worth checking the gaskets then. Any tips on the easiest way to get access to check these?

[curley]

Check the gasket under the fuel level sensor at the top of the tank. , These seem to be consumable items on mine

[tomperkins]

curley said:

Check the gasket under the fuel level sensor at the top of the tank. , These seem to be consumable items on mine

Thanks curley. What's the best way to get to that, through the boot floor?

[sfaulds]

tomperkins said:

Thanks sfaulds, but mines had the alloy filler cap added which appears to have a couple of modified metal pipes that lead from the filler cap to the tank. Does that make sense?

The filler cap type makes no difference - it's the bit of hose that joins that to the tank that I suspect.

[curley]

tomperkins said:

curley said:

Check the gasket under the fuel level sensor at the top of the tank. , These seem to be consumable items on mine

Thanks curley. What's the best way to get to that, through the boot floor?

Yes
lift up the rear ally panel and its below , easy fix.

[Ult-Jim]

I believe a perishing fuel tank sender gasket is fairly common. Strange reading this tonight as I discovered that mine has gone this weekend as well. Plus my clutch cable snapped on todays blat Not bad after 7 years. Both are easy to replace though

[tomperkins]

curley said:

Yes
lift up the rear ally panel and its below , easy fix.

Thanks curley, I'll take a look

[tomperkins]

Ult-Jim said:

I believe a perishing fuel tank sender gasket is fairly common. Strange reading this tonight as I discovered that mine has gone this weekend as well. Plus my clutch cable snapped on todays blat Not bad after 7 years. Both are easy to replace though

How funny. Is it worth me carrying any spare cables for situations like that?

[Ult-Jim]

Yes it is well worth carrying spare cables along with a basic tool kit. If you cannot fix it then at least a local garage of break down recovery engineer should be able to assist.

I will be honest I did not carry anything today (apart from legal safety equipment, first aid kit, extinguisher, flourescent vest, triangle, spare fuses/ bulbs, etc). I was very lucky a colleague was in the same area with a trailer at hand and some spare time.

Plus don't forget WD40 and duct tape for this:

[tomperkins]

Ult-Jim said:

Yes it is well worth carrying spare cables along with a basic tool kit. If you cannot fix it then at least a local garage of break down recovery engineer should be able to assist.

I will be honest I did not carry anything today (apart from legal safety equipment, first aid kit, extinguisher, flourescent vest, triangle, spare fuses/ bulbs, etc). I was very lucky a colleague was in the same area with a trailer at hand and some spare time.

Plus don't forget WD40 and duct tape for this:

Brilliant, cheers