Fuel tank and breathers

[froggy]

Managed to get the van MOT'd today so thought i'd drop the engine and have a look at the tank.
The wife has been complaining of petrol fumes and as we're going away in it at the end of the month i'd thought i'd have a look.
Can you guess whats under here?

Engine out pics, all looks nice and dry

The top of the tank also dry

All the hoses removed, none of then look perished :?

The breather pipe work

Not sure on the breather pipework as although its all solid surely it shouldn't just vent to atmosphere, or should it?
Everythings looks good and none of the pipes were split, going to have to drain and remove the tank to check the back of it, make sure no one has drilled into it but i would of expected the floor area to be wet :? .Possibly its the neck of the tank but again until i remove it i;m not sure. i had a good feel ( ) and it felt solid enough but who knows.
Its very puzzling as everything i have read normally points to the hoses perished but.........
Any one got any ideas where the fumes might be coming from? Its not all the time but enough to make the wife question it.
also wheres the best place to get the hoses and what size are they as both the littler hoses are different sizes, i'm guessing 1 is 8mm and the other is 10mm? What size is the filler hose?

 

[Benyon]

I shall be following this as I have a similar problem. Mine mainly smells after refueling so I thought it was filler pipe, but this is about the best condition item on the van!? :?

 

[froggy]

Stupid question but could it be the seal in the cap?
It looks a bit manky and dried out, think its a paper gasket / seal?

 

[robins]

got my pipe from here http://www.rallydesign.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=281_972&products_id=7958&osCsid=rtj93h8jr53a3b5q2legpuog71" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

its agood fit

 

[aogrady]

Hi!

Dont know if this is the case, but is the fuel cap vented? I.e, does it have a small hole allowing it to breath? Maybe if it has and it's blocked, it could cause it to smell of petrol because of some pressure difference? Does that make sense? :?:

Cheers!

Alistair

 

[froggy]

Dont think the cap is vented i will have a look, hopefully it is something silly like the cap as i cant see anything else wrong

 

[Araon]

that vent pipe your talking about should vent back into the filler neck and hence return to the tank

 

[froggy]

I've had the tank completely out today to check behind it in case anything had been drilled through into the tank and........nothing
The tank itself is as good as new so i have bought new hoses from a local hydralic pipework merchant and have fitted it

Unfortunately i decided as i didn't have enough time to fit the engine i would re-route some wires and..............
I've cracked the starter solenoid, the terminal was tight so i used a little bit to much force and cracked all the plastic. the terminal is now off the solenoid but the wires are still attached to it. (look out for my next technical question)

 

[stevefhot]

I had the same problem, it was the big filler pipe. If you smell the outside of the pipe you could smell petrol where it had became porous. It is over thirty years old now time for a new one.

 

[Araon]

http://www.vwheritage.com/vwh/VW-Camper-Van-Parts/Bus-Parts-1968-79/Fuel/Fuel-Filler/?templateID=vwh" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[froggy]

http://www.vwheritage.com/vwh/VW-Camper-Van-Parts/Bus-Parts-1968-79/Fuel/Fuel-Filler/?templateID=vwh

I've looked at that drawing so many times i know it backwards, which is why i'm confused as to why mine looks nothing like it :lol:
I have exactly whats in my pictures, the filler and cap and then a straight peice of pipe onto the tank, the breathers run the only outlet towards the middle of the tank, back on its self then upto the fixed pipe in the top corner, this runs through to the underneath of the van and vents to atmosphere.
The only thing i can think of is, if at some point it has had a new filler and they have fitted a later type and then modded the breather pipework to suit :?

 

[stevefhot]

Yours looks the same as mine 1970/71, got my pipe from A H Scohfields bit pricey but you cant do with out it. You might be able to get a bit from a hydrolics pipe company. You want to try to get some with the same OD as the original as it is a tight fit to get it in the filler hole.

 

[froggy]

Steve, i know a little hydralics company near me.
I got the large hose (think its 55mm) the small peice from the tank to the breather (5/8ths)and the larger peice (3/8ths) from the breather to the fixed vent pipe.
Also got a doughty washer for the connection on the bottom of the tank. All for the nice sum of £5, yes a fiver. 'Do you want a receipt for that sir?' no thanks, cheers :lol:

 

[stevefhot]

Sounds good to me, just make sure its for fuel use. I had to fettle out the hole in the filler to get the clips through on mine but it was not a problem.