Leaky fuel tank?

[jamesandtheopenroad]

Hi

I'm new to the forum and to owning a T25. I picked up my van on Sunday and sadly already have an issue and wonder if anyone can help me out with this.

I filled up the tank til full and noticed petrol spilling out under the van. This stopped within about 20 seconds. But since then, I've noticed a smell of petrol when I'm driving up/down hills. Is there an overflow pipe/hole at the top of the tank that would account for this? The Wiki has been checked and I know from that that these tanks can rust on the top (which I'm hoping isn't the case) but no information about an overflow pipe/hole (if there is one).

Thanks,

James

[jamesc76]

Mine did that when I first got it now I dont fill it up never had a problem, most likely one of the many rubber grommits in the top has perished!

[Cruz]

WhenI bought the van my tank leaked from the grommet where the filler neck enters the tank. There are two different sizes of filler neck grommet depending on whether your van is early or late.

There are also grommets where the breather pipes enter the top of the tank. These come from the breather tanks under each wheel arch and it's prudent to check the integrity of, and change these pipes if necessary. Like you say the tanks are prone to rusting on the top.

It may be prudent to drop the tank and check it all over and replace the fuel lines whilst your at it. Make sure you get good quality non-chinese fuel lines. This is obviously far easier if you run the tank down as much as possible.

[dj biz r]

could be filla neck itself they rot i think only once did i fill mine up dripped loads out never gone over 3/4 since been fine (needs looking at but so does other stuff). oh and whs^^^

[pionte]

I had the same issue when i picked up a van for a friend recently, It turned out just to be user error! I was so used to filling my company car to the brim that I tried to squeeze too much fuel in and it came out the expansion tanks under the wheel arch.
since then the van has been filled several times without any probs, so dont assume the worst without checking first. Even if it is the tank, they arent very expensive from Brickwerks, around £130 with new pipes if i remember correctly .


welcome to the forum

[Doctor Foster]

Just done tank replacement and found nowt wrong with my old one when I removed it!! As mentioned trying to squeeze the last bit of fuel in seemed to be the problem with mine. I replaced all the fuel hoses when tank was out. Checked grommets and expansion pipes and made sure they were all reconnected well. So far so good and piece of mind now too.

[Doctor Foster]

Forgot to say there is a connecting pipe that runs between both grommets on top of the tank. If you reach over the front wheels each side you will feel it by hand and where it connects to. Have had one end of these pop off before. Thats when you get a stromg wiff of fuel down by the wheel arch, unless its the expansion tank hoses under the wheel arch. These are prone to perishing If been on the van long enough.

[DevonAid]

As said, do get quality fuel hose (eg Gates) as the cheapo stuff GSF sells breaks down and only lasts 2 years. I should know I had the tank out 2 years ago, replaced all the breather hoses and we're back to the strong smell of petrol at the front again already.

[StuM]

The OP's story sounds very familiar to me. I picked my van up two weeks ago. The fuel level was very low, so I drove 2 minutes to a petrol station down the road and filled it up - doing my usual of letting it click off, then rounding it up to the nearest pound. I took the hose out and noticed fuel pouring out the bottom. My first thought (whilst shoving sand onto the puddle!) was "oh no, I've bought a lemon". I knew of the rusty tank issue so thought it might be that, but also read many other posts on here about other potential areas to look at.

I'm going to replace all the fuel lines and drop the tank to see what it looks like and check all the connections. Will let you know what mine turns out to be.

[jamesandtheopenroad]

God, you guys are so speedy with replying! Amazing!

Thanks for these - it's settled my mind somewhat. I shall be looking at the fuel hoses, balance hoses, grommits etc.

One more question though (yes, I'm new, inexperienced and a bit mechanically dumb), I've still got this full tank of fuel - been a bit worried about driving it incase we turned into a 52.5mph fireball on the M4 on our first weekend away. Obviously you can't remove tanks, hoses etc when the tanks full, but should I be looking to drain it and sort it out straight away or am I being overlly cautious and would it actually be safe to drive the fuel level down over the weekend?

Apologies if that's the dumbest question in the world.

Thanks again peeps.

[liliball]

Thought I'd chip in with my recent experiences of changing my tank. I had the really strong fuel smell when filled to the brim, suspected the corroded tank syndrome so I drained the 60 litres or so into jerry cans I borrowed from work. Dropped the tank and found signs of fuel leaks but not actually anything obvious till I looked at the rubber filler neck which was perished and split and had deposited loads of crud into the tank too. If you're dropping the tank you may as well replace the grommets and hoses while you're there.
Regarding using up your fuel, I'm not saying you could drive it all off but you've got no hot engine at that end of the van. I drained mine via the fuel filter, takes a while but at least it filters out all the crud as you drain it, otherwise you can syphon it. Tanks are 80-90 quid from GSF and all you grommets and filler neck bits etc can be found at Just Kampers.
Info on tank change on the Wiki.

Good luck.

[StuM]

Just had a poke around and found what is likely to be the cause of my leak...



Definately worth seeing if you have something similar.

[texasuk]

If it isn't a rusty tank leaking at the seams (bit doubtful) then it will definetely be the pipes to the expansion tanks. Mine are regularly popping off, leaving a lovely flammable puddle under the bus which I watch anxiously as I go pay, before driving away as quickly as I can to burn up the excess petrol.
It's not that the design is that bad, it is just that it is quite poorly implemented, and getting to the pipes is a pain in the a***.

[Doctor Foster]

Best advice when dropping the tank is replace all the nessecary hoses/grommets/seals etc. Piece of mind

[jason k]

I had the same issue when i picked up a van for a friend recently, It turned out just to be user error! I was so used to filling my company car to the brim that I tried to squeeze too much fuel in and it came out the expansion tanks under the wheel arch.
since then the van has been filled several times without any probs, so dont assume the worst without checking first. Even if it is the tank, they arent very expensive from Brickwerks, around £130 with new pipes if i remember correctly .


welcome to the forum

glad to hear it