Smells of petrol

[Doz]

After sorting out all the hydraulic leaks for the MOT, the damn thing now decides to leak another sort of fluid, the expensive sort... petrol . It seems to smell worse when it's just been switched off, but then there's no air rushing past it, so maybe this is an illusion.

It's a 16 carb, saloon

Here's what I've checked...

The "float bowl" thing with the send and return hoses on it, new clips fitted, hoses in excellent condition.
The supply to the carb itself from said float bowl thing.
The fuel pump (it's only a few months old, and still fine).
The pipes under the car up until the back.
I did have a weap from the cut off valve, but i tightened this up a while back and it's still dry.

How do I gain access to the top of the tank? Is it under a little hatch somewhere around the back seat or boot floor?

Any other ideas?

Thanks in advance.....

[m_2975]

Hi Doz,

Flip the rear seat base cushon forward. Unter it there are two black round caps. The one on the drivers side AFAICR is the one. Simply pull the cap off, it's just clipped on.

Normally the tank seal leaks but that would have fumes in the cabin and not the engine bay.

The tank seal is sandwiched in between the tank sender and the tank. Easy enough to lift the sender out and inspect the rubber seal. Let me know if you need the part number for the seal.

Michael

[jeremy]

Had a wet tank top on our ZX 1.9D when we got it 5 years ago - would leak when filled right up. - and easy to see as its diesel so the stuff hangs around.

I tried replacing the sender unit sealing ring but it still leaked and seemed to be coming from somewhere higher up as it were - and I found another vent (using a mirror through one of the holes) - and sure enough the pipe was split.

I cut a small hole in the floor for access, replaced the tube with fuel tube and pop riveted a plate over the hole (sealed with seam sealer) to save dropping the tank (which would have meant emptying it and removing the exhaust and seemed rather like hard work)

So may be worth tracing all the vents and inspecting them.

[classic2cv]

i had a 16 carb estate a few years back

it always had a smell of petrol about it, it was the fuel pipe it think it runs down the drivers side sill

it had rusted through but not enough to drip down it just ran along the sill

it's good job that i smoke

[Doz]

i had a 16 carb estate a few years back

it always had a smell of petrol about it, it was the fuel pipe it think it runs down the drivers side sill

it had rusted through but not enough to drip down it just ran along the sill

it's good job that i smoke

Yep, looked at that the other day, and although it looks a bit crusty in places I convinced myself it was OK, however the damn smell is just annoying me now, so I'm armed with a reel of copper tube for a global replacement of petrol pipes under the car tomorrow. Got some really good quality stainless hydraulic clips from back in my particle accelerator days, so I'm going to use those. There is a whiff of fuel when I whipped the little plastic cap off under the back seat, but it's all as dry as a bone under there.
Interestingly enough, my MOT tester says he can fail a hydraulic line for looking corroded, but can't fail a petrol one unless it's actually leaking. Mind you there's a lot less pressure in a fuel line, at least these fuel lines.

[Doz]

damn, pipe's too fat adjourned ...