Fuel leaking from tank when filled??

[dave t]

Guys...last week I pulled in at the pumps and filled the D up ...a guy at the forecourt shouted over your car is leaking fuel everywhere...true enough it was.

I thought id ask before I go messing around at fuel tank/ pipes etc....

does the tank have a vent direct to atmosphere, is the overspill leakage normal or do I have a leaking pipe/ fitting or tank.

Thanks guys...appreciate the heads up on this.

Dave

[Chris Williams]

'Probably' the area around where the pump fits into the tank, it has a rubber seal and cap. Fuel can leak either around the seal edge, pump edge (or both) Loads of pictures hear that explain far better than I can:
http://www.specialtauto.com/delorean-pa ... ction.html
Chris

[RobScott]

best not to overfill the tank, the rubber boot that holds the fuel pump, is a shite design, a slight split, and fuel will leak out big stylee.

[simid]

Mines does as well if I decide to have a full tank, so I don't fill it to the top. One day, will invest in one of those new fuel pumps as an upgrade and replace the whole unit.

[Chris Williams]

I agree with Rob it is a poor design, however can work properly, mind it took two attempts for me to get it to fit/seal work properly on my latest car. Then the old pump packed in and had to start again :roll: but a good few tank full's later all is good again.
Chris

[Doive]

We had this joyous and most pleasant experience this morning - decided to fill the old D with £60 of Shell Vpower finest. Was having a great chat with a local guy about how great the cars are, to be greeted by a river of fuel running from under the car. Cobblers. Thankfully it was only the excess in the neck that had to run off. So we know for next time - don't fill the tank up!

[Horsebox]

Mine's been doing this recently. Garage owners not impressed!

I took the pump/sender access panel off and found the sender had come off the thread. Utter ball ache to get it on properly, and not completely convinced I have yet. Next refill I'll do with the hood open and keep a close eye on what happens. I'd always just filled it up and relied on the auto cutoff to let me know when full - maybe a bad strategy with these cars.

It's amusing watching the reaction of others though...

[Doive]

How hard is it to access the sender unit?

[jwrayth]

Nice and simple. In the trunk remove the carpet and the spare wheel. Remove the access panel in the recess, fuel sender is on the right-hand side.

[Horsebox]

I got to the bottom of the leak in the end....

Apparently the rubber gasket that seals the fuel sender expands over time due to the petrol in the tank. It expands just enough to make screwing the sender into the tank almost impossible.

I bought a new gasket from Ed, (although you can just as easily make one up - 3mm thick, not a micron more) and the two were visibly different thicknesses. Screwed in perfectly on the first go. Took it to the petrol station and filled it up to the brim, no leaks, no embarrassment / fear of explosion!

Mark

[jamespi]

I had this problem the other day. First time i'd tried to fill the car up. Turns out the rubber boot was leaking where the fuel return pipe goes in. Luckily I had the access panel off the fuel pump anyway so I saw the eruption of petrol pouring out of the top of the fuel pump. I had to get my dad to bring a hand pump to the petrol station to pump the tank down to a level where it wasn't welling up through the boot and immersing the top of the fuel pump in a puddle of petrol.

[88mph]

Funny I had this the first time I filled / over filled the tank. Pulled to one side until it stopped dripping.
I then always just tried to fill but not over filled tank.
Then last week I forgot and didn't shut pump until it self stopped. ........
Oh Christ here we go!
Looked under. ...... nothing. No drips.
How do you explain that?

[Rich Hanlon]

Two red Indian arrows through it...